Well said! At the end of the day, leading worship should never be a performance. We are creating and facilitating connection with God and each other through the congregation’s PARTICIPATION in the music. It’s not about putting on a show.
“the amount of people leading the Church in praise every Lord’s Day who are nearly oblivious of the Scriptures completely terrifies me.”
This right here. I’m right with you on it. I’ll be honest with you, now that I am running a church and interfacing more with senior pastors in different organizations, the problem is across the board. I spoke with a church planter recently who barely knew the Old Testament. It was a strange revelation.
Also, thanks for referencing my piece on “worshiptainment” I appreciate it a lot.
That’s wild! It’s pretty scary. In a different time, the biblical and theological training of a lot of today’s pastors and church staff would have been considered a joke. 😬 We just have to know the Scriptures for real now more than ever.
Thanks man! Appreciate you reading and wrestling through these issues together!
Totally. There are some serious moments that are valid as we worship and pray; but the overall emo-vibe concerns me for sure. God’s Presence is a joyful place.
I appreciate the exhortation to worship leaders, though. A good reminder that leaders are called to a higher standard, especially those within the church leading up front.
I would contend that all Christians could do these a little more and we wouldn’t be negatively impacted 😉 This summer my church spent some time exploring how everything we do is worship - but what is it worshipping? This call is a good reminder for every believer to grow, as our every day and every action should be an act of worship to God.
The point about slowing down to combat efficiency is one that lands on me even though I'm not a worship leader. I am a Bible teacher in various ways and I tend to over-value efficiency. Hi my name is Justin, I have a new life in Christ and I struggle with anxiety and pride (IYKYK).
I am both grieved and encouraged that the prayerlessness is not just an issue in our (former?) church. Thanks for writing this. I need to sit with it a bit. Thanks for the references, too. May you be blessed and protected in your efforts to lead people to where you’ve been … in the presence of God.
So encouraged to see this post, Kaleb. One change I would love to see is to reduce the use of what I've come to call the Charismantra - that musically and lyrically formless interlude designed to raise goosebumps while too often failing to provide any connection with God, our neighbor, or the teaching/preaching. I spent several years in a charismatic church and have several friends who are charismatics. But I have a hard time any more listening to Air 1, the worship radio station because of the overuse of this.
Hi Ken, thanks for taking part in the discussion! While I would myself identify as Charismatic, I'm intensely preoccupied with ways in which we can faithfully focus our attention and devotion on King Jesus in our gatherings. Around here I'm known as the picky one when it comes to song selection. 😂 I think what we can most definitely agree on is that there is a method to elicit an emotional response from an audience without genuine spirituality, and that's something we must diligently avoid. Spirit and truth only find their fulfillment in the Creator Himself and the things He decides glorify Him best. I appreciate you reading and engaging so much, thank you!
Your cry is heard by YAH. You are not alone. I have never seen a worship leader break down and cry mid-song. Is this phenomenon only for the musically inept? Are we so infused with performance to eliminate the broken heart turning to Christ? I urge you to read Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna. If your soul is ready, so will their message. Bless you my brother in Christ.
Geoffrey, I so appreciate your words of encouragement. I pray Jesus encounters you in unexpected and sweet ways today. Thank you so much for reading and engaging! 🙏
Re: taking a breath, AMEN! Would love to see more churches and leaders of gatherings opening up the space for what we read in 1 Corinthians 14:26 -- "What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up."
In other words, the complete opposite of a consumer mindset. As John Wimber would say, "Everyone gets to play!"
Benjamin, you win 750,007 points today Wimber quote alone. Love it.
We are a supernatural people who believe in a supernatural Savior! Let Him be manifest among us in whatever ways bring Him glory! Thanks for reading, friend.
Well said! At the end of the day, leading worship should never be a performance. We are creating and facilitating connection with God and each other through the congregation’s PARTICIPATION in the music. It’s not about putting on a show.
Facilitating is such a perfect way to describe it. Our aim should be unity in the Body leading to moments of unity with Christ! Thanks for reading!
“the amount of people leading the Church in praise every Lord’s Day who are nearly oblivious of the Scriptures completely terrifies me.”
This right here. I’m right with you on it. I’ll be honest with you, now that I am running a church and interfacing more with senior pastors in different organizations, the problem is across the board. I spoke with a church planter recently who barely knew the Old Testament. It was a strange revelation.
