we would stay on that chord progression and, with our bibles in front of us, we would sing simple phrases and songs. It gave us direct access to language that we could all rally around. It actually flexes that creative muscle, and it brings everyone along with you. We’ ve all been in services where someone has gone off on a really long, blissful moment, and the rest of the room was left behind. The goal is to take everyone with us and to create an experience for all of us to share in together.
Paul Young said,“ In a healthy family, the family moves at the pace of the slowest person.” We have to keep that in mind too. We have to be sensitive to the person in the back who negotiated a really hard week just to come to church, and it’ s all they can do to just sit there. Their“ yes” is just the fact that they showed up. We need to keep that in mind, with compassion. There is always a starting point. Just start right where you are, and where your people are.
I think that having a clear vision of communion and connection with God is important, and to understand what that means. If we understand the reason why, then we will practice it. It’ s like when I was learning piano. For the first few years I would listen to music that I wanted to play, and then I had to practice to get there. It didn’ t just happen overnight. I had to return to the simple things that I knew and practice them. Sometimes we want to fast track it, but the beauty can be in the one note that you learn how to play delicately, or with fervor.
[ Kalley ] I really try and take the pressure off of leaders and teams when I talk about it. Maybe when you finish a song, just loop on the chorus chords and go through the progression a few times. Let the band know what you’ re going to do, and that you’ re not going to throw them off the deep end, and maybe just try singing the word“ Alleluia” over the progression. Maybe just try some“ ooo’ s” over it. And then maybe you wrap it up and you say,“ We tried something new. We did it!” And then maybe the next time
you give a little bit more space. But it’ s about exploring together and taking the pressure off to try and make something happen. Just be yielded and leave room for God. It doesn’ t have to be perfect. That’ s when it becomes a performance. Just give it a shot.
Sometimes an album like the Moments album will come out, or you’ ll see YouTube clips of a worship gathering, and it can be easy to think that either you have it, or you don’ t. I see how it comes out of Steff and Amanda, but I’ m still waiting for that. That’ s not what it sounds like when it comes out of me! But it’ s really not like that. We all just have to start somewhere, and it’ s going to sound like us. We’ re worshiping a living, eternal God, and in my experience, it’ s always going to feel a little clunky. That’ s not a disqualification, it’ s just a part of it. I like to encourage people that if it looks like we( at Bethel) have it all together, we don’ t! If it looks like we know everything that we’ re doing and we know it’ s going to land and be perfect, we don’ t! For every“ Spirit Move” on the Moments album that you see, I have so many songs that didn’ t go that way! You just gotta try, and have a lot of grace for yourself and for your team for trying something new.
[ WM ] Do you keep a click going when you break into times of free worship?
20 June 2018 WorshipMusician. com