Music, Mediation and the Modern Worship Leader: Part III

See Part I and Part II

Under what umbrella does a worship leader function? Though visually there can be an element of the priest in front of the assembly, what New Testament categories can we work with? Is worship leading a spiritual gift or a form of pastoral ministry? Or something else?

The way I see it biblically, the worship event has a few elements at play.

The Action: Right position before God, right proclamation of God (Part II)

The Atmosphere: Spirit and truth

The Audience: Heaven and earth

The Atmosphere

Beyond the particular act of worship, our worship must be placed within a broader context or atmosphere of “Spirit” and “truth.” The New Testament doesn’t have a lot to say about the musical aspect of worship. Jesus said the Father was seeking true worshipers who would worship Him “in spirit and in truth.” Paul’s teaching on music and song can be summed up in two complementary passages, which I think speak to what Jesus Himself said.

1.       Spirit – Ephesians 5:18-20

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.”

Here we see the context for music in the church is that of being (continually) filled with the Spirit. Singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is one outcome of the Spirit-filled life. (It also ties in with Luke I think, who emphasizes the speech acts of tongues and prophecy as signs of Spirit filling in Acts.) True worship is an overflow of the heart which spills out of the mouth. A heart that has been baptized in the Spirit cannot help but gush praise.

As worship leaders there can be a temptation to be filled with something else – our own sense of importance, an unbalanced performance mindset, or even just our own abilities. It’s so important to lead out of a place of being immersed in the Spirit. If I’m not being continually filled with the Spirit as a worship leader, I can easily pump myself dry.

I think understanding worship as a Spirit-filled activity can also help to place the role of a worship leader under the umbrella of gifts of the Spirit. Nowhere in the New Testament is music listed as a spiritual gift, but it is and should be a Spirit-filled activity. Like the other spiritual gifts, their purpose is to build up the body so it may be healthy and complete. It’s why these songs are directed not only to God but to each other.

Any other implications for worship in terms of being Spirit-filled?

2.       Truth – Colossians 3:16

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, signing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Here is a similar passage, but worship rises out of being filled with the word of Christ and has an instructive function. One of the main purposes of worship is to teach the truth of God, most clearly revealed in Jesus Christ. The sticking power of music makes it a powerful vehicle. Everything said or sung in worship must conform to the truth of Scripture.

With the understanding that the congregation is more likely to go home singing a chorus of a song than quoting the pastor’s sermon, worship leaders must take their teaching role seriously. Lyrics matter. Theology matters. The balance and breadth of the whole counsel of God must be considered. Music has the potential to plunge people into the deep mysteries of God – or we can float along on the foam of feel good superficiality. Worship leaders would benefit from working in concert with other pastoral leaders who are actively shaping the minds of the congregation with other forms of teaching and preaching.

So just how do we categorize the role of a worship leader? Does it fit better under spiritual gifts or pastoral leadership? In many ways music can be used prophetically, and as a worship leader leads a service they have many opportunities to speak to the congregation. So I see connections with the gifts of prophecy, encouragement, even discernment.  As a spiritual gift, it would fall into Paul’s guidelines for order in a service.

Music is also used didactically, so there is an element of the teacher or pastor there. Of course, there’s also the spiritual gift of leadership, and that is what a worship leader is doing. It’s not just about leading songs, but leading people through the means of songs, Scripture, silence, prayer, and other elements of liturgy. That is why I believe it is so important that the worship leader is working with and on the same page as other pastoral leaders. It goes beyond matching music to the sermon theme, but coming alongside the vision of the leadership and using the means of music to guide people in the direction of the bigger vision.

The Audience

We are used to saying that worship is for an audience of One. And there is truth to that. In worship we seek to please and honor God, not anyone else. But biblically, we are also to sing to each other. Worship falls into the “one another” category of church life.

1.       Heaven

This is the vertical dynamic. We worship God and God alone. We sing to Him, praise Him, pray to Him. He is our focus, our sole pursuit. We draw near to Him, lay our lives down before Him, offer ourselves heart, body and soul. The focus should be on elevating God and not any one person.

Yet too often, I see what I would consider an unhealthy spotlight on the “professional” worshipers on the platform. Of course, there are practical considerations. The band has to go somewhere, with some level of visibility in order to facilitate leading. But I’m concerned that there is nothing visually to remind us all of Who is really front and center in our worship. I think we could stand to experiment a bit more with our physical set up, including lighting, placement, and visual focal points.

