Podcast Episode #322
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Mike Harland is back to talk worship and this time we discuss labels of music styles and if it’s possible to have a congregation unified about worship styles.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- “The lack of unity in worship is an indictment on the worship that’s happening in our churches.”
- “You cannot build unity in a church around a music style.”
- “Because of music style trends, we’ve seen a generational segregation in the church.”
- “By naming a service after a style of music, you’re setting it up to disappoint the attendees.”
- “When you name a service based on stylistic worship, you’re painting yourself into a corner.”
- “When planning musical worship, instead of thinking music genres, think worship moments.”
- Worship planning is spiritual preparation, not just musical preparation.
- Worship is our response to God’s revelation.
The five points we discuss about unity in worship are:
- Carefully select your language
- Aim for atmosphere & moments, not music style
- vary accompaniments/voicing
- avoid template worship planning
- Focus on what doesn’t change
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If I used Twitter, I guess I’d just HAVE TO follow Jonathan! 🙂
This was a great podcast. It gave me a lot to chew on. What do you do when you have a praise team leader who is already in place and is not gifted for that role and even worse has a major issue with the pastor (me) and is unwilling to try to work together? Your first highlight [“The lack of unity in worship is an indictment on the worship that’s happening in our churches.”] is unfortunately so true in our church. I love these podcasts. Keep up the good work!!!
I’m in a similar boat as you. But I have an organist and a worship leader not willing to work together or with me! I keep trying different things to get us to work together and on the same page, but I can’t seem to get things to improve. I’d love some insight on this one.
This was a good post. Thank you.
Great podcast, and I agree with your points. Thank you!
The current discussion we’re having at our church has more to do with style of accompaniment and platform presentation. Some members are pushing for a “more-relaxed,” acoustic-driven style led by younger leaders and a 3-4 member praise team. Their belief is that this is needed to draw in the millennial generation. Our current worship team includes a worship band, piano, strings, organ, on-mic vocalists and a worship-leading choir. We sing a mix of contemporary songs and hymns utilizing the worship goals and values you discussed in the podcast. I would appreciate your thoughts, perhaps in a future podcast, on “style” as it relates to the platform leadership, song accompaniment/arrangements, and appearance.
This sounds exactly like our church at this time. I’ve decided if we follow the guidelines discussed in this podcast and prayerfully plan our worship time together (pastor and music director) those who come to worship seem to worship. Others don’t come to worship no matter what “style” we use. I leave that in God’s hands, keep smiling and singing. Is this the wrong attitude? I would love for everyone to worship but there are those who just don’t come to church to worship and I can’t let that discourage me. I would like to hear your thoughts on this.
Thanks, Carolyn.
Good idea, Bryan.
I’m one of those that “just don’t come to worship” in the sense of looking for those moments of experiencing something. I come seeing church as a voluntary association for the propagation of the gospel.
Now that said, I’ve been greatly blessed in churches ranging from high liturgy and the hymns that go with that, to gospel songs, southern gospel, and contemporary. It might be heels and pantyhose and pearls for the ladies or jeans and t shirts–did not matter. What did matter to me was that propagation of the gospel.
Right now our pastor and the other musicians have us doing 4 part harmony, pretty country or southern gospel sounding, right out of the hymnal with the rare contemporary chorus. It is working well and we are growing. But bear in mind here those are the music styles the average person listens to day after day. Unsaved listen to country and saved to southern gospel. When we had a pastor insisting on contemporary done hip hop style our church almost died.
We’ve seen God move and folks you would not expect get saved. That, for us, it what it is all about, not “God moments” as our previous pastor called what he sought.
This is one of those areas, in my opinion, where listening to the people in the pew as to what works for them and considering the lost you hope to see saved and their culture is far more effective that having someone in leadership decide how folks should “worship.”
Linda “…in my opinion, where listening to the people in the pew as to what works for them…” It just so happens that your “opinion” lines up with what it means to demonstrate the “filling of the Spirit”. This IS “what works for them” and it is what God asked for.
