…

1. We run a little on the loud side at A weighted 100 with peaks in 102. But it does tend to foster energy.

2. We constantly teach on “place your mind’s attention and heart:s affection on God.”

3. We challenge our people not to spell check the bulletin during worship and reinforce the worship equation: itty-bitty worship = itty bitty view of God

As I preach 50% of the time, I get to do what you do a great deal. Sometimes it does get frustrating. Sometimes it lack of singing is due to design production issues like volume, too many new songs, or no “sound byte” challenges to focus. Other times, there are other reasons. We tend to preach the bigness of God during such times. (see http://www.worshiptrench.com/?p=131 for more on how to enlarge peoples views of God).

jordan fowlers last blog post..Why I Adore Annoucements in Worship and How to Stop Them

The peer pressure effect is the biggest thing. We all get embarrassed easily. It has become “uncool” to sing in an audience. It’s okay to stand, but we are still just there to be entertained. The “mosh pit” idea has made it okay to be involved if you’re on the front rows, but the real problem is that emotional involvement in religious activities is highly unacceptable, socially.

Guys bring girlfriends to church. Girls bring boyfriends. Families bring neighbors. Kids bring grandparents. Workers bring co-workers. But the common factor is that none of us want the people we brought with us to see us as “weird”. We never really feel free to let go, because somebody somewhere around us might think we’re strange or even be “turned off” toward the church and thus to Jesus.

It’s not a function of the worship leader, folks. It’s not something we can change. We as “leaders” can’t crack open heads and hearts and adjust and tweak until we get what we like to see out of “our people”.

Guess who can?

We need to pray. Pray for the people we lead. Pray for our pastors. Pray for the Holy Spirit to camp out in the hearts of believers and not let them be satisfied with anything less than the presence of God. Pray for the Holy Spirit to convict the unbelievers in our midst who might have pretended to give themselves to Christ but have never truly believed, and thus will never truly worship. Pray.

We can play games with dB meters, electric guitars, lasers, cellphones, flashlights, and cigarette lighters all day long, but if the Holy Spirit of God is not at work in hearts, the people in our churches will never come to the point of being willing to worship.

Prayer. Foundation #1.

Fred Bloms last blog post..Thoughts on My Theology

I have to remind myself that if I want my folks to go somewhere I need to be willing to go there to AT ANY GIVEN TIME, not just when I’m on stage.

Great post.

I am in total agreement with the wonder of it all. Do you think that sometimes it might be the dynamic of how well so-and-so knows the song, viz. “I grew up with…” versus the Spirit of the song? We sang Victory In Jesus this week with drums and everything and watched the oldest of the old come to life. I could do “The Happy Song” with organ and piano and it would be a solo. Go figure!

In the Potter’s Hand,
JW

JonWesleys last blog post..Living Worship: Mercy

Tylers last blog post..When the Tears Fall

With that being said, some of the instruction that needs to take place, may be on the true nature and character of God. Just a thought.

Heather Bs last blog post..For your information

Let me rephrase…

Singing is one of many natural outcries to God. Among them are singing, praying, shouting, dancing, and silence. I wonder if someone who does not respond to God’s goodness is out of touch with God and doesn’t fully love Him.

Chris Moncuss last blog post..The Design Process

Shannon Lewiss last blog post..SOLD OUT

This is such a good point that we all need to remember. Today in our staff meeting our senior pastor just said that from now on, all staff will park in the parking lot where people are shuttled to the church and mentioned that if people see the staff parking at the front of the church – they’ll never use the shuttle. Good stuff.

Also – Renee – right on with what you said. That really impacted me today as well.

I think it’s a matter of consistent, repeated teaching. Sometimes we think that we’re talking about something too much, but amazingly, even if we talk about something over and over and over every Sunday, sometimes it still takes some people months or years to get it. Then, the light bulb comes on and they say, “Oh, man, I finally understand what you’ve been saying all this time!”