2.       Earth

This is the horizontal dynamic. We are to sing to each other. In worship we declare God’s praise for a human audience as well. God is not a narcissist who needs to hear constantly about how wonderful He is. Praise is a proclamation that declares God’s wonders for all to hear, for the sake of spreading His glory. In worship we teach and encourage each other in the truths of who God is and who He has recreated us to be. We build ourselves up in the Lord and give opportunity for the operation of many different spiritual gifts.

In many modern worship settings, we have lost some of this horizontal aspect. Yes, everyone may be singing along, but the interpersonal dynamic is often lost to the performance dynamic. The focus is on the “stage.” A worship leader or team sings to the congregation. But congregation members rarely sing to each other. I’d love to see how we could incorporate more of this aspect in our churches. Maybe this necessitates a smaller, more intimate setting. Maybe sometimes we turn the mains down and let us hear each other. How can we make worship more participatory and less passive?

I think there are some practical, physical things that can be done in our churches along these lines. I also think more teaching could be helpful, both to worship teams and congregations, which would help the whole church understand that though there may be some people up on a platform, we are all in this together.

Some practical suggestions:

- Lighting: Keep lighting levels consistent between platform and pews. Tone down the use of spotlights on worship leaders or musicians, unless a "special" number is being done. There is still room for an aspect of performance in the church, where one person or group is presenting something audio/visual for the benefit of the congregation. But for regular congregational worship, perhaps more of an effort should be made to de-emphasize the distinction between platform and pew. 

- Placement of musicians: Are there other ways to place musicians? Along the side? Can the worship leader lead from off-center? (I realize that this may seem silly to some. What does it matter where someone stands? Yet the symbolism of space does have an effect, even subconsciously.) 

- Visual focal point: If there is no longer a cross somewhere front and center, could something else be used centrally? Can a cross be reintroduced? Could screens be located differently? Basically, is there anything else other than the worship leader that people can focus on? (Not that there should never be anyone standing or preaching or ministering in the center. But for what is supposed to be a God-oriented activity, it would be great to have a God-oriented focal point.)

- Sound: Incorporate more acoustic music or services. There are times when louder levels can be used effectively in the sense of "encompassing" the congregation, which I think can create an atmosphere of transcendence, the sense of being "lost" in the heavenly throne room of worship. But perhaps we should also give weight to immanence, the sense of God's presence among us as we worship and sing to each other. (Realistically, many modern buildings are not designed for unplugged acoustics. Voices can get lost in all the carpeting and curtains. I love going to older church buildings where the sound of the congregation singing fills and resounds off the very walls, with little amplification. We've traded that for the ability to amplify with electronic instruments. There are benefits and drawbacks to each set-up, but man I love to sing in some of those beautifully structured churches.)

- Format: Like the liturgical "call and response," are there creative ways (or perhaps previously discarded ways) we can involve the congregation in worship? How can we be more interactive? 

So in light of all this, how much of the spotlight should a worship leader be comfortable with? Though a leader often needs to be visible/audible in order to do their job well, we need to be willing to take a good look at whether we are pointing the way to God or whether we sometimes get in the way. 

More to come:

Some thoughts about how one person’s experience of worship influences others

Revelation: the ultimate model for worship?

Prophet or Priest? The finger of John the Baptist

Music, Mediation, and Modern Worship Leader: Part II

(See Part I here)

I’ve been suggesting that the modern worship leader is set up in a number of ways to function in a mediatory role. As I don’t dismiss the concept of mediation in the Christian life, I am willing to consider this as a biblically sound possibility. But I think I need to back up. Before we consider how the worship leader “leads,” what is it that they are “leading?” What is worship?

I know there are shelves of books written on this. And I could easily get sidetracked with all the fascinating information and opinion out there. But in broad brushstrokes, this is what I see happening in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments.  [Full disclosure: I am writing this in the midst of the everyday mess of life with 2 preschoolers, so you may not see as many direct Scripture references as I would ideally like to support my arguments with! That said, I am aiming to be wholly biblical. If something piques your curiosity, look it up for yourself!]

The ACTION of Worship: Position and Proclamation

What we generally consider “worship” has two dynamics at play, best expressed in by the two words “worship” and “praise.” There is definitely some overlap here, but the concepts are distinct enough biblically to treat them separately.

1. Worship – Right Position Before God

“To worship” in biblical language is usually associated with someone bowing or falling down before someone who is greater, in acknowledgement of their greatness, in supplication, or in praise. (In the New Testament, the Greek word is proskyneo.) It’s a verb. It’s a physical expression, though often accompanied by some form of speech. It’s essentially a position.

