Question:
When leading praise and worship, how is the line drawn between performing and worshipping? And how can one deal with the problems that can arise from these polar opposites trying to merge.
I know these words (performing and worshipping) are extremely vague and could be intererpreted six ways to Sunday, but please try to understand I am asking a serious question concerning an imperfect vessel, susceptible to pride, guilt, confusion etc. going before their infallible Creator with one of the most powerful and influential spiritual tools in existance (music) and the subsequent issues that can arise from this. (The worship of God, His annointing, people in the congragation crying from being moved by the Holy Spirit, same people treating you as if you had something to do with it, you in human flesh.. need I go on?)
I am very interested as to points of view on this topic.
Thank you
Answer:
Those are hard questions that everyone has to deal with. I'm not claiming any vast amount of knowledge, and I won't try to answer anything that I don't know. All I can do is share what I feel is the truth for me. Also as a note, I am mainly a guitar player and have only led when there was a need.
When leading praise and worship, how is the line drawn between performing and worshipping.
For me this is a simple question and answer. The line is drawn within ourselves. When I lead, or play as I mostly do, I know when I am worshipping and when I am trying to sound better. When I try to fit that cool little riff in, or add a little embellishment that is really difficult sounding.
Now don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer of playing to your full potential, but for me I know when I am trying to sound cool, and when I am doing my best to praise God.
And how can one deal with the problems that can arise from these polar opposites trying to merge.
And thats the real key here isn't it? We all have two men(or women) inside us. We have our old self that was born with an evil nature, and our new self which has been born again through Jesus Christ.
Honestly the easiest way to avoid these problems is to never make it a performance when you are in a leaders position. Stay humble and worship in spirit and truth, from your heart.
However pride is an ugly sucker that can rear its head in all of us. Why? Because we all like to feel that we are doing a good job. When I first started playing guitar nobody told me "wow thats good". They said keep practicing. After a while I got better and people noticed. They said "Hey that sounds better, keep it up." So I played more so I could sound even better. You can see how this goes right? And its the same in any craft or trade. When you work hard for a long time at something there is a pride in the accomplishements we've made.
I believe it becomes a problem when we take pride in how we sound, over how the service went. If the praise team at a church sounded perfect, but the Spirit did not move, I think the praise team did not do its job.
Now, to get back to dealing with the problems. Once again for me, the easiest way is to remember what the Lord brought me out of. To remember the sacrafice that He made for me on the cross. The fact that I am saved, even though no work that I could ever do would get me in to Heaven. The fact that not only does God accept me, He loves me and has given me the ability and opportunity to play guitar for Him.
Then the decision is easy. Do I try to put in some really great sounding solo in between some stuff, so that I get some attention. Or do I do my best to bring all the attention to my Saviour so that other people would know His love too. Like I said before, then the choice is easy.
In His Love,
Tim
Answer:
Are you a writer, TuesdaysChild?? I like the way you put things... nice expression.
But that's not why I'm posting. Like Tim said, I think it's a big matter on where/what you're focusing on during worship. I have a tough time myself playing in a band and remembering that it's WORSHIP. (I'm not even so performace orientated as it is being distracted my my instrument.)
Answer:
I'd say your first responsibility is yourself. Don't do something because you think it sounds cool. Do something because it glorifies God. Ultimately, the death of the old self and the growth of the new self is what's going to drive this, and this is part of every Christian's life, and the answers, I think, are the same. Reading the Word of God, spending time in prayer, and being accountable to your brothers and sisters.
Your second responsibility is your congregation. You should take a sort of pastoral attitude toward music leading. I think music leaders should be aware of what's going on in the church and in people's lives--at least to the extent that people are willing to share. This gives you a better opportunity to gauge what will direct their attention to God, and what will direct their attention to you. For example, I don't think I'd be too inclined to call for a guitar solo in my current church. I think I know my congregation well enough to know that for many, that would be distracting. Now, there are certainly caveats to this. Unless you have a thoroughly homogenous group, some people are always going to respond to thinsg differently than others. I still think it's an important consideration.
So, I don't know if that really answered your question or not. I guess it boils down to this: I don't think there are any hard and fast rules as to, physically, what constitutes a performance and what constitutes worship. Obviously anything that violates God's command is not worship, but beyond that, I think it comes down more to your intentions and your desires.
Answer:
I think the easiest way to avoid treating your worship leading as a performance is simply to never use the term "audience" in reference to your congregation. Don't use it yourself, don't allow your pastor to ever use it, and don't allow any member of your congregation to use it.
Seriously, I think if everyone did that, this problem would be significantly less problematic.
Past that, I really don't know.
In His love,
Nate
Answer:
The job of a lead worshiper is to play music to God while leading others in worship. i'm a lead worshiper also, and this has been a great reminder of what my job is:
lead worshipers are to sing praises to God Almighty and lead others in worship. by this i mean: playing music for an Audience of One while taking the hand of the congregation and leading them into the throneroom of God, letting their hand go so they can see His glory while you fade into the background.
i hope this helps. God bless you in His work that you are doing. -Nick
Answer:
Originally Posted by Nate I think the easiest way to avoid treating your worship leading as a performance is simply to never use the term "audience" in reference to your congregation. Don't use it yourself, don't allow your pastor to ever use it, and don't allow any member of your congregation to use it.