Persistence and patience are key.

Ryans last blog post..Sunday Recap – A Challenge to Adults

Whoa. That just did something in me … it slowed down the craziness. Simple, yet PROFOUND. Thanks, Renee’.

Renee’ Floyds last blog post..It’s Time for Domino’s (not the pizza)

Fred

@KitPalmer – I think you are absolutely on to something. But dude, I’m just excited that you clicked over here and got engaged in the discussion. Thanks! I stripped away the entire band a few weeks ago and did “Here I Am To Worship” and “What A Friend we Have in Jesus” with just my weak ole’ voice and grand piano, and I heard kajillions of people singing.

@mandy … great points, and true is so many cases. I can tell you that on this experience, I don’t think it was any of those. There was good vocals, good parts, good songs, good mix, and the WL wasn’t putting on a big show.

@Matthew -
Good stuff … survey? Oh man, I know that would be a stink bomb waiting to go off. We do have a smaller representation in a “Worship/Music Committee” that we’ve started going to for input and feedback, though.

The Senior Pastor and Youth Pastors (all vibrant worshipers) were all gone – vacation, mission trips, etc. The Assoc. Pastor was gone, too. Who knows, maybe their lack of presence did something, though in a room as large as ours, they aren’t typically “noticed” so much anyway … we don’t sit them up in old-school wingbacks on the platform with the “Grand Poobahs”.

Chris, love the passion, but I think that is way too sweeping of a comment. I would be hesitant to make such a quick judgment … maybe people have been “learned” by culture to not sing out … maybe they love Jesus, but they are self conscious about their voice, maybe they love Jesus, but just haven’t busted through the dam of junk in our daily lives that gives them the freedom to let loose.

I agree, we should WANT to … God CREATED us to … but just because we may not do it wouldn’t necessarily deem us as one who doesn’t love God.

Overall, I think you’re on to something about how we’ve categorized things though.

1. Where is your senior pastor and lead staff during worship? Are they engaged, ’cause if they’re not, then you can kiss everyone else goodbye.

2. Do they have much to sing about? This could be a good measure of where people are spiritually. Are they celebrating freedom and victory, or are they just attending?

3. When was the last time you guys taught on the importance of musical worship at a weekend service?

4. When was the last time you took a random survey of the people in the church to get a feel for their view of worship at SSCC?

Matthew Daniels last blog post..My Spiritual Mentors (Pt 4 of 5)

At GCC there are a few that don’t sing. But, we have a HUGE percentage of first timers each week, so it’s understandable. I think the rest of us sing louder just to be an example of sorts.

But I’ve been one (at my old church) who mouthed the words. The reasons? There are a few. If the worship team doesn’t provide enough harmonies to follow & all the singers are sopranos… I don’t want to pick my own harmony…every one ends up staring thinking I’m making up my own song. Second, you can tell when a worship leader is there for THEMSELVES. She’s rocking the piano & raising her arms, but it’s all forced & for show. Its’ a “worship leader concert” instead. And lastly, they used to power point the words & the person using the slide things was either too slow, too fast, spelled words wrong or forgot certain words alltogether. My hubs wouldn’t sing because he didn’t have them memorized well enough to cover it if he messed up. I tried to tell him that no one is listening, but was proven wrong when someone pointed out that he might consider learning the words better. =(

Just putting in my 2 cents on why I used to be a non singer at church.

Mandys last blog post..A teacher or a salesman?

- Folks can be self-conscious about singing. Lots of great ideas here about how to confront that issue.

- Education of congregants about biblical use of singing and how that brings glory to God.

I think the latter is the key. Pastors obviously need to be part of any solution here and should have no qualms about preaching on this subject. In fact, I’m firing off an email to my pastor right now as I don’t recall ever hearing him deliver a sermon on this subject.

Finally, if this blog allows html, I like this picture:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm237/odeskoo83/worship.jpg

Alastair Vances last blog post..WordPress – Changes Ahead?