WORSHIP
DISASTER! Band sinks the show.
By Dennis
Prince
The
band had somehow got the idea they were there to provide
the music for the congregation to sing to.
The
worship leader had a different idea. He wanted the people
to worship, to lift their hearts to God and praise him with
every part of their beings.
So,
the band played the music and looked up occasionally to
see if the worship leader was having any luck.
He wasn't.
The
people knew what to do. They simply watched the band, occasionally
mouthed a few words. And sat down, unaffected, when it was
all over.
The
drummer played well. Good sense of rhythm, not too loud.
But you could see his mind was on other things. It might
have been that girl in the third row. He didn't sing any
of the songs.
The
lead guitarist was head down, engrossed in his music. The
other guitars had microphones but weren't singing. Occasionally
they showed traces of enthusiasm but it never got out of
control. The backing vocals sang quite good harmonies. When
the worship leader tried to encourage the people to sing
in a time of free worship, the BVs gazed around with mild
interest, microphones lowered.
The
keyboard player, however, had some kind of quirk. She played
passionately, eyes occasionally closed. She had been hit
by some kind of bug to which the rest of the team was immune.
This
story is not entirely hypothetical. It is a kind of compilation
from many places I have visited.
I tell
it to emphasise this fact. The most important part of the
worship team's ministry is to lead and facilitate the congregation
in worshipping God, body, soul and spirit. When it comes
to worship the congregation will follow the things you do,
not entirely the music you present.
Many
worship teams are quite unaware of all this, and have settled
in to the above kind of weekly ritual, and the whole church
accepts it as the norm.
It should
be fixed in a big way. How? Here are some ideas.
First
of all, understand that the visual impact of a worship team
is not just a matter of lifting hands, closing eyes or jumping
enthusiastically. Hype is shallow, unsustainable and difficult
to hide. The people on stage must be true worshippers, from
the heart. They must then demonstrate their worship visibly,
by singing the songs with passion on their faces, lifting
hands or closing eyes.
So,
there are two steps. Encouraging worship and demonstrating
that visibly.
To
encourage heart worship:
- Talk
to band members individually about their personal faith,
their vision for worship, their spiritual needs.
- Go
on a retreat together. Have teaching and much worship
time. Make then aware of their awesome responsibility.
- Make
worship a regular part of rehearsals. Not just 5 minutes.
Let it become the norm. This is a major key.
- Think
twice about using musicians who are not worshippers. (You
may be able to "carry" someone who is on a journey and
walking in the right direction if worship team involvement
is helping that process.)
To
encourage demonstrative worship
- The
most effective way is to take a video and have the team
look at themselves! This, of course, can be quite sobering,
but it is well worth it. Then compare with videos of people
who demonstrate their worship effectively.
- Have
a capable, gracious person in the congregation (eg. a
drama teacher) give feedback on occasional Sundays. Keep
working on it - the process takes time.
- Encourage
and teach the congregation in heartfelt worship during
this time.