In worshiping God we position ourselves rightly before Him. It’s not just about our physical bodies, though they can and should be used to express the reality of our hearts. In worship we fall on our faces before God and acknowledge that He is the Creator and we are the creature. We acknowledge our dependence, our submission, our absolute awe that He has positioned us to receive His mercy. We can’t get a clear picture of God or ourselves unless we’ve had that (figural, and sometimes literal) face on the floor experience before Him. It’s only from this position that everything else makes sense. It’s only from this position that we have anything worthwhile to offer back to Him.

Worship is also closely tied to the idea of sacrifice. What was Abraham on his way to do that dreadful day he went up the mountain with his only son? Worship. What is the clearest New Testament description of the Christian’s worship? To offer our bodies as living sacrifices. We look at how Jesus laid his life down for us, and the only right and fitting thing to do is offer our own lives in return.

Worship is the position of awestruck, wholehearted, living sacrifice. It’s a whole life thing, not a Sunday morning thing. What our mouths or hands express of this in a church service can go no deeper than our hearts are willing to enact in everyday life.

2. Praise – Right Proclamation of God

Praise is a proclamation, made with word or deed,  that commends and glorifies God. The Greek verb aineo is used only 9 times in the New Testament, mostly in Luke-Acts. The angels praise God at the announcement of his birth, and the shepherds respond likewise as they leave the scene of the manger. The lame man healed by Peter in Acts 3 praises God - walking and leaping and praising God!  The related noun epainos pops up 12 times, and it means commendation or praise. Praise is that which commends God. (I was rather surprised at the low frequency of the word praise in the NT, but then again, as Christians we get to bring in the whole exuberant tradition of Hebrew praise and psalmody, whose ultimate target is the work of Christ, and whose epic climax we shall see later on in the book of Revelation.)

When we praise God, we are usually making a verbal declaration or expression of His character and deeds. While God is the object of our praise, others within earshot are the subjects of praise. Sure, we can praise God all by ourselves (sometimes it is our souls that need to hear the truth again), but praise reaches its full intent when it has an audience. To praise is to tell! And what more powerful means of telling than the soul-gripping gift of music.

(Proclamation carries with it a certain weight of responsibility, which we’ll look at later when we explore what it means to worship “in truth.”

I think praise can also fall into that category of Spirit-inspired speech we see at work in Acts. “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2:11) Praise is one of the prophetic speech-acts of the Spirit-baptized community. It is both an evidence of the Spirit transformed life and a form of witness to the world at large.

So what we are actually doing when we come together for “corporate worship” encompasses both of these concepts – placing ourselves in right position before God, and making right proclamation of God’s wonders. This is the core of whatever happens during “worship.” And this must be the basis for understanding both the role of the worship leader/team and the congregation.

We’ll unwrap some of the implications of this for the worship leader in another post…

Pentecostal worship – a multifaceted sacrament

We’ve seen the core, and all the songs we sing and the way we go about them must conform to this purpose. But one of the cool (and potentially complicating?) things about Pentecostal worship is that there is often so much more going on in the time of worship than congregational singing. Woven in and around the music are other elements which contribute to the whole sacramental experience of worship:

·         Songs of praise/worship

o   Planned/formal

o   Spontaneous personal expressions

·         Scripture reading

·         Prayer

o   All kinds (adoration, supplication, confession, thanksgiving, intercession, dedication, etc.)

o   Corporate (led by pastor or worship leader)

o   Individual (person-to-God, person-to-person, in the pews)

o   Altar call

o   SIDE NOTE: I think this aspect of Pentecostal worship accounts for much of the repetition in songs that we like (or don’t!) to do. Repetition allows for the words to move beyond praise/proclamation to be internalized in prayer. It’s essentially a corporate form of biblical meditation. Repetition is one type of meditation, and a way to open ourselves more fully to an encounter with God and His Word to us. It is not mindless repetition (though to those unfamiliar with the exercise, it surely can seem that way), but a movement into a musical realm of meditation and prayer.

·         Prophesy

o   Declaration/edification for the body done by worship leader, pastor, or congregation member

·         Acts of response/dedication

o   Physical expressions of worship

o   Altar call

·         Spiritual Warfare

o   Deliverance

o   SIDE NOTE: I’d love to hear what others think about the connection between worship and spiritual warfare.

What other elements have you seen working in tandem with worship?

In Pentecostal churches, worship is multifaceted. It’s often a matrix for the operation of Spiritual gifts. It goes far beyond “setting the mood.” At its best, it gives opportunity for the Spirit to move in ways very particular to a congregation or situation.

With all of this in mind, the worship leader, especially in the type of service I’m describing, does much more than lead songs. 

