Saturday, January 10, 2015

Worship Music's Dirty Little Secret

There's one reason people don't sing in worship that trumps all others.

This dirty little secret won't seem so dirty to those outside the church. In fact, they don't care, which is one of the reasons I try not to talk about worship style too much. The perception of those still far from God is a part of what makes this secret a dirty one for those of us inside the church. We're talking about things that distract us from our mission--to share the great and glorious news of grace--but sometimes we talk about it in ways that actually endanger our ability to fulfill our mission. Jesus said people would know we are His followers by our love for one another, not by our worship.

I'm prompted to write about this "dirty little secret" by at least a dozen conversations I've had in the last week. One was about a church trying to find the way to have spiritual vitality in their worship again, one with our youth pastor who just got back from the Passion event (for college students) in Atlanta, one with an adult church leader who is concerned about musical style and a couple with teenagers who have the same curiosity about musical-worship style.


Before I tell you the dirty little secret, I need to share a few quick contextual statements:



  1. Every week I lead the most engaged, dynamic, and spirit-freed congregation of any Baptist church I've ever seen. I am blessed beyond explanation. It hasn't always been that way for them or for me, so we all recognize this as the work of God.
  2. I have seen congregations go from enthused, engaged worship to a dry, weary gathering. It's sort of like watching something die.
  3. I have seen congregations go from dry bones to dancing soldiers. It's sort of like watching a resurrection.
  4. I am not sitting in judgement of any person or group of people.
  5. I am sitting under the judgement of God's word on my own heart, my own sinfulness, my own battle to choose songs that serve those I lead rather than songs that serve my own preferences.
Despite the great popularity of a recent blog post called Nine Reasons People Aren't Singing in Worship, I'm convinced there's one reason that trumps those nine. (If you're interested enough, at the end of the article I will respond to each of the author's nine reasons.)

The dirty little secret?


The one reason people aren't singing in worship is because they are not passionately in love with Jesus. Or at the very least, they are more in love with something than they are with Jesus.


Some days "they" is "me."

That's it. The secret is out.


We may be hungrier for what we like than Who we worship.

Consider Psalm 42:1: "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God." (NLT)

I'm not sure a thirsty deer would worry about the temperature of the water, a few imperfections here or there, or whether or not the water is from a creek, stream, river or lake. A thirsty deer longs for water.

Oh that we longed for God in our worship in the same way.

And remember Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." 

If I'm seeking old songs, new songs, familiar songs...for goodness sake, if I'm seeking songs, I'm not seeking God with all of my heart. 

Singing in worship is far more a spiritual issue than a musical one. More a pastoral concern than a songful one. More about relationship than musicianship.


I'm reminded of a guy who led worship with me for a while. He got really frustrated when I shared an article about why the key we choose for a song is so important. His response was something like, "I don't care what key you pick, I'm just gonna sing because I can't help it." That dude had a passionate love for Jesus and nothing was gonna stop him from singing his love for his Savior.


When it comes to the way we worship, I wonder how many of us are so ablaze on the inside that we might appear that on fire on the outside.


The words of Jesus to the church in Ephesus are ringing in my ears: "I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first." (Rev 2:4)


The other side of that same coin maybe mis-placed love rather than missing love. And the love we have misplaced can be for just about anything.


A few possibilities...

Novelty (I like what's new.)
Tradition (I like what's old.)
Familiarity (I like what I know.)
Sounds (I like what pleases my ear.)

Music--even worship music--makes a wonderful path to Jesus but a terrible substitute for Him.


So... want to know the secret to great, engaging, dynamic, life-changing worship gatherings?  It's no secret at all. It's the greatest commandment, according to Jesus. Love the Lord your God with all of who you are.


All.


That leaves no room to love novelty or tradition or familiarity or sounds. When we love Jesus with all we are, it doesn't matter if it is 20,000 college students singing "It Is Well with My Soul" accompanied by a single piano at midnight (a highlight of the Passion event this year, I've heard) or if it is "Oceans" accompanied by 7 synthesizers, 4 guitars, drums, percussion, etc. (a highlight of a worship conference I and hundreds of middle-aged worship guys attended a few months ago). When we are consumed with love for Jesus, we cannot be consumed with a love for anything else.


That's why one of my favorite and most used phrases with our worship teams is to make much of Jesus. When we make much of music, we create idols. When we make much of Jesus, we make disciples.


Before I respond to the "9 Things..." post, I need to share one more thing. None of us is innocent of what I just shared. This is a sin common to all Christ-followers. Again, I am not sitting in judgement of any person or group of people. I am, however, sitting under the judgement of God's word on my own heart, my own sinfulness, my own battle to choose songs that serve those I lead rather than songs that serve my own preferences. I sometimes get it right. I sometimes get it wrong. We're all falling short of the glory of God. It's part of what makes grace so amazing.


I would really love to hear your thoughts. Really.


Now, to share my perspective on Kenny Lamm's very helpful article "9 Reasons..." And it's just my perspective.


1. "They don't know the songs." This is so important to me. If we don't have something in us, we can't give it away. Until the song becomes part of us, it is terribly difficult to give it to God as a sacrifice of praise. I work diligently to help new songs become familiar to our congregation. We use Sunday nights and Wednesday nights to reinforce the songs we introduce on Sunday mornings.


2. "We are singing songs not suitable for congregational singing." This seems to depend on the congregation. There are some songs we do in our Sanctuary service that aren't very singable in our Cafe service, even in the same congregation. Others work the other way around. I've used some songs in other churches with great effectiveness that have been hard for other churches to sing. I certainly agree that we have to consider the complexity of rhythms and the range of the song--but each of us has to do that for our individual context. And that means we each need to deeply understand our context, the people we lead.


