Wow! If you haven’t read yesterday’s post, don’t bother. Just skip down to the comments section. Some brilliant insights there, plus a sharing of experiences from different viewpoints.
I realize that I’ve embraced the tar baby. I’ve jumped into this with a few things in mind and am now seeing so many more issues that need to be addressed. Some would organize and plan out where they’re going from here; I’ll just keep writing and see where we end up.
One concept that came out in yesterday’s comments was the difference between performance-oriented worship and participative worship. Is it mutual edification or are their gifted people whose role is to edify the rest of the body during the assembly? Is it okay at times to sit and listen or should everyone be a part?
We need to recognize that this is not a black/white issue. There’s an entire spectrum out there. On one end, you have the “high church” model, where many functions in worship can only be performed by people ordained for that task. On the other end, you have the “unprogrammed” meetings of Friends (Quakers — They call this “expectant waiting”). There are congregations where only those approved by the church may lead singing, direct prayers, wait on the table, etc. There are other congregations where everyone is expected to come prepared to do something.
I could go on, but I hope you see what I mean. There aren’t just two approaches to this question, nor three or four. There is a whole gamut of responses. However, we can focus in on one thing: some feel that it is imperative that every member be active in singing or they will not have worshiped.
So here’s another set of questions: should a congregation have the goal of 100% audience participation in singing? Is it sinful to be present and not sing? Should the goal of the church be edification through song, even if that means limiting the participation of some members and emphasizing the participation of others?
OK, I’ll jump on in here and say that I think the goal should be 100% audience participation, but not just in song, but in every aspect of worship. This is our opportunity, actually, our invitation from God, to approach Him in praise and worship. We have prayer leaders, yet we all are to pray. Every member is expected to give financially on the first day of the week. The preacher may be the one doing the speaking, but we are all supposed to be studying and worshipping at that time. Each Christian is given the opportunity to partake of the Lord’s Supper, even though only a few of the congregation may actually be passing out the trays. There are other areas, such as love, edification, making ourselves aware of needs of our fellow Christians, etc., that go along with this (don’t want to be accused of being a 5-part worship advocate). Point is, none of these acts are more important than the others, as they are all directed and expected by God. As for the structure, whether it’s high church or unprogrammed, my personal thoughts on that is that there should be no hierarchy where any member is exalted or diminished based on God-given talents and abilities. Just as preachers and elders should not be exalted due to their positions, neither should song leaders, prayer leaders, classroom teachers or anyone else be thought more highly of than those who might not have that particular talent. Echoing a thought made by Dana yesterday, I don’t lead singing for the glory and am also a bit embarrassed when I am congratulated on my voice. It’s a talent I have that I hope to use in a way that brings God the glory. And when we get down to it, what we’re talking about is a talent that is used just a few times a week, usually within the confines of our four walls. These talents, while nice, aren’t really the most valued by people who need a meal or need electrical work done on their houses. Maybe I’m starting to ramble. I look forward to others thoughts.
You can make 100% singing your goal. Probably not realistic and you shouldn’t become some type of hardcore worship police. People have a choice.
Is it sinful to be present and not sing? Not even sure what you mean. It may say something about your heart and that would be the issue in my mind. If someone isn’t singing because they are afraid someone is going to give them a dirty look because they can’t sing, well they certainly wouldn’t be the person with the heart problem in that situation.
Yes the goal should be mutual edification through song but that very fact DOESN’T limit the participation of members. We have created a paradigm that says that only takes place if everything is perfect and great and wonderful. Paul seems to say we don’t build each other up when we celebrate the most talented but when we honor the least in 1 Corinthians 12:21-26.
That for me is half the problem.
Darin, I was referring to what some people teach, that it’s wrong to have choruses or special singing groups during worship. No solos, no duets. Everybody sings or nobody sings.
Well, when a congregation is learning a new song, it’s often a solo or maybe a small quartet before the whole group catches on. I think we have our expectations for worship that we grew up with, and anything different than that makes us uncomfortable and therefore “wrong.” That brings out the knee-jerk reaction against “new” and “change.”