Music, Mediation and the Modern Worship Leader: Part 1

I am not entirely comfortable leading worship. It’s a role I have grown into over the years, and while worshiping God through music is one of my most favourite things to do, there are aspects of worship ministry, especially as a worship leader, that I am still thinking through and working out in practice.

Most recently, I’ve been thinking about the concept of mediation as it relates to leading worship. Picture this quite familiar scene: one musician on a raised stage, often in a spotlight of some kind, flanked by a symmetrically arranged team of other musicians, backed by giant words on a moving background, speakers blaring out to the masses that remain somehow distant in the dimmer lighting. This is modern Sunday morning worship. The worship leader is tasked with the job of bringing people into the presence of God, of “leading” them in worship. And many people’s experience of worship rises or falls with this individual leader. In some way, whether we realize or it not, the modern worship leader has been set up in a mediatorial role, a bridge between the people and presence of God. Is this good? Is this bad? Is this biblical?

The Mediatorial Nature of Christian Life

We Protestants, and especially evangelicals, would be quick to emphasize that there is only one Mediator between God and humanity, Jesus Christ. And we would be right, speaking in terms of salvation. There is no other person, entity or reality that makes the connection between heaven and earth. Jesus Christ, Son Incarnate, is the only reality in which this connection occurs. But we would be naïve to assume that all of Christian life is a pure, unmediated experience of spirit to Spirit. Christianity is not an ethereal religion that excludes our physicality. Jesus is fully human, just as he is fully divine. And he meets us in our own physical humanity. So what am I saying?

I see a few main areas of Christian life in which mediation plays a role. All of these have their source in Jesus, the Mediator, whose presence within us and within the church and in the world is now mediated by the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit does not simply provide us with an invisible link to heaven, or stop at an inner witness. His work is often quite tangible, and we access it through a physical reality.

1.       Witnesses (Source: Jesus the Faithful Witness, the Firstborn from the Dead, the Spirit-Baptizer)

These are the real people Jesus entrusted his gospel and mission to. Without people telling His story and passing it down, person to person, how could anyone else hear and respond to the good news? Yes, we’ve all heard stories of Jesus appearing in dreams and other miraculous occurrences. But Jesus primarily commissioned his followers, who in the power of the Holy Spirit make him present to those around them, in word and deed. At a larger level, there is the historical, worldwide community of witnesses, the Church, which makes Christ known and present. We meet Jesus through other humans’ words and actions – their testimony, compassionate touch, acts of service, prayer, etc. – not to mention the operation of the fruit and gifts of the Spirit in the body of Christ. The work of Christ on the earth is continued through his Body, with all its very “human” parts.

2.       Word (Source: Jesus the Living Word Made Flesh)

The Bible is a real book, Spirit-inspired, but written by real humans in real languages. The canon of Scripture as we know it was itself mediated by a community of witnesses led by the Spirit. God speaks through this holy book, a physical reality. In preaching we are confronted with the Word of God as proclaimed through the words of another witness. Scripture is our main source of truth about God and ourselves, and our main channel for hearing God speak.

3.       Water and Wine (Source: Jesus, Crucified and Risen)

Baptism and Communion. Two ordinances instituted by Christ, means of grace - signs which participate in that which they signify and provide a real benefit to their participants – that involve body and soul with the physical symbols of water, bread and wine. They do not confer salvation, yet they are Jesus-mandated opportunities for a grace encounter.

So I do not reject the idea that there are persons and other physical realities (such as the Bible, water, bread, wine) that in some way mediate our encounters with God. After all, Christ’s mode of presence in the world today is largely through his Spirit-indwelt church. On the basis of His perfect work as our Mediator, He invites us to participate in His mission of making God known.

So what about Worship? Does it function as a mediator of God’s presence in the Christian life?

In worship (meant here in its more limited sense of congregational worship - the regular gathering of believers to praise God together, usually with music) we are also given the means of an encounter with God.

This is entirely biblical:

The LORD inhabits the praises of His people. (Psalm 22:3)

Wherever two or three are gathered, I am there. (Matthew 18:20)

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8)

The act of our coming together as a people called by Jesus is powerful.  And what we do together when we gather, and how we do it, is significant. Quite simply, that is what “liturgy” is. The word literally means “the work of the people,” and basically refers to the structure and elements of a church service. More narrowly, it is used to describe the very deliberate and more formal structure of services in what we would think of as “liturgical churches” (i.e., Catholic, Anglican, and other mainline churches.)

