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 site has now moved - go to -
http://www.resource.com.au

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.