The ideal of 100% participation comes from us looking at the corporate worship time as what we do individually. In our teaching, though, we understand that not all can preach or pray, at least, not at the same time (and Lord help us if more than one preacher is slated to bring a lesson in the same worship service!). Yet, our singing has been argued to be the time when EVERYone can and should participate. Any infringement on that is viewed very suspiciously. Right? After all, that’s the big deal about acappella music, right? “EVERYone can sing, but not everyone can play the piano.” We complain and argue about the difference between performance-based worship and “audience-participation” worship.
When did we lose the idea and practice that we can be engaged in someone’s “performance”? After all, don’t we compliment the preacher on his sermon (“You really moved me today,” “That made me think of…,” etc.)? If we can be engaged in a sermon, why can’t we be engaged in a solo or quartet? Have we really bought into the entertainment model THAT much?
Barry said and asked “When did we lose the idea and practice that we can be engaged in someone’s “performance”? After all, don’t we compliment the preacher on his sermon (“You really moved me today,” “That made me think of…,” etc.)? If we can be engaged in a sermon, why can’t we be engaged in a solo or quartet? Have we really bought into the entertainment model THAT much?”
I will answer with an unqualified “yes.” When I listen to the arguments made in favor of praise teams or instruments in worship and then I look at the actual product on the stage I see a huge discrepancy. What I hear are arguments about giftedness, sharing what God has given me, etc. What I see are extremely polished, well rehearsed, gorgeous young people in gorgeous displays of perfected performances. “Worship Leaders” are hired to “recruit, train, and rehearse the praise team for Sunday morning worship services.” You will never see or hear the Down Syndrome child or the victim of MS confined to a wheelchair, even though their worship may be exponentially higher than the polished product of the impeccably coifed 20 something.
I say this with all seriousness. If the preacher “preaches” as a performance he should be removed. If the congregation views his message as a “performance” then both he and the elders/leaders need to do some real education about what the spoken Word is all about. The point of the koinonia words (fellowship, together, in common, etc) is that what God has created in the church through Jesus is not only physically different from the world, but qualitatively different as well. We are not just to look different, but we are to BE different. When we ONLY allow a professional quality musician to play or when we ONLY allow pitch-perfect stunningly beautiful young people who have passed a strenuous quality control examination to be a “praise team” (the phrase itself is ridiculously self-indulgent and pompous), we have sold our soul to the lowest common denominator of the world’s performance-based values.
All we have to do is take James 2:1-4 and substitute “beautiful voice” or “musical ability” for gold rings and fine clothes, and “raspy voice” of “musically challenged” for poor man in shabby clothes and I think we have a pretty good parallel to what is happening in many congregations today. The musically disinclined and those with wrinkly faces are being told to move to the back of the bus to allow the talented and glamorous take the stage.
My apologies if this sounds harsh. I don’t mean it to be, and I do not want to be seen as attacking a person. I want to attack a philosophy, an attitude. It just seems that I am forced to stand up for the little guy more and more these days. And right now there is no smaller member in many of our congregations than the person of average looks or gray hair and wrinkled skin and poor to average singing ability, but someone who would just like to be considered an equal in the “praise team” of the congregation of Christ.
Travis, over 20 years ago the “worship skirmishes” were in full bloom at a congregation that supported one of our teammates. Some of the “progressives” were complaining to my missionary friend (who had been on staff at that congregation before going to Argentina). My friend replied, “Maybe you’ve made all the changes regarding worship that you need to make right now. Maybe you should concentrate on revitalizing other areas of the church’s ministry.” He says they looked at him like he’d just stepped off the last bus from Mars.
For some reason, we often limit our ideas of giftedness to things that can be done in the weekly assembly.
