Having been gifted with musical abilities I have been using it for God's glory for quite some time now. Listening to good music goes with it and it helps in honing one's musical skills. Talking about music, there used to be a time when musicians released their singles and albums which were songs with messages, stories, scripture and songs which were simply their experiences put forth in a melody. I even recall reading that some famous artists, get their song ideas from the books they read and make compositions out of the reflections they find in the chapters of the books.
Growing up listening to such songs and music in the 90's with such depth of meaning and theological correctness, here I am suddenly finding myself being a part of a crowd which now calls the songs they sing in Church as "Worship" songs. These are songs which are primarily written about God and sung to God. Since the 90's there has been a wave of this Worship music with forerunners in the industry (yes! it's become one now!) like Maranatha Singers, Vineyard, Hosanna Integrity etc., to name a few! There has been a clear wind of change from the traditional Southern Gospel to the new "Worship" which has now become a genre by itself.
The older style of songs have clearly taken a back seat. Even the main line churches find it hard not to have this wave hitting them. This has even created a generation gap where the older generation desires more solemn hymns while the newer generation wants the upbeat songs. At 50, I now find myself caught up in this chasm where I prefer the 80's and 90's style of songs while the ones that came later have a distinct difference in the style and manner in which they are played and some how my musical sense finds it hard to sync with it or I wonder if it is just a mental block.
With the passage of time I find myself leading Worship and I have done this for over 2 decades now. I have predominantly done this in an Indian and an Asian context. I would like to give some of my challenges in leading worship and my experiences and struggles that I have been through in the journey given the context that I have been in. If you are in a similar context like me this will make sense. This will also help you to take a balanced view of things in order to avoid the conflicts that have risen in my life.
1. Mixed Age Groups.
When you have older people in the congregation it is pretty easy to see that they are not too keen to follow some of the latest songs. They are still holding on to their traditional songs and songs they grew up listening. Now this becomes a dilemma as to how to have a mix of both old and the new songs. You need to cater to the old as well as the new.
2. Mixed Nationalities.
While it is true that every nation and every tribe will be worshiping in heaven, it poses a challenge to us this side. The Africans are culturally expressive and rhythmic and music and dance are integral to their culture and being. So they are quite expressive in their worship. On the other hand, we see certain other nationalities who are conservative and may not be as expressive as the others. As a worship leader I get into this dilemma of watching some just stand there and watch me sing while the others join along into jubilant singing.
3. Mixed Language Groups.
Not everyone is primarily English speaking in the congregation. Hence some could be more engaging in the worship when it happens in the language of their comfort. For some, worshiping in their mother tongue would make more sense. However, in such a multi-linguistic and multicultural settings it becomes a challenge to be leading the worship where the response could be a bit depressing. As a worship leader I have felt out of place in such settings.
4. Mixed Backgrounds.
We observe people coming in from different backgrounds with different worship patterns and styles. Some come from a liturgical background, some from a free worship background, some from a quiet and somber way of worship, some prefer it to be overly vocal, some want instruments while some may not be wanting extra sounds, some are conservative and the others are quite open and even dangerously "progressive". As a worship leader it gets pretty challenging to have a session going well in this context.
5. Mixed Experiences.
Some people come in with their baggage of experiences and each one claims their experience to be superior or correct. While experiences are important when it comes to worship we need to weigh our experiences in the light of scripture and not vice versa. Many times as a Worship leader I wonder if I am doing the right thing especially when I do not do certain things or express the way some of the others do.
Therefore, with such challenges I sometime wonder where do we converge and how do we converge to make the experience of worship more meaningful, purposeful and realistic.
Will be interesting to hear your views. Do take time to comment and let me know what you are thinking. Also check out my other blogs on the same subject.
Thanks for reading!! Would appreciate your comments!!
Growing up listening to such songs and music in the 90's with such depth of meaning and theological correctness, here I am suddenly finding myself being a part of a crowd which now calls the songs they sing in Church as "Worship" songs. These are songs which are primarily written about God and sung to God. Since the 90's there has been a wave of this Worship music with forerunners in the industry (yes! it's become one now!) like Maranatha Singers, Vineyard, Hosanna Integrity etc., to name a few! There has been a clear wind of change from the traditional Southern Gospel to the new "Worship" which has now become a genre by itself.
The older style of songs have clearly taken a back seat. Even the main line churches find it hard not to have this wave hitting them. This has even created a generation gap where the older generation desires more solemn hymns while the newer generation wants the upbeat songs. At 50, I now find myself caught up in this chasm where I prefer the 80's and 90's style of songs while the ones that came later have a distinct difference in the style and manner in which they are played and some how my musical sense finds it hard to sync with it or I wonder if it is just a mental block.
With the passage of time I find myself leading Worship and I have done this for over 2 decades now. I have predominantly done this in an Indian and an Asian context. I would like to give some of my challenges in leading worship and my experiences and struggles that I have been through in the journey given the context that I have been in. If you are in a similar context like me this will make sense. This will also help you to take a balanced view of things in order to avoid the conflicts that have risen in my life.
1. Mixed Age Groups.
When you have older people in the congregation it is pretty easy to see that they are not too keen to follow some of the latest songs. They are still holding on to their traditional songs and songs they grew up listening. Now this becomes a dilemma as to how to have a mix of both old and the new songs. You need to cater to the old as well as the new.
2. Mixed Nationalities.
While it is true that every nation and every tribe will be worshiping in heaven, it poses a challenge to us this side. The Africans are culturally expressive and rhythmic and music and dance are integral to their culture and being. So they are quite expressive in their worship. On the other hand, we see certain other nationalities who are conservative and may not be as expressive as the others. As a worship leader I get into this dilemma of watching some just stand there and watch me sing while the others join along into jubilant singing.
3. Mixed Language Groups.
Not everyone is primarily English speaking in the congregation. Hence some could be more engaging in the worship when it happens in the language of their comfort. For some, worshiping in their mother tongue would make more sense. However, in such a multi-linguistic and multicultural settings it becomes a challenge to be leading the worship where the response could be a bit depressing. As a worship leader I have felt out of place in such settings.
4. Mixed Backgrounds.
We observe people coming in from different backgrounds with different worship patterns and styles. Some come from a liturgical background, some from a free worship background, some from a quiet and somber way of worship, some prefer it to be overly vocal, some want instruments while some may not be wanting extra sounds, some are conservative and the others are quite open and even dangerously "progressive". As a worship leader it gets pretty challenging to have a session going well in this context.
5. Mixed Experiences.
Some people come in with their baggage of experiences and each one claims their experience to be superior or correct. While experiences are important when it comes to worship we need to weigh our experiences in the light of scripture and not vice versa. Many times as a Worship leader I wonder if I am doing the right thing especially when I do not do certain things or express the way some of the others do.
Therefore, with such challenges I sometime wonder where do we converge and how do we converge to make the experience of worship more meaningful, purposeful and realistic.
Will be interesting to hear your views. Do take time to comment and let me know what you are thinking. Also check out my other blogs on the same subject.
Thanks for reading!! Would appreciate your comments!!
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