For a better sense of context , you might want to click on the underlined title text links below to go back to my earlier articles about the other two axes on the graph . In Part 1 I shared some important background for the graph as a whole and , in particular , wrote about … and indeed the congregation , are being more led by the Holy Spirit than if they stick to set , pre-rehearsed or arranged song structures and forms . “ Free worship ”, singing and playing “ off the page ” or even creating new songs during the service can be elements of this approach . worship . It helps me “ read the room ” or , to put it another way , more effectively assess and serve the congregation that I have been asked to lead . It ’ ll help me know what types of songs , from which era and with how much structure or spontaneity I can lead .
THE RED “ X ” AXIS : THEOLOGICAL VS EXPERIENTIAL
The second article in this SUNG WORSHIP : DIVERSITY OF EMPHASES series looked closely at …
THE GREEN “ Y ” AXIS : VERTICAL & INDIVIDUAL VS HORIZONTAL & COMMUNAL
But in this article , I want to dig more deeply into the third and final axis …
THE BLUE “ Z ” AXIS : TRADITIONAL & STRUCTURED VS MODERN & SPONTANEOUS
Some worshippers resonate most readily with new music . They tend to love to worship God using the latest songs and sounds using contemporary language for the lyrics . To some worshippers , a new song can be seen as carrying a special anointing from God for this moment or season .
The new music crowd also tend to be the people who value spontaneity in sung worship . Song length , repeats , dynamics , and more should be flexible . Being creative - especially in the moment - can be seen as evidence that the “ worship leader ”, the supporting musicians ,
Others are more likely to engage deeply through songs that have stood the test of time . Songs that have remained steadfast and secure despite the swaying of popular trends and change . Older songs may remind them of the rich history and timeless truths of the gospel or perhaps profound past moments of their own personal faith journey .
The older song crowd also tend to value order and structure . What we could call a more liturgical approach to gathered worship and its music . They believe that God ’ s Holy Spirit can work through structure and pre-planning as well as spontaneity .
But don ’ t think this crowd is made up only of older people . It ’ s not ! There are plenty of younger people who resonate more with this approach . In fact , there are a good number of new songs being written and sung fervently by church congregations today that utilize this more traditional , structured hymnody . These new songs might feel old to some , but they ’ re not .
Having a good understanding of the different ends of this “ Z ” axis ( and the other axes too ) is super helpful for me as a leader of sung
This is a servant role after all ! I ought not lead in the way that I find most fulfilling personally . I hope and pray that I will lead in a way that allows the congregation to connect most deeply with God and with each other through singing these songs together . No point in trying to force people to worship God through songs the way I like to most . That can be like trying to push a pile of bricks up a hill ! I ’ d prefer to meet the congregation where they ’ re at and point them to The Almighty . No matter how old or new , how structured or spontaneous the songs are , let ’ s worship Him together !
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you : Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought , but rather think of yourself with sober judgment , in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you . For just as each of us has one body with many members , and these members do not all have the same function , so in Christ we , though many , form one body , and each member belongs to all the others . ~ Romans 12:3-5 ( NIV )
Grant Norsworthy founder of MoreThanMusicMentor . com
MoreThanMusicMentor . com
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