The Worship Tension Spectrum

Inspired by our last meeting and Miller's list of worship philosophies, I began to think about the way some of those concepts flip the bird to others of them, and I began to craft the following spectrum with the help of my scholarly friend, Dr. Jason Hood. I intend to use this to help my own church think through our worship identity and to then use our conclusions as a touchstone to help us avoid any unnecessary conflict. I have attempted to give fair voice to all without exposing my biases. I thought this might help others think through these things for their own churches.

The Worship Tension Spectrum
We cannot order our worship with intentionality if we are not confessing and communicating our values. These are not necessarily mutually exclusive concepts, but they do create tension when we attempt to pursue them simultaneously. What does your church value? Are your worship efforts being hindered by duality of vision? Is there another tension you're dealing with that's not listed here?


1. Performance vs. Participation

• Performance – God’s transcendent nature is best imparted through displays of excellence in presentation.
• Participation - God is most pleased when the whole congregation has ownership and involvement.

      Tension: Excellence is typically produced by limiting productivity to the specialized. 

2. Attraction vs. Discipleship

• Attraction – If more people could only get in the door, then they would be transformed by the gospel.
• Discipleship –If people could only be transformed by the gospel, they would bring more people in the door.

      Tension: Discipleship requires effort and obedience, which is unattractive.

3. Targeted vs. Inclusive

• Targeted - Focusing on the fewer interests moves people with greater efficiency toward Kingdom goals.
• Inclusive - Creating an environment enriched by diversity is a Kingdom goal.

      Tension: Diversity requires compromise, which hinders agility

4. Dynamic vs. Conservative

• Dynamic – Meaning emerges spontaneously from the immediate context of the worshipers.
• Conservative – Meaning is preserved within the proven liturgies and traditions of the Church.

      Tension:  Spontaneity can create competing authorities

In Response to Brown's Humanity in Worship

I'd like to offer some clarity in response to Brown's thought on humanity in worship.

I think what Brown is looking for is not humanity, but authentic humanity. Humans are pretty complicated creatures, and I think one could get the idea from Brown that there's a simple kind of dichotomy between being excellent and being human. To be human is not to fail. That's a curse, not an identity. Humans are meant and destined for perfection, and it's therefore very human to do things perfectly. It's just not common yet, because we're fallen.

I don't think it's the perfection that bothers Brown; I think it's the arrogant pretense of perfection when we clearly need help. It's also the fact that we give too much attention to the show and not enough to the pastoral needs of the people.  I'm certain Brown would not say that we need to do a shoddy job so that we remember we're human. To say that would be to suggest that we're meant to fail, which would be a denial of our resurrection and inheritance. Rather I think that we should have an attitude that covers over one another's shortcomings and mistakes (on and off the stage), spurring one another on toward love and good works until the Day of the Lord.

There are enough dropped lyrics and awkward pauses without our purposeful insertion of them. Our job is to make little of them and much of Jesus. I think what Brown is aiming for is authenticity, but the only way to be authentic is to know what we're made for and aim for that, being honest about when and how we fall short and gracious in correcting it.

Gospel Songs

As we were meeting the other day, we started talking about some songs that have helped us as we communicate the Gospel with our music. Here are some of the songs that were mentioned.

Because of Your Love - Phil Wickham
Our God - Chris Tomlin
Christ is Risen - Matt Maher
In Christ Alone - Stuart Townend/Keith Getty

Another song that I have really come to love this year is All I Have is Christ, by Na Band/Sovereign Grace. We do a different arrangement, but the lyrics are great.

We also discussed a couple of books that have been really helpful to me as I've been seeking to do a better job of consistent gospel proclamation through our worship.

Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God by Bob Kauflin, (there is a link to Bob's Blog, WorshipMatters.com in the links section, it is also a helpful resource) and

Christ Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape our Practice by Bryan Chapell

I pray that God will bless Memphis with an incredible day of worship tomorrow.

-dlewis

Humanity In Worship

Hey guys here's that link to Brenton Brown talking about humanity in worship:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLH9uLg0gpA

See you all soon!

JH

Talent, Character, and Christ

Today, in the midst of a conversation on the necessity for worship leaders to remain above reproach, Jeremy Horn said "I don't want my talent to take me where my character can't keep me." I heard Andy Stanley say something similar at Passion 2010 this year, and I continue to be blown away by the implications of this desire for those who follow the Savior. In a culture where our self-worth is often connected to our success, it seems unthinkable that one would not grasp for fame to the furthest extent his or her abilities will allow. And yet for the believer, (and even more so for the leader), our limitations should be designed to maximize our freedom to be faithful to God's call on our lives. If our character is outstripped by our talent, then our talent will need to be muzzled to serve the greater thing, which is to remain pure and undefiled by this world. Certainly this is Christ's attitude, who being in His very nature God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped for, but humbled Himself. If anyone could have farther capitalized their talent, it was the One who surrendered such temporal things for eternal glory.

Also in attendance were David Lewis, Jason Stockdale, Josh Maze, Rob Ramsey, and Heather Issac. 

I'm Joshua Smith. Let's do this again sometime.