I do ask myself such questions because, first, most of the time, I am concerned about how I lead worship; and second, it is because this is what happens to every worship leader or singer out there (or anyone interacting with the public from time to time). We always feel insufficient on how we deliver whatever we are assigned to deliver.
Last Sunday, I was privileged to visit a certain church in a remote area some few kilometres from where I stay, and good enough, with it came the opportunity to finish writing this blog post that I had started writing a few months back but still needed “enough inspiration”.
Just the day before Sunday, I had been talking to a friend of mine about something I call “the music style of a church or a congregation.” I was telling him that it is not possible for all church congregations to have the same music style. (Music style in this case being the way a worship team within a congregation sings, the type(s) of songs they sing (whether English or vernacular or Swahili or local contemporary or hymnals or African or songs with an Afro fusion), the musical instruments they use in worship, their number of singers, song arrangement, the way they involve the congregation in worship or dancing etc).
This came about after realizing that my church (after being here for a while) has a certain music style ardently followed by the members, and although I know that most of us are in limbo of its reign upon us, it is a reality we can’t evade. The truth is that only certain songs sang in a certain manner blend well with us. (This is not to mean that we can’t sing “other types of songs” or “other types of songs in another kind of way”, but that singing them would complicate the whole issue that I am addressing in this post.)
It therefore means that any kind of creativity being introduced in my church will still have to flirt with the baseline that is its music style. Only then will any new songs being introduced be “acceptable” by at least 90% of its members. This “music style” depicts what songs and how songs are sang in our church, and also if these songs can still be needed (be on demand) or liked whenever we come to worship in singing.
Now, back to talking about my visit to that small church…
There are a few things I learned in the worship sessions from that small congregation;
a) The
originality with which they sing their songs
b) The
coherence and unison in their “music style” – how well the members pick up a
song right after the first line is sang
c) The
passion both in the worship leader and the congregation while engaging in
worship
I
learned that they are these “tiny” things in life that possess the greatest
lessons we can ever learn. You don’t need “big congregations” or “thunderous
voices” or “award-winning Gospel artists” (although they are all
good in serving one purpose or another) in order to learn a lesson or
two about worship. No, you just need your sensitivity to the voice of God. Of course this church did music in a way that my church never does. In fact, I didn’t even understand or blend well with some of their songs and dancing, but you know what? they made me like it – they moved me within them until I was able to be like them - so I sang and danced along to what I didn’t even understand! And did it really matter that I did not understand what they were singing or their dancing styles? Or that their music style was “out of place”? I don’t think so. The worship leaders were achieving their goal: taking the congregation to their Father and their Maker – that is all that mattered! They didn’t go before the throne of God alone! No, they didn’t…
With the few lessons I learnt above, I realize that role of a worship leader – whether they belong to the biggest or the smallest congregation in this world – is to lead people to God. The worship leader should achieve, at least in one moment of worship, the task of taking people to God. He/she should never go to God alone. After all has been said and done, God will still be sitting on His throne waiting to see the worship leader bring His people home - that is a worship leader’s responsibility.
There are a few things that may warp this great commission though;
a)
Lack of good communication or linkage between the worship leader and the
congregation - I am always
of the opinion that if the worship leader realizes that the people in the congregation
need him/her to be social with them and freed-up, interaction with these church
members during or before worship, or yet still outside the confines of the
church should be made more of a priority than a option. A cat can’t lead dogs
to war nor can a horse race with donkeys. The results will be utter prejudice.
If the worship leader is stuck “into his/her own world” from which they don’t
want to get out of, how do you expect it to be a simple task, that one of
holding people’s hands and leading them to their Father? If he/she can’t meet
them where they are, taking them to where he/she wants them to go will
be the hardest thing to do on this earth. He/she needs first to move with them
at their pace, understanding them and tolerating them, and then pull them up to
the unknown. They should start from the known to the unknown. Connecting with
people before connecting them with God is the greatest thing a worship leader
can ever do in the way of achieving the goal of not going to God alone, and it
is the most basic thing every worship leader should ever understand.
b)
The viral desire to become like every other famous/modern church you
know – most campus students (and mostly those who come from the countryside)
will confess that the type of fellowship (or cherch, as many will put
it) they have at campus overrides what they experience when they go back home
during the holidays. This is also true with most people living in towns and
cities when they go back home to these “small churches”. In such circumstances,
or to the worship leader who happens to experience “another level of worship”
in other churches, wisdom should be practised when wanting to change a few
things in these “remote congregations” when they go back to them. Yes, it is
not easy to change a church’s music style overnight and it may not even
be possible, but it is important to be keen on the following things:
-
God’s timing - everything needs the intervention of God.
Everything. Never override God’s intentions for your worship team by replacing
them with your own selfish desires. Pray before commencing to effect any
desired change in activities. Seek Him first. Let this always take centre
stage, so that even if it fails (and it doesn’t have to), you will still be confident
that it was of God, and that He had your back.
-
A church’s teachability - does your church take long to learn new stuff?
What about the members of your worship team? Are they able to sing songs in the
music style you are introducing? This will determine “how much change they can
receive and tolerate” before it blows into your face.
-
Taking risks - Yes, it may not be possible for these people to
adopt a new way of doing things, but you also need to learn to take risks.
Introduce these new things in bits, ensuring that neither the worship team nor
the congregation is overwhelmed by what you are bringing in. Remember that
maintaining the status quo won’t lift you to a new level of worship, so always
dare to do things differently even if it may not be mutually accepted by all.
My
parting shot: always, as a worship leader, as you consider what I’ve said
above, never ever go to God alone… because even right now, somewhere within me,
I can still hear Him whispering to us, "The next time you come, boy/girl,
don't come alone!" Bonface Morris.