Ephesian 5:18 – 21 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
This is specifically calling for all believers, in “one another” dynamic, to combine speaking and singing various dynamics of song as an offering to the Lord. This Spirit filled expression makes EVERY believer a “leader” in speaking and singing. This includes every believer selecting songs and speaking why they want to sing it. It could include other believers speaking about their response to the song after they sing it. This is believers singing all week to the Lord and sharing with their fellow saints a piece of their worship during the week. Worship together should be an overflow of our worship when we are separated, yet intimately walking with Jesus all week. The “submitting to one another” demonstrates believers giving priority or deference to the contributions of others regardless of style. Who is “leading” these leaders? Jesus, the head of the church.
This is also affirmed specifically in 1 Cor. 14:26 “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn,…” It is also confirmed as that which is ” done decently and in order.” What order? In the order of our identity as members of a body. Everyone facing a platform to be driven by a few performers is not “in order”.
Believers have been “led” for 500 years to believe, they should face a platform and only sing or speak what a platform crew tells them to sing or speak. . But the Bible paints a very specific picture of the opposite of this. A parallel passage is Col. 3:16 that combines every believer teaching and admonishing and singing. This is where the “word of Christ will dwell richly” and “all wisdom” will flow.
Can you imagine what obedience to these instructions would do to the worship life of God’s people? Can you imagine how the brand name disunity, monolithic style oriented, platform controlled music mess would all be resolved by this systemic correction?
Can God be pleased or worshiped by that which is practiced in an alternative spiritual identity?
Don’t know where this fits, but I almost cringed a few days ago when I noticed that a church was advertising their “Killer Worship Band”
Disunity is a result of conversations and attitudes such as the ones put forth in this program. Stop stirring up controversy and instead begin edifying the body, supporting worship pastors and churches, and focus on lifting up our Lord. Style of music does NOT define worship and perpetuating this argument is damaging the church. We now have an entire generation of young people who have grown up in the church hearing nothing but this argument.
Jeannie, if an entire generation of any church heard only that people are sinning by opposing the music chosen by the “worship leader” that church has far more problems than music style or lack of support for leadership.
As has been posted here, there is no scriptural grounds I can find for someone being exalted to the authority of telling the people how they can worship Almighty God. The Holy Spirit still works quite well in hearts from what I can see.
You are not leading if no one is following. So no matter the music “leadership” pushes, whatever it might be, if it isn’t the heart music of the ones they seek to lead it quickly becomes sinful selfishness on the part of the platform crew.
Our church locally has decided it does not exist to provide God moments for saved people. It exists to reach the lost for Jesus. Because of that we must be culturally adaptable. It just happens our local culture is very “western” flavored in music, in clothing, in hobbies, etc. It is very wrong for someone from an “eastern” flavored background to try and insist the lost must like “their” music to be part of the church. It would be equally wrong for us to try and tell upstate New York they have to sing like the Sons of the San Joaquin to attend church.
We have to get past this supposed “authority” coming from the platform and realize we are all in this together, all equals, and stop the “do it my way” tantrums from “authority” and return to the idea we are all here to serve the Lord and win the lost.
And as to the “worship wars”–there never would have been one at all if those in “leadership” would have just done whatever style of music those in the pew in any given church preferred. We had literally over a hundred years where some churches did hymns, some gospel songs, and some both without worship wars. Only when money got involved–CCM means big bucks–did it become unacceptable for the pew packer to have a opinion. Remove money and those churches who prefer CCM will do it, those that prefer country will do that, those that favor hymns will happily do so, and the people will sort themselves into the congregation they prefer. No need for cookie cutter worship nor for worship wars at all, if you take out the profit motive.
Our church has simply decided evangelism is more important than propping up sales for the music and book publishers. That is all.
Linda – “…there is no scriptural grounds I can find for someone being exalted to the authority of telling the people how they can worship Almighty God.” You are correct on this. I would add there are scriptural grounds that any believer who does ” exercise authority” is disobedient to the instructions of Jesus. ““You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,…” (Matthew 20) Most Bible experts reject this clear instruction and have done so for 500 years by twisting verses like “obey those that have the rule over you” to give themselves permission to nuance away the words of Jesus. Jesus is not fooled by this. Most of his people are.
What a great podcast! The discussion of how one plans the elements of a service was right on point. Ideally, music, text, and sermon all aim at one single goal or message.
Problem #1- Worship should occur in the entire service, not just singing. Too many people, associate worship with singing. Too many feel that they really relate to God when singing, but not in the reading of the Word of God. That is a major problem with the modern American church.