Tim, that was basically the point I was making at the end of my prior post. We get bogged down on “why can’t I do this or that” and it’s really over matters that are really a small part of being a Christian. Same can be said of the roles of women in public worship, instrumental music, and many other areas. These are distractions to what Christ really wants us to do, which is to seek and spread the gospel of salvation to those who are outside Him, edify and help those who are already Christians, and then to be of benefit to all men, as we have opportunity. We spend more time worrying about and prepping for the Sunday “performance” than we do in going about the Master’s work. As some may know, I spent the better part of the last 20 years as part of a non-institutional (ultra conservative) CoC, so a lot of these arguments, philosophies, etc., are fairly new. I’m still a “God said it, that settles it” simple logic kinda guy on a lot of issues, instrumental music included (and I know how that blunt statement tends to irk some people, so forgive me, I’m working on it!).
I have difficulty with an expectation of 100% participation in singing.
Surely God does not exect the deaf-mute soul to sing.
And worship comes from the heart. While we may be of one mind, we surely are not all of one heart. One soul may be inspired to sing songs of joyous praise while another can only beat his breast and cry, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Others mourn cherished ones or founder in perplexity over poverty and joblessness. I know I’m getting into the thankless challenge of worship planning by mentioning this, but it is a real concern.
Do we only rejoice with those who rejoice on Sundays and only weep with those who weep at funerals (and perhaps the occasional wedding)? :)
Keith:
I continue to find it interesting that most will NEVER question/challenge the other “one another” texts in Ephesians. We consider the apostle’s words to be crucial — until we get to Ephesians 5:18ff. And then… well… somehow… this singing to “one another,” surely it is optional, does not apply to our time, etc. God surely understands that I cannot carry a tune. And he is okay with my listening. Right?
So, are you as ready to throw out the other “one another” imperatives Paul speaks in Ephesians?
In Christ,
Bruce Morton
Katy, Texas
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” is the most challenged “one another” text in the New Testament… but I’m sure that’s not the “one another” text you meant when you mentioned Eph 5:18ff.
Just a thought: John Mark Hicks recently did a series on the theology of Hadel’s Messiah. Most of us have heard the music and would recognize the tune, but I would bet that most of us have not heard the words. There is definitely a sermon contained in that music. So, can a sermon be sung instead of spoken? If the sermon is sung, must the whole congregation sing? Would it really be wrong for a group of congregants to sit back and listen to the sermon sung by a well trained choir? Am I allowed to enjoy it? If we consider the song a sermon, must the choir be made up of only men so that the women are not engaged in the act of teaching?
See how many questions we can ask and worry about and wrangle over when we worry about the rules of worship rather than the purpose of worship?
Nick:
Yep, you have a point. Ephesians 5:21 gets challenged as well!
In Christ,
Bruce Morton
Brian:
As one voice, it seems to me that we can work very hard in this nation to try to find questions that will distance the message of Ephesians 5:18-21. Somehow find a way to avoid the strength of the teaching in context. It really is a remarkable teaching about one of the ways unity is accomplished.
Probably all I should say at this point.
In Christ,
Bruce Morton
Katy, Texas
We are so used to thinking in a linear manner as it relates to worship (or any other practice in our fellowship, really), which is the result of how we either have been conditioned or have conditioned ourselves — five acts…one at a time…all together or not at all…regimented. I am not saying that this is wrong by any means, but as with other aspects of Christian living, perhaps this is not the only way that we can enjoy and perpetuate spirituality…in worship, in this case. It is scary for some to consider a different paradigm as it relates to worship…but, this may be where some individuals and churches need to be. When we sing, as it has been mentioned…we sing not only with the mouth, but from the heart. I find it interesting that some, including myself, have been critical of our proof-text for singing acapella in Ephesians 5:19ff, but at the same time, it is easy to ignore the “making melody in our hearts” aspect, which is critical. I do not believe that we can be limited to certain formats or styles in relationship to praising God, if we are filled with the Spirit, being led by Him, and are making melody, even if we may not be mouthing the words. Blessings, Don