I also try not to call the platform a stage. I prefer the term "EEP"-Elevated Evangelism Platform. The joke of it reminds me of the mindset I want to have about everything.
Answer:
Originally Posted by georgeo I also try not to call the platform a stage. I prefer the term "EEP"-Elevated Evangelism Platform.
Hahaha. That's great. I think "EMP" (Elevated Ministry Platform) might be more descriptive, though... seeing as things besides evangelism can (and should) certainly take place from the "stage."
I may have to start using that. *giggles sillily*
In His love,
Nate
Answer:
Originally Posted by Nate Hahaha. That's great. I think "EMP" (Elevated Ministry Platform) might be more descriptive, though... seeing as things besides evangelism can (and should) certainly take place from the "stage."
Oooh good call.
You'd have to say the letters of that one...that would sound cool...e-m-p...
the fun of eep is to say "eep"
On a more related note, I think a big part of whether or not you are performing is what you consider what you do. The other part, in my mind, is how it comes off to others. In some churches, a ripping guitar solo in the middle of the song could be worshipful and focus people on God, in others, a complete distraction.
Answer:
Originally Posted by georgeo the fun of eep is to say "eep"
Hahaha. I should have figured that out on my own.
Answer:
I think the issue is mostly to do with us being pharisees at heart and either wanting to point the finger at those less holy than ourselves or having fingers pointed at us and being offended.
The older I get the more I am convinced that there is no difference between worship leading and the performance of worship tunes. But congregations of pharisees will invariably point their fingers at what they think is not to their standards and spiritualize it - "That guitar lick/ facial expression/ mannerism is too heavy of a bedroll to carry on the sabbath!"
It is the job of each worshipper to block out things that bug them and focus on God. It is not the responsibility of the people on the stage (or whatever) to do that for them. If you are able to worship from the stage in a manner that inspires others to worship God, isn't that a good performance? If your worship leading is distracting to the congregation, it is most likely a performance issue and not a spiritual issue. We are all offering God filthy rags. Who are we to judge whose rags are more filthy?
If it is so important to make sure the worship leaders aren't "performing," then why don't we find the worst singer in the church and have them lead from the back of the room with no preparation?
I think it is a huge honor to use my God-given ability to perform for God and the saints. Don't we give God the most glory by giving it all we've got? Does it glorify God more to hold back so it doesn't look like we are performing? And each church has their own style - "performing" in one church may be normal for another. When we are trying to be less distracting/ more spiritual in our worship leading, we are really adjusting our performance for what our church is used to. I just don't think you can be a good worship leader without being a good performer.
Answer:
Geezer here...
I’ve decided over the years that the reaction of the congregants isn’t that important to me. I want to do well. I want the musical content to be edifying. I don’t want to embarrass myself with a lack of preparation. In the end, I simply want to be faithful.
Fortunately, God has made us to appreciate beauty, music - and sometimes - fun in worship. So if a riff sounds good and adds to the experience of the song, I don’t have any problem pursuing it, and enjoying it. Nor do I have a problem with being told afterwards that people also enjoyed it. Again, it’s not that important to me.
My pastor spends on average 20 hours a week on his sermon. Some of that time is spent on delivery prep. Since we’re exchanging terms to help us focus, then let’s replace performance with delivery.
Answer:
If they remember the worship service but forget who was leading because they were so involved in worship then I feel I've done a good job.
Of course sometimes when I attend other worship services, as a fellow musician sometimes I pay attention to that arrangment and musicians more, to get ideas. I know friends that immedately they close their eyes as in prayer to direct their focus upward. Maybe, untimately the responsiblity falls on the each member of the congregation. I just try to keep from distracting people from it.
My problem has to deal with emotional manipulation using the music. My dilema is I want bring out the emotions of a song but not to falsely hype people up for the 20-25 minutes we are playing. I guess it is sort of related to the problem you are having too.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Jozeca Are you a writer, TuesdaysChild?? I like the way you put things... nice expression.
Not professionally or anything, but I do have a passion for expression. I just write songs and freeverse and stuff.
I love the way words have unlimited possibilities to communicate and can sometimes say things you thought you could only feel, y'know?
Answer:
Originally Posted by Jay Tea I think it comes down more to your intentions and your desires.
This is good and an interesting bottom line idea. So if someone in the congregation interprets what you are doing as performance, is it your responsability now to tone down your energy to suit what their idea of worship should be.. would it still constitute a label of distraction if your intention is to worship God the way He created you to? With your all, with more emotion, more excitement.. more movement? (I'm only refering to one individual here.. not all people)
I know this can get into theological doctrines and denominational beliefs, and when deciding whether or not one should cater to certain people in the congregation when it comes to them feeling uncomfortable with some styles or expressions of worship, seeking wise council within your church is the smartest (and most biblical way to approach this) but I am curious as to what you guys think.