Church consultant Chuck Lawless offers observations on worship.

A few weeks ago, I posted findings on common worship distractions. Since that time, some readers have questioned me more specifically about our findings regarding the musical component of worship. So, the goal in this post is to respond to that request.

Let me be honest about my qualifications up front, though: I am not a musician or singer; I am a church consultant only reporting what our teams have found in more than 15 years of consulting. It is not my intent to be judgmental or offensive. I have utmost respect for those who lead us in worship. With those caveats in mind, here are ten distractions we’ve encountered in the music element of worship.

1. Incomprehensible choir or praise team words – I start with this distraction (a repeat from the previous post) simply because we face this issue so often. The sound system may be poor, the singers may not enunciate well, or the music may drown out the lyrics – but in any case, we miss the message while straining to understand the words.
2. Unsmiling faces leading worship – Some solemn hymns may not necessitate smiles, but something is lacking in singing about the joy of the Lord when the singer’s facial expression suggests something different. We have seen entire praise teams show little expression as they lead worship.
3. Poor musicians or singers – I hesitate to include this distraction because I realize the level of talent varies by congregation. Nor do I want to suggest that only the most talented musicians or singers should be permitted to lead worship. I’m simply stating what we’ve experienced: sometimes the musical component of worship lacks quality.
4. Unprepared singers – Here, level of talent is not the issue; lack of preparation instead appears to be the problem. Sometimes it seems – right or wrong – as if no one practiced this component of the worship service. In fact, we’ve occasionally heard it stated publicly: “Please pray for me before I sing today because I really didn’t have time to get ready for singing.”
5. “Preachy” music directors – Some folks leading worship do a great job of succinctly and effectively speaking between songs. Others, though, seem to use interludes to preach a sermon in preparation for the sermon still to come. Too much talking may actually disrupt the worship more than facilitate it.
6. Songs disconnected from the sermon topic – It seems strange, for example, when the sermon series is about family but none of the song selections moves in that direction. On the other hand, worship is often facilitated – and the teachings of that service’s content are easier to recall – when the musical selections and the sermon content focus in a single direction.
7. Difficult songs to sing – Again, I am not a singer, but I do know when I’m struggling to sing a particular song. Some of our more gifted consulting team members are singers, and they at times question song selections on the “singability” of the song. What works for the gifted singer doesn’t always work for the typical person in the pew.
8. Weak use of media for lyrics – This distraction is a corollary to the previous one. Lyrics on the screen are most often helpful. If, though, the phrase and sentence breaks on the screen don’t match the breaks in the singing, the worshipper may still struggle with knowing how to sing the song. Lyrics on the screen do not generally help worship participants learn the melody.
9. Poorly done blended style – Anecdotally, we are seeing more churches move to a blended style of worship rather than offer multiple distinct styles of worship. That approach is not bad, but it becomes problematic when the worship leaders are strong in one style but weak in the other. Often, that difference is noticeable.
10. Introducing new songs without teaching them – Numerous good songwriters are producing strong worship music today. Introducing new songs to a church, however, requires intentionality that often seems lacking. Many of us welcome a worship leader’s taking the time to help us actually learn the song as a congregation.

What other distractions regarding worship music have you seen?

Russ Hutto offers several helpful tips for learning how to be an effective worship leader.

1) FIND A MENTOR

Know that every step along the way, we all have room to learn and grow. There is no such thing as a worship leader who is perfect in every aspect. There is no HUMAN who is perfect in every aspect!

Whatever instrument you play, whatever style you sing, you need to be influenced by those in your life who have more experience and more skill than you do.

One of the quickest ways to become ineffective for the kingdom is to think you’ve got it all down. You don’t. I don’t. We don’t.

Keep learning and growing!

2) PRACTICE YOUR INSTRUMENT

Your goal is to create spaces with music that allows people to confidently express their worship. If you don’t practice your craft, you run the risk of creating distractions.

The musicians in the Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple worship “bands” were expected to play skillfully on their instruments (psalm 33:3). God doesn’t require perfection from your instrument to worship, but people can be distracted by the sound of an unskilled player or singer. The point isn’t that God needs you to practice, it’s that you need to practice to be proficient on your instrument so that you don’t hinder OTHERS from worshiping freely.