Every church has its own liturgy, formal or otherwise. Some are very intentional. Others, sad to say, are not. One of the best understandings of what “The Liturgy” is is the participation of the congregation in a reality that is bigger than themselves – the story of Jesus Christ. Some churches go to great lengths to immerse their people in the symbolism of that story.  This symbolism can be reflected in a variety of ways, from the shape and design of a sanctuary, displays of art (or lack thereof), selection of music, the placement of pulpits, altars, crosses and Bibles, and even the arrangement of where people are located and in what position. We are symbolic creatures, and our symbols say a lot about who we are. Being intentional about our symbols is key.

Many modern evangelical expressions of church have taken more of a pragmatic approach to the structure of Sunday worship. Our choices are guided by practical issues of audio/visual equipment, and perhaps – more than we know it – by modern performance culture.

As I spend more time reflecting on my role as a worship leader, I’ve been thinking about what the structure and set-up of our services says about us, and ultimately about God.

The worship leader as mediator?

What I find interesting is that the modern worship leader is probably one of the closest things we have to someone acting in the role of mediator in our services.  As Protestants, we reject the notion of “the priest,” the special leader who is in a position of mediating God’s presence or grace in a way no one else is authorized to or capable of. Indeed, pastors have gone to great lengths in recent years to show that they are “one of us.” They have done this not only in their communication methods, but also in other ways, such as dressing like the rest of us, moving pulpits down from the platform to the main level (or choosing a simpler podium), walking among the congregation, etc. We’ve seen many pastors and speakers get down off the platform to connect on a more even level with their congregation.

Yet at the same time, the worship leader (or team) has been elevated, quite literally. What do we often see? What symbolism is at work?

-          Worship leader front and center on a raised stage

-          Performance lighting which illuminates “the band” and often leaves the congregation in darkness

-          The cross on the back wall, which used to be a focal point of the church, is often obstructed by the screen for projecting song lyrics and other visual matter

-          Sound levels which make it impossible for people in the congregation to even hear the person singing next to them

-          Song selection which highlights the skills of the leader or band but which are difficult for congregational participation

-          All eyes are on the worship leader and their expression of worship

-          There is a distinction (physical/spatial) between the worship leader/team and the rest of the congregation, resembling the “concert” distinction of performer and audience.

[As a side note: I’ve been in churches, most recently in the chapel of my Anglican seminary, where the musicians are up near the front, but off to the side. Both the organist and the piano/guitar players led from the side of the room. You also see this in many of the older arrangements of choirs. The front center is reserved for the altar. It certainly is a different dynamic. ]

Possible results:

-          Just the physical set up of this scenario places a lot of emphasis on what the worship leader is doing. A lot of pressure can thus be put on the worship leader (intentionally or not) to create the best worship experience for others. They must lead the way, and if they don’t, how can the church hope to follow?

-          People rely on the worship leader’s skill or expression of worship to “jumpstart” their own.

-          Separation/distinction between worship team (performers) and congregation (audience). The congregation’s role can become more passive and less participatory, less communal and more critical. What happens “up there” is more important than what’s going on “in the pews.”

-          People come to “consume” a worship experience (what can I get out of this?) rather than “be consumed” and join in offering themselves wholeheartedly to God with their fellow worshippers. Much of an individual’s experience of worship rises or falls with individual worship leaders. People have a hard time worshipping when the leader does not worship in a style or to a degree of perfection that other individuals prefer. (This speaks to a wider church/cultural issue – there is simply no longer a standardized or universal “hymnal,” or collection of songs which everybody knows. Worship has spread across the musical spectrum  and individuals in the congregation respond best to their own musical history and preferences.)

What I see happening here is the worship leader being set up in a mediatorial role. I am not ready to say all of this is bad, but I do want to really think through what all of this means. As worship leaders, many of us would express our roles along these lines: to lead or bring people into the presence of God. Most of the imagery we use in describing this role comes from the Old Testament priesthood and practices of the Levites. They were specially selected by God to “perform” the worship of the people, to sacrifice and praise on their behalf. They often led the charge into new territory as the head of the army or start of a procession. While this imagery has much to teach us about the nature of worship, I often wonder whether this alone gives us a balanced picture of the church’s worship, and the role of its leaders in this aspect of church life.

So what’s a worship leader to do? Embrace the mediatorial role as one of the Spirit’s gifts to the church? Throw down the mic and bring back the hymn book?

There’s a lot more to explore, but I think this post is long enough for today! These are my (somewhat scattered) observations on current worship leading culture, and some of the pitfalls I see inherent in this set-up. I want to think through these issues intentionally, biblically, and in community. I’d love to hear from others in worship ministry.

Next I’ll look at whether this mediatorial role has some benefits and how it can best be put to use, and also other instructions and examples of New Testament worship which need to be given just as much consideration.

Thoughts? Objections? Suggestions? Please comment!