3. "We are singing in keys too high for the average singer." Yes. Too often the key is chosen for the leader rather than the congregation. This is an issue in many, many places. Too be honest, I sometimes miss it too. But sometimes a half step down saps the energy of the song. Sometimes a half step up means the highest notes are inaccessible. If we want to enable the most people to sing, choosing the right key for those we lead is--pardon the pun--key.


4. 'The congregation can't hear people around them singing." Oddly enough, this is also dependent on the congregation. We do a lot of a cappella singing in our services, and we love to hear the sound of the room. But many people don't want to be heard, so as soon as they hear individual voices they will sing quietly or stop singing. Again, know the folks you lead. Manage the tension of how loud the accompaniment should be week by week. Whether the pipe organ is too loud, the drums are overbearing, or you can't hear the instruments enough to allow you to sing with confidence is a--pun alert--dynamic to be managed, not a problem to be solved.


5. "We have created worship services which are spectator events, building a performance environment." Yes, we have. And no, we haven't. This is a severe exaggeration. I have been in worship venues with moving stage lights, lots of haze (aka fog/smoke), electronic sounds, and superstar-level-talent where my focus has been magnificently aimed toward Jesus. And I've been in those formats where I forgot Jesus was part of the mix. This is a matter of attitude first, artistic sensitivity second, and technology third. Remember my comments above. No amount of technology--from none to millions of dollars worth--can shut down a passionate worshiper.


6. "The congregation feels they are not expected to sing." I'm not sure how to respond to a comment about how a congregation feels. It's awfully hard to speculate on someone else's internal experience, let alone that of a large group of people. I will say this: if you focus on music, those in the congregation will pay attention to music. If you focus on Jesus, those in the congregation are far more likely to do the same.


7. "We fail to have a common body of hymnody." Yep. But this isn't going away. There are tens of thousands of songs written every year. Thousands and thousands are recorded and put in print. Local churches write their own songs. This is a huge challenge. But I think the hymnal Jesus used was pretty clear: "Sing to the Lord a new song" appears in some form or another throughout the Psalms. Again, wise and sensitive leadership is important. Let's remember, there was a time your favorite song to sing in church was brand new and had a hard time breaking into use. This one is just plain hard.


8. "Worship leaders ad lib too much." Yep. Some do. And some don't. The basics are so essential. Start the congregation well. You don't have to conduct; you can use breathing, posture, facial expression and other tools to let us know when to start. Lead the congregation well. If we don't know where we're going, your ad lib shuts us down. But if your ad lib gives us guidance and helps us connect with the text--and therefore with Jesus--help us.


9. "Worship leaders are not connecting with the congregation." Yes. This is so important. We don't lead songs, we lead people. (Click here to read a whole post on that subject.) Know the people you lead. I can't tell you how many times I've watched a person in a service sing one particular phrase and, knowing their story, I just about break down because I know just a little bit about what it means for them to sing those particular words. Listen to what the congregation sings. A phrase I've just started thinking about is when "the whole room sings." It isn't that people are singing, or that people aren't singing, it's that the whole room erupts in song. If the room isn't singing and someone had their favorite song included, I'm not sure if that serves the whole church or not. Know the people you lead. More importantly LOVE the people you lead.


I hope this helps. I know many of you who read this post--especially the ones who made it to the end--are being confronted by people in your own congregation with this insightful commentary. Please note that Kenny Lamm never talks about a preferred musical style. Nearly every observation he made could be leveled against nearly any musical style. 


By the way, if you and your congregation could benefit from having someone from the outside come in and talk through these challenges, I'd love to have the chance to serve you as a worship coach.

5 comments:

  1. I was just thinking about the first responses to this post. And then I thought of my time in East Africa. Terrible sound systems. Handmade instruments or poor quality synthesizers. Amazing worship. The people in Tanzania (at least the half-dozen sites I was in) have a beautiful thirst for God.

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  2. "The one reason people aren't singing in worship is because they are not passionately in love with Jesus. Or at the very least, they are more in love with something than they are with Jesus."

    I will have to disagree, Rod. There are many reasons people don't sing. health reasons come to my mind first. Chronic lung diseases affect breathing. Throat issues and other health reasons could also be a part of the reason some don't sing. But that is a practical reason.

    Another reason is the individual's mood. many are hurting, angry, sad, frustrated. They may not FEEL like singing; rather just let the music and lyrics wash over them to lift their spirits and faces to God.

    And, whether you like it or not, personal preference does affect singing. That does not mean they don't love God; they just don't like the song. Music is a deeply personal experience. It is why one style is preferred over another style. It isn't so much the style as the tones or set of tones that resonate. I'm not worshipping God any less if I don't sing a certain song that I don't happen to prefer. I'm happy that it resonates with others. There is some music that makes me lift my heart and my face and my hands to God; others not so much.

    And lastly, there are some individuals who just can't carry a tune in a hand-basket and don't want to spoil it for the rest. ;)

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    1. Thanks for your perspective, Jen. I think it reflects a very American view of worship. Not sure it would carry weight in the context of scripture or in other places around the world. At the minimum, the thesis statement should probably be "The number one reason..." rather than "The only one reason..."

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  3. I can’t believe focusing long enough to research; much less write this kind of article. You’ve outdone yourself with this material without a doubt. It is one of the greatest contents. EDM Worship Music

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  4. Thanks so much for reading this old post. I was glad to re-read it a few years after writing and find that I still agree with myself. Ha ha ha! Seriously, I'm grateful for you reading. Come back any time!

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