3) LEARN TO PREFER OTHERS

One thing I had to learn early on is that our roles in leading worship shouldn’t be driven by self-promoting agendas. It’s not about our voice. It’s not about our stardom. It’s not about our style or our expression. We are tools in the hand of the Holy Spirit used for HIS glory!

First and foremost, we should be preferring God’s plans. Are we tapped into what he’s speaking into the life of our faith family? Are we spending time actually asking Him what we should be setting the table with? We are supposed to be ushers. People who usher others into a space where the praises of God can be expressed confidently. We can also be ushers of the Holy Spirit’s words and encouragement for our congregations.

We are not rockstars…but we can be as skilled, as energetic, as prepared, as passionate as rockstars because those things can help us serve our congregations better. Are you passionate about helping OTHERS express their worship? Do you want to serve others through your music? Learn to prefer God first, and then others.

This means you set aside your own tastes at times. It means you sing a song you don’t like but your congregation loves. It means you seek out what God is saying for the next setlist, not just what is popular on the radio.

Continue reading.

Phil Haydn reacts to negative worship blogs.

Recently I have came across a few articles that focus heavily on “Why church worship is not as engaging as it used to be.” To say these blogs were disheartening would be an understatement. Why? Because worship is my lifeline to God’s heart, and for me Sunday worship means so much more than singing a few songs and hearing a message. It is a time to gather with friends and family. A grand celebration, a holy time. So I had a choice in that moment after reading these blogs:

• Feed the negativity
• Do something that breeds life

As a result, here is my blog post on “4 Ways to Bring New Life Into Church Worship” *subtitled* Written by a recovering analytical, critical, and judgmental worship leader.

1. Pre-Game: The Bible says to enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. This means you might have to do some pre-game worship before you even enter into a corporate worship setting.

(This could be listening to some worship jams on your way to church or arriving early, opening up your bible, and meditating on God’s Word)

2. Don’t Be A Spectator: We are so inclined to wait…before we join in. This is not just with worship. We wait and talk about ideas and concepts until we feel safe to execute them or until someone has blazed the trail first. Let’s walk into a worship service (contemporary or traditional – whatever style) and start engaging in what God has for us. Begin to pray for the day, share a word of encouragement with someone, write down something you are thankful for, sing, clap, dance, meditate, and maybe even smile.

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Mary Crowson says certain practices that can lead to health and growth in a church choir.

Will you join the choir? While I have been blessed with more faithful musicians than I can say grace over at times, some choirs languish. Let me say at the outset that this not an article on how to choose music or a magic formula to double your choir. There are, however, certain practices that can lead to health and growth in a church choir. What exactly are some things that help?

1. Above all, love the Lord and love your congregation

It just doesn’t come any closer to Wesleyan sanctification than attempting to fulfill the two greatest commandments. They can tell when you are genuine in both. Build relationships, even with those who have no intention of joining your choir. Work extra hard to love those who do want to be in your ensemble.

Although I don’t always succeed in writing handwritten notes as much as I’d like, there is nearly nothing else that says “I love you” in quite the same way. That’s because no one writes notes anymore. We text, we email, and we delete. But when I get a thoughtful, handwritten note in the mail from someone, I save it. For this reason I make a valiant attempt to write a postcard or note to every individual who takes the time and energy to sing in one of my choirs.

2) Choose music that will help them succeed

If you have a volunteer choir like mine, this can be difficult. Some read music but many do not. It is important to choose music styles that will be flattering for your particular group, but at the time, don’t be afraid to challenge them from time to time, and be intentional about focusing on musical growth as a group. They will only be as good as you allow! if you give them a variety of styles, the really good singers will help the inexperienced ones come along at a better rate.

3) Be properly prepared

Nothing will inspire the desire to join a team more than excellently-produced, uplifting music itself. People want to be a part of something they can be proud of. But this involves the director being prepared for the rehearsal, and the director and other worship leaders being adequately prepared for the service.

My choirs generally work on a song five to six weeks before they present it on a Sunday, though there are exceptions if it is a very difficult song or an exceedingly simple one. Choose your other service music carefully and have at least a general idea of what verses you intend to do. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Give God your very best in preparation and in service.

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