Also, thanks for referencing my piece on “worshiptainment” I appreciate it a lot.
That’s wild! It’s pretty scary. In a different time, the biblical and theological training of a lot of today’s pastors and church staff would have been considered a joke. 😬 We just have to know the Scriptures for real now more than ever.
Thanks man! Appreciate you reading and wrestling through these issues together!
Remember the "Our Father". Jesus Himself taught us how to pray !
Amen! So very true and a great framework for engaging Him and seeking Him in prayer.
You had me at Red Moon Rising. 😀 Good article! Thank you
Man thanks so much! Appreciate the feedback and encouragement :)
Your point about smiling is so important. When did worship music get so heavy?
Totally. There are some serious moments that are valid as we worship and pray; but the overall emo-vibe concerns me for sure. God’s Presence is a joyful place.
I appreciate the exhortation to worship leaders, though. A good reminder that leaders are called to a higher standard, especially those within the church leading up front.
I would contend that all Christians could do these a little more and we wouldn’t be negatively impacted 😉 This summer my church spent some time exploring how everything we do is worship - but what is it worshipping? This call is a good reminder for every believer to grow, as our every day and every action should be an act of worship to God.
100%! Thanks so much for reading and bringing those points to light! I wholeheartedly agree.
The point about slowing down to combat efficiency is one that lands on me even though I'm not a worship leader. I am a Bible teacher in various ways and I tend to over-value efficiency. Hi my name is Justin, I have a new life in Christ and I struggle with anxiety and pride (IYKYK).
Man it’s a real issue! Same here. Thanks for reading my friend!
I am both grieved and encouraged that the prayerlessness is not just an issue in our (former?) church. Thanks for writing this. I need to sit with it a bit. Thanks for the references, too. May you be blessed and protected in your efforts to lead people to where you’ve been … in the presence of God.
Karin, thank you! I appreciate you reading and sharing so much. Blessings friend!
So encouraged to see this post, Kaleb. One change I would love to see is to reduce the use of what I've come to call the Charismantra - that musically and lyrically formless interlude designed to raise goosebumps while too often failing to provide any connection with God, our neighbor, or the teaching/preaching. I spent several years in a charismatic church and have several friends who are charismatics. But I have a hard time any more listening to Air 1, the worship radio station because of the overuse of this.
Hi Ken, thanks for taking part in the discussion! While I would myself identify as Charismatic, I'm intensely preoccupied with ways in which we can faithfully focus our attention and devotion on King Jesus in our gatherings. Around here I'm known as the picky one when it comes to song selection. 😂 I think what we can most definitely agree on is that there is a method to elicit an emotional response from an audience without genuine spirituality, and that's something we must diligently avoid. Spirit and truth only find their fulfillment in the Creator Himself and the things He decides glorify Him best. I appreciate you reading and engaging so much, thank you!
Hi Kaleb
Your cry is heard by YAH. You are not alone. I have never seen a worship leader break down and cry mid-song. Is this phenomenon only for the musically inept? Are we so infused with performance to eliminate the broken heart turning to Christ? I urge you to read Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna. If your soul is ready, so will their message. Bless you my brother in Christ.
Geoffrey, I so appreciate your words of encouragement. I pray Jesus encounters you in unexpected and sweet ways today. Thank you so much for reading and engaging! 🙏
Re: taking a breath, AMEN! Would love to see more churches and leaders of gatherings opening up the space for what we read in 1 Corinthians 14:26 -- "What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up."
In other words, the complete opposite of a consumer mindset. As John Wimber would say, "Everyone gets to play!"
Benjamin, you win 750,007 points today Wimber quote alone. Love it.
We are a supernatural people who believe in a supernatural Savior! Let Him be manifest among us in whatever ways bring Him glory! Thanks for reading, friend.
"Yes, Phylis sounds like Mariah Carey every time she sings the lead on All Hail King Jesus. But does she have God’s Word deposited deep in her gut..."
Yes, bro. As the saying goes, not all that glitters is gold.
Great points here, especially the need to start from prayer.
Amen. God's waiting for us to wait on Him! Thanks for reading.
Super practical! I was going to highlight a favorite point, but all four are good!
That's so encouraging to hear. Thanks Adam. May our churches reflect the kind of worship Jesus is really interested in!