WORSHIP LEADERS
SUNG WORSHIP : DIVERSITY OF EMPHASES ( PART 1 ) THEOLOGICAL VS EXPERIENTIAL | Grant Norsworthy
OUR COMMON GROUND
Whenever people of the Christian faith gather together to worship , there ’ s music . Pretty much no matter what denomination , flavor , styles , age , ethnicity , culture or location around the globe , it would seem that all Believers agree that we want to worship God through songs .
But while we might share that commonality , there is actually quite a diverse range of objectives - or emphases - for that music , and very different concepts of what ought to be achieved in the room in order for the worship of God to have occurred .
This diversity of emphases for sung worship within the Christian Church is a topic I have thought and prayed about - and wrestled with - over many years . In fact , my experiences in this regard have , in part , inspired the curriculum for More Than Music Mentor . More Than Music Mentor is the name I use for the online and onsite training I offer to the Christian Church globally - the singers , instrumentalists , and technicians especially .
Through More Than Music Mentor , I try to bring clarity and unity while celebrating our rich diversity within the Christian Church as we worship - or show the worth - of God through songs .
Now , I suspect that most church-attending Believers don ’ t think about this too much . They would happily and inadvertently adopt the emphases their particular church culture places on sung worship . Perhaps their own , preferred style and emphases are a reflection of beliefs , experiences , how they were raised or maybe even as a reaction to how they were raised . In any case , most people have a style of worshipping God through songs where they feel most comfortable .
To me , this is not a problem . People are different from one another . God created us to be . This diversity , I would say , is down to stylistic preferences and peripheral theological values .
THE WIDENING SCHISM
But there are those who see these differences as being due to more than stylistic preferences and peripheral theology . Some will confidently declare a different approach from their own as “ Not real worship ” or words to that effect . Others , I ’ m sure , will simply hold that view internally or perhaps elude to their position in veiled terms rather than speak it out so clearly .
Want to see this for yourself ? Just jump on any of the “ worship ” Facebook groups and look at some of the more contentious posts , comments , and conversations . You won ’ t have to dig too deep .
Perhaps I hear more of this because of my work as More Than Music Mentor . But in my experience , it ’ s becoming more common for individuals or groups to think that their values - what they ’ re shooting for - with sung worship , is ( or should be ) the same for everyone . That their sung worship is superior in some way to others .
But I don ’ t agree . Yes , we all want God to be worshipped , but surely music can be used in many different ways to worship Him . We worship a BIG God ! I ’ m sure He can handle it . Thank God we ’ re not all the same !
DIVERSE EMPHASES Being a visual thinker ( like a lot of people ), I made myself a graph to help me understand this diversity . Since I travel a lot to serve churches of all different styles , flavors , denominations and theological emphases , the graph has helped me have a better understanding of any preexisting culture that I might be stepping into .
It ’ s my goal to have sincere respect for that existing culture - no matter what it is - in order to serve as best I can . Understanding the graph helps me to “ read the room ” better , especially when I am asked to lead sung worship for a combined church - or ecumenical - event which often has a diverse range of people in attendance .
This graph - and the explanation that accompanies it - seems to be helping people get a clearer picture of what we ’ re trying to do when we lead sung worship . It also seems to be helping individuals develop a respect and appreciation for others who might view sung worship somewhat differently from themselves . This , in turn , can help us better understand how to serve our whole congregation . To celebrate diversity rather than bringing unintentional division . To help the church be more as one as Jesus prayed that we would be !
“ I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message , that all of them may be one , Father , just as you are in me and I am in you . May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me .” John 17:20b-21 ( NIV )
So , over my next several articles , I want to share the graph with you !
This might look a little scientific at first glance , but I think you ’ ll find that , if you take a good look and read my explanations , it should become pretty simple . So , here ’ s my 3D “ XYZ ” graph SUNG WORSHIP : OUR DIVERSITY OF EMPHASES . In this article , I ’ ll only label and describe one of the three axis points . The labels for the other two will be revealed in future articles :
36 April 2024 Subscribe for Free ...