\nSong Leader Revolution<\/a><\/p>\n
Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s confess that there is a very personal dimension to the worship experience related to taste and predilections of style\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhether in music, preaching, and physical contextual setting of the worship event. Here are some, admittedly personal, things in corporate worship that would cause me to walk out on the service (if my wife weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t holding me down):<\/p>\n
- \n
- Liturgical dance (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got nothing against this art form per se, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen one<\/i> done well, but 99% of these are not. I witnessed one performed by a highschooler in a pink tutu–a performance that had nothing to do with the rest of the service that I could discern. There was nothing liturgical about it, and that it was “dance” was suspect.) <\/li>\n
- Praise teams (If there ever was a justification for assault weapons\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6) <\/li>\n
- Non-liturgical market-driven services (seeker-sensitive or contemporary worship\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Christian worship for pagans\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) <\/li>\n
- Developmentally inappropriate and pointless ten-minute children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sermons (children should be incorporated and welcomed into corporate worship\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut not insulted as a price for their participation) <\/li>\n
- Praise choruses (I got it the first time, no need to repeat the silly metaphor 67 mindless times. And what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s with the swaying and swooning? Didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t these people have breakfast before church?) <\/li>\n
- Undue attention to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153special guests and visitors\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about God, people.) <\/li>\n
- Observances of the sacraments (Lord\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Supper and Baptism) that are \u00e2\u20ac\u0153tacked on\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to the service (what are people replacing at the center of corporate worship in place of the ordinances?) <\/li>\n
- Impromptu corporate prayers uttered in the first person and peppered with filler words like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153just,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Father,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lord,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153bless,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I just ask that . . .\u00e2\u20ac\u009d etc. (How about spending ten minutes thinking about and crafting a well-thought out theological prayer. And use the corporate \u00e2\u20ac\u0153we\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for the corporate<\/i> prayers of the people) <\/li>\n
- Preambles and mini-sermons preceding the Lord\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Supper over-explaining what it’s supposed to mean (We know what it means. Just do it!) <\/a><\/li>\n
- Powerpoint sermons or projected lyrics, graphics, and text (Powerpoint belongs in the classroom (and sometimes, not), not in the worship event) <\/li>\n
- Hymn-directing, arm-waving, smiley-toothed, coifed \u00e2\u20ac\u0153worship leaders\u00e2\u20ac\u009d ( I can pick up when to start singing and know enough to stop when the words run out) <\/li>\n
- Sermons that begin with a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153false start\u00e2\u20ac\u009d due to the preacher\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nervousness (complimenting the choir, commenting on attendance, making a dumb joke, etc.) <\/li>\n
- Evangelistic altar calls<\/li>\n
- Forced corporate handholding and times of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153passing the peace\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that overly extend into chatty aisle conversations<\/li>\n
- Sandals and flipflops worn by worship leaders—ministers, choir members, or lay leaders\/readers (How about developing a sense of decorum for what is supposed to be a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153holy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d event?)\n<\/li>\n
- Sermons that merely re-tell the Bible reading narrative (I was paying attention when you read the Bible narrative, now how about some hermeneutics and interpretation?) <\/li>\n
- Theologically irresponsible sermons (fluffy, feel-good, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153motivational,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d happy-clappy \u00e2\u20ac\u0153participatory,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d therapeutic, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153metaphorical\u00e2\u20ac\u009d sermons) <\/li>\n
- The introduction of a newly-invented \u00e2\u20ac\u0153tradition,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d explained at length<\/li>\n
- Youth-led worship services (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got mixed feelings about these. Some are done well, with intention and authenticity reflective of the culture and faith community of which the youth belong) <\/li>\n
- Gimmicks (props). Some people confuse kitsch with devotion. <\/li>\n
- A lack of aesthetics (simple can be elegant). <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Well, I warned you that this was a rant. For me the matter goes beyond the issue of taste or predilection. Corporate worship is formative—it shapes the faith of the congregation. Sadly, too often, Sunday morning corporate worship seems to be untheological, lacking in attention to an informed ecclesiology, fail to give attention to aesthetics, and are overly-individualistic if not personalized to the point of being a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153show about somebody\u00e2\u20ac\u009d rather than the worship of God. <\/p>\n
But, I rant . . . . (and keep those cards and letters, this is rant). <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Due warning: this is a rant of uncommon impatience. Now that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m on the other side of the pulpit, in the pews as part of the congregation, I find that my impatience with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153bad worship\u00e2\u20ac\u009d has increased. This summer I … Continue reading