4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

I've been saying this since the late 90's and few have listened. Some have gotten angry at me. Thank God more are seeing it. Saints, God is sick and tired of our "worship services" that draw attention to performance instead of helping his bride open up to him.

4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast

Charisma News


Looking around the church last Sunday I noticed that the majority weren't singing. And most of those who were singing barely moved their lips. The only voices I actually heard were those on stage with microphones.

That's been the case for years now—in churches large and small. What used to be congregational singing has become congregational staring.

Even when the chipper "worship leader" in contemporary churches bounds on stage and predictably beckons everyone to "stand and worship," the people compliantly obey the stand command, but then they turn into mute mannequins.

What's behind this phenomenon? What happened to the bygone sounds of sanctuaries overflowing with fervent, harmonizing voices from the pews, singing out with a passion that could be heard down the street? I suspect it's a number of unfortunate factors.

Spectator set-up. Increasingly, the church has constructed the worship service as a spectator event. Everyone expects the people on stage to perform while the pew-sitters fulfill the expectation of any good audience–file in, be still, be quiet, don't question, don't contribute (except to the offering plate) and watch the spotlighted musicians deliver their well-rehearsed concerts.

Professionalism. It seems it's paramount for church music to be more professional than participatory. The people in the pews know they pale in comparison to the loud voices at the microphones. Quality is worshipped. So the worshipers balk at defiling the quality with their crude crooning. It's better to just fake it with a little lip syncing.



Blare. The musicians' volume is cranked up so high that congregants can't hear their own voices, or the voices of those around them, even if they would sing. So they don't sing. What would it add? The overwhelming, amplified sound blares from big speakers, obliterating any chance for the sound of robust congregational singing.

Music choice. Sometimes people refrain from singing because the songs are unfamiliar, hard to sing or just cheesy. Sometimes worship leaders choose a song that may thematically tie into the day's sermon topic, but it's unsingable. Sometimes worship leaders choose lame songs written by their favorite songwriters–themselves.

I admit. I've joined the majority. I've stopped singing. I'm not happy about it. I know I should overcome these barriers and just praise the Lord with my very unprofessional vocalizations. But I long for an environment that evokes my real heartfelt vocal participation.

Thom Schultz is an eclectic author and the founder of Group Publishing and Lifetree Café. Holy Soup offers innovative approaches to ministry, and challenges the status quo of today's church.

http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/...hip-fast-kills

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

Amen you are right

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

Boy you nailed it! A lot of people agree with these observations. It seems like over the years as more people assembled on the platform and the louder the volume became the less the congregation participated. It is a sad situation.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

Brother, that hits the nail on the head. That is exactly what was happening at my last church.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

It's good to see someone finally acknowledging that there is a problem with performance-based worship. The next question is.... what is to be done about it?

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

1. Eliminate the praise/worship teams and have only one person to direct the song. This makes it less a performance and more a corporate event of worship.

2. Turn the volume way down so the congregation hears themselves. If it is too quiet, tough, then the church members need to learn how to sing. Sing at home, sing in the car, get comfortable with your voice and how it sounds. This also does away with the overpowering beat .

3. Get rid of the light show. This is just a gimmick.

4. Sings songs that are easy for everyone, not repetitious.

This is just a start.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

Excellent points, and I agree... but easier talked about than done. People aren't going to give up their turn in the spotlight easily.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

i agree with most, but wanted to offer another view.

Some people wouldn't be comfortable praising and worshiping if everyone around them could hear what they're saying/singing. Loud praise and worship music makes it easier for newcomers or strugglers to worship without fear of their prayers being heard.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

Yep. Some attitudes have to change.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

I agree, there has to be something to encourage people to sing. This goes for the altar call as well. It is easier to pray with a little something going on. The problem is churches have overcompensated to the point of discouraging and drowning out participation. Just my thoughts. I watched the whole thing change from being a kid in the 1960's to where we are at today. Its been very confusing.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

We are loud but not performance based. Stuck in time still sing the old songs with a few new ones. Love congregational singing. If you came to our church it would be like stepping back into time 40 years. But we are happy.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

I've seen several articles like this within the past year. As a worship leader, I try to read a lot of various blogs and church/worship leader websites.

I do agree a lot of churches - mostly non-denominal/seeker-friendly - have made the worship into a concert performance with fog and a light show. And while UPC/Pentecostal churches haven't, as far as I've seen, gone that far, they've still allowed a select group of talented singers to take over as the "worship team."

Growing up in the church my father Pastored, there was one older man who led songs every Sunday. We didn't have a worship team. We didn't even have a video projector with the words overhead. In fact, most of the songs were from the hymnal, and others were choruses everyone knew.

IMO, while there should be changes made in the way worship is led, there also needs to be more of an effort from the pews. People have become more lazy and laid back in their worship, and it's not all the fault of the worship team or song selections or lighting. And there are no changes which will fix lazy people.

So, by all means, get rid of the fog and light show. Turn on the lights so people can see one another.

I'm preaching to myself here: sing songs in a key which is comfortable for the average singer. While I'm able to hit the notes, most songs today (especially modern worship songs) are in too high of a key for the average singer.

Bring back some hymns. Get some meat in the songs. I don't mind if a chorus or bridge repeats itself, but let the lyrics be worth singing. Sing about Jesus, the blood, power in His name, etc. Stop singing fluffy songs about ourselves. "I know who I am" and "I'm a Pentecostal" should be scrapped. Who cares.

BTW, the volume has always been loud in Pentecostal services. Always. It's not something new due to modern worship and praise teams. Growing up, there were people walking nearby who came into the service because they heard the music or preaching.

But, I do agree that the volume should be lowered. Yesterday I was playing the keyboard, which I very rarely do, and I was constantly motioning for the drummer, guitar and bass player to lower the volume, it was so LOUD! We're not wired into the system, so it's really difficult to control the volume of the musicians.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

:thumbsup

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

WOW is the Apostolic churches gone to this kind of worship service.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

I can't believe you only came up with four! Slacker.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

Thankfully not ours.:happydance

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

NDAVID: Great illustration of how true worship really should be.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

Too bad you can't make the picture smaller.. I hate it when a picture is so big it makes half the page disappear....

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

Hmm..

I hate to bring this up, but the muslims pray five times a day and they worship all the way down, they even develop a prayer callus in their forehead.

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

Me too!!!

Admin - is it possible to edit this and make it smaller?

Re: 4 Ways to Kill Church Worship Fast
 

I love this! This is how it was done in the Jesus Movement. Fast forward to our times a group of young people from the Local Church I think in London.

http://www.apostolicfriendsforum.com...ad.php?t=41707