I don't know a thing about Brian McLaren or the Emerging Church Movement. I know people in Evangelical circles question his theology, and I know the Emerging Church Movement is considered by some to be Postmodern, whatever the heck that means. But when I heard Brian McLaren speak on worship and art and God, it rang true deep down inside.
We led worship for about a year at a "contemporary" service at our church. And on tour last fall we usually incorporated worship into our set. But the more we led the worship, the more uneasy I felt, the more ackward I felt. There were times when a genuine feeling of corporate worship would grab hold of us all, and I felt at one with the Christians in front of me. And that was great, but I confess it rarely felt that way. I don't know about the people in front of me, but I didn't necessarily feel close to God or true to Him. Most of the time it felt like I was being watched, judged, depended upon to make the Holy Spirit move. Or maybe the latter was the inane expectation I placed on myself.
Here's what Brian says about it:
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7 comments:
My favorite definition of worship came from an old episcopal priest, Father Al- "Worship is radicial obedience to the word of God." He challenged us to listen to God for ourselves and obey what God asked. My addition to Father Al's thoughts is in cultivating the relationship, the closeness between God and myself, so that I might hear well.
I really liked that last line...
"if we are trying to market God like He's an infomercial, than it makes Him seem less real."
I don't know a lot about the Emerging Church either, but what little research I have done leads me to believe that it's a movement that seeks to make Christianity attractive to "postmodern" people with few restrictions on what changes might be needed. They seem to follow a make-it-up-as-you-go kind of theology that is prone to wander.
As far as worship goes, I can't find too much fault with the video other than it's a bit simplistic in its assumptions about people. I think most people are a bit brighter than the "I only felt a 6 on the scale today" caricature mentioned. Most people understand that worship isn't just about how I feel. It's about God, not me.
So what's the role of a worship leader? Well, it's certainly not to "perform" so as to create a feeling in the congregation. That's the straw man in the video. I think the worship leader in a corporate worship setting is there to help the rest of the worshipers avoid chaos and to worship in an orderly way. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. 1 Cor 14:33 (NIV)
In this situation, the worship leader must pay attention to the mechanics, the logistics, the order of worship. Someone must lead and that means someone must be thinking about what's happening now, what should happen next, and when we should stop. That frees the people to worship as a group.
But this isn't the only way we worship and I think the issue here arises because we confuse public and private worship. I worship God when I'm in a beautiful place and see the grandeur of creation, when I'm playing with my grandson and see the marvel of life, when I am drawn into a piece of music to where I experience God's spirit, and when I understand his leading and act in obedience. These are all "private" worship and are between me and God. The confusing bit is that sometimes they happen in the midst of public, corporate worship.
The role of the worship leader is to allow me to be part of an orderly worship time, perhaps experience private worship, and to open themselves to their own private worship. The worship leader is the one who takes on the added role of maintaining orderliness. It requires a certain sensitivity to other people and an understanding of what this community considers orderly worship to be.
A thought on the last part of your post. I suspect this is a bit of an "occupational hazard" for those who regularly lead in worship. You are almost forced to try to create a "feeling" and then be part of it. But yet, you are no different from the rest of us in that you're no more able than I am to create a feeling like that. Mostly when I try, I fail. It's when I stop looking for the feeling and start thinking about who God is and who I am that I actually begin to worship him.
And an observation from the pews of the worship services you led... Mostly I worshiped, drawn in by the music, led by capable hands (voices) in an orderly experience. You led, and we worshiped together.
Oh, and you sing pretty good too! (The piano guy is OK.)
Thanks Rob!
I like your definition of a worship leader...to provide order in corporate worship to that others can experience private worship.
I am afraid, though, that there is some truth to the simplistic aspect of that video. I've heard people debate whether the Spirit "moved" or not in a worship service they just attended. And their conclusion is usually drawn from how they felt. If they didn't experience an exciting or moving service, the Spirit wasn't moving.
Especially in younger Christians. CCM is now marketing live worship records. With an audience cheering Jesus on. I'm not saying those people aren't worshipping. I'm saying it's creating a false idea of how worship has to be done. So when a leader plays for a youth group or a certain congregation, there's an expectation that it's got to make them feel a certain way so they respond accordingly. If they're not into it, the worship leader is tempted himself to feel like the Spirit didn't move.
What does that mean? "The Spirit moved." "It was Spirit filled."
FP, that's exactly the flaw in our thinking. The Spirit doesn't move in the group. The Spirit of God moves in ME, and perhaps as a result in US. The service isn't Spirit filled, the people are (maybe).
If I go to worship and I find that I didn't encounter God, where does the fault lie? Who failed? I think it's rarely the worship leader, although that's certainly possible. It's most often something about the way I approached worship, something in the way I approached God, or maybe didn't approach God!
I think you need to ask yourself why you're up there leading worship in the first place. Are you there to make the audience feel a certain way, to manipulate their emotions and evoke a response? If so, I suspect there are proven techniques you can go learn that are almost guaranteed to work. It's the same training that politicians and other public relations types take. It's got nothing to do with worship.
Part of my concern with what I read about the emerging church is that they seem to be willing to do what ever it takes to evoke a response, even if that means "spinning" the message a little. I expect their methods will work pretty well. That doesn't mean they're right.
Why do you include worship in your sets? What are you trying to accomplish by doing so? How do you know if you did a good job? The answer to those questions will help you decide what matters about the worship time you lead. They will likely include a mixture of spiritual and musical-mechanics things. They shouldn't include things you can't control. I hope you don't conclude that a certain feeling is an important indicator of your worth because I fear you will eventually be discouraged.
Rob,
Such great thoughts. I'll add:
You say: I hope you don't conclude that a certain feeling is an important indicator of your worth because I fear you will eventually be discouraged.
You're right. And I have caught myself looking for that feeling in the past and realized that it was silly. That's why I feel this video was on to something...
I want to stess again that I don't know what the "Emerging Church" believes, so by posting this video I don't align myself with them in any way. I just liked what this guy had to say.
You ask: I think you need to ask yourself why you're up there leading worship in the first place. Are you there to make the audience feel a certain way, to manipulate their emotions and evoke a response?
That is exactly what we as worship leaders shouldn't be doing. What I don't want to find myself doing. But what I feel parts of Christian subculture (not all of it) has trained us to look for.
You mention: The Spirit doesn't move in the group. The Spirit of God moves in ME, and perhaps as a result in US. The service isn't Spirit filled, the people are (maybe).
I see what you're saying, but I ask again, what does it mean for the Spirit to move in me? In the short amount of time that I am singing, what should that feel like? To answer my own question: Truthfully, it may not feel like anything. And what if it doesn't? Have I failed in "worshipping?" I propose that no, I haven't. As a worsipper, I love when it feels like something, but it's not a requirement. And so it shouldn't be a requirement for me as a worship leader to ask the congregation to respond emotionally, especially visibly emotionally.
I enjoy hearing your thoughts, Rob. Keep em coming if you feel so inclined. =-)
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