Worship Matters: Healthy Tensions

Worship Matters: Healthy Tensions

Thoughts?  Comments?  Five commenters will be randomly selected at the end of this four day series.  Those selected will receive a copy of Bob's book courtesy of Crossway Books and will be featured on a follow-up post at worship.com.

Comments

[Brian]

I have run into situations in the past, where a respectable and influential member of the body believes so strongly that worship should happen like 'so', and not 'thusly'...

I was not able to convey to them that this 'tension' was a good thing. Thanks for helping me comprehend this better, and for giving me the visual imagery to make the connection.

Best Regards.

[Justin Bruce]

These are really needed insights; I, myself, am not a worship leader but I feel the need for the tension between head and heart, theologically rich, yet culturally relevant. May I say, I pray that my own church can find this tension.

[Brian Bailey]

Great insight, Bob. As leaders, we always want to run from that which causes tension. Tension in opinions between a pastor and music minister, tensions on the color of the walls between the building and grounds committee and the pastor... and the list goes on. The truth is, tension is often healthy. Tension can help us grow by gaining a perspective that we don't see.

[silvervknight]

"No single form, style... can fully express... His greatness." Great statement affirming the majesty of God. This tension reminds me of Church history. We don't realize where the heresy lies until someone comes with the false doctrine, be it Arianism, Pelagianism, etc. When the congregation starts focusing on the heart, we forget that the Word of Christ is suppose to teach with wisdom(Colossians 3:16). But if all we have is wordy, theological rich lyrics that are not engaging the hearts, we can find ourselves end up with a dead religion.

I personally enjoy hymns very much even though I am a relatively new Christian (4 years) and was raised in college ministry and a church that mainly sing praise choruses from bands like Passion and Hillsongs. I realized its not just the songs themselves but how a Spirit-filled worship leader interacts the songs with the hearts and minds of the congregation. It's amazing that in the end, it is the Spirit of God that converts the hearts and minds. Ultimately, all glory to God.

[Nate Sees]

Brilliant insights. It is so intriguing that music has always and probably will continue to be one of the biggest topics of controversy in the church. It's a shame that the tool used to do the job becomes the focus rather than the job itself.

[phil simpson]

Another very insightful word. I've often thought about how the "worship wars" would be minimized if the believers gathered asking these two questions:

1) What can we do in worship which most glorifies God?

2) In terms of style or form, would other people best be served if I lay down my preferences to allow others to worship in a way they find helpful?

I loved the volleyball pole illustration. In my view, these videos are helpful for all believers, not just worship leaders. Thanks!

[matt singleterry]

I have never encountered the "worship wars" in a church setting but I do wrestle with the performance/leading tension. My church is built of young believers that really only have concerts to reference what we do on sunday to. So it has been a struggle for me to feel like I am leading and not just playing songs for people to hear.

[Richard Owen]

Bob makes an important point concerning the Spirit of God transcending our traditions, while also emphasizing our need to remain faithful to the basics of the Bible in keeping our worship God-centered and making Him known via His truth. As he stated, we must constantly evaluate and adjust what we do in RESPONSE to what God is doing. Christ is the Head and we follow as His body, not vice versa.

This leads to another thought. While the body of Christ is one -- universally speaking -- it is also made up of smaller local bodies. Like human bodies, local church bodies vary. We must remain attentive and sensitive to what works best in serving each local church body. In talking about music and worship styles, for example, we need to consider what communicates to that locale. Christ Himself took on another form -- our form -- to communicate to us, as well as redeem us. If we are to follow Christ in true service (ministry), we too must take on His attitude of humility and sacrifice (Phil. 2:1-18). May God give us the grace and joy to please Him and serve His people in this way!

[Isaac]

I think this is a rare thing...to see churches that do this well. We (myself included) often feel that any type of tension means that something is wrong. This helps me see that just because something may not be my preference doesn't mean it's not Biblical, or not needed. I want this to be real in my life.

[Emily]

I'm grateful for his emphasis on humility and grace that is needed in leading worship. It is very helpful to know that we are not to run from these tensions but to embrace them as we seek to glorify the greatness of Christ.

[bobw]

thanks so much for reminding us that these tensions should indeed be "healthy" and something to work with, not run from.

[Joel Lee]

I see these tensions a lot, but most of the time they're manifested in a not-so-health way! There are people that get so riled up if the songs we sing to God are not hymns but contemporary songs. There is some Christian rap out there that is undeniably faithful to the Scriptures with lyrics that are deeper than most contemporary worship, yet people will condemn it just because of the style of music.

There's so much more to worship than musical style and service structure. It amazes me to see how the true meaning of worship is so implanted into Bob's mind. The true purpose of worship is not for ourselves but to magnify Jesus Christ!

[Josh D]

great stuff! As part of a collegiate worship team, there is much less "tension" for choosing sides (well, we tend to go for the contemporary side more often than not), and our team doesn't necessarily take sides, which is a great thing. I think by the time the next generation is here we might be in a place where both "sides" of worship are accepted (and maybe even expected?). Anyhow, I do hope that this tension is not a crutch for a church but rather a building block.

[Brance]

Great insights. To many times I've seen worship leaders attempt to force one perspective, or musical style, on a church. Invariably, doing so will create unhealthy tension among the congregation.

The difficult part for most worship leaders, I would think, is to step outside their own personal preferences and include songs/styles/aspects of worship that aren't their favorites, because it will help the body worship. That takes Christ-like, self-sacrificing leadership, something that is to often lacking in our leaders today.