So, I was browsing the worship blogosphere some time ago and came across Mandy Thompson's blog. I've dropped in a few times over the last couple months and left a few replies here and there.
Last week I came across this interesting post on her blog as well as the replies. I posted kind of late (isn't it strange how "2-3 days" is really old news in blogging terms??), so no one has replied further on that subject, but I wanted to see if anyone else out there has any thoughts on the matter. Read the post linked above, then read my reply, which is pasted below:
I guess I differ a little from the dominant theme I’m reading in these replies. No personal offense intended to those who’ve stated they do nothing but play the song, but I think you are missing an excellent opportunity to teach something if you don’t introduce a new song. Why wouldn’t you take the opportunity to explain why the congregation should be singing this lyric at that particular time for that particular series or sermon or whatever? One of the big surprises for me as a worship pastor has been how infrequently people (even the brightest people in the room) will connect the dots or put the puzzle pieces together.
Now I guess if a song is so simple and the lyric is so obvious, maybe, MAYBE you don’t have to introduce it. But you should at least acknowledge that it is new and sort of take the pressure off of people to know it already. Now, as far as a tip on how to introduce new songs, I confess up front that I have probably missed more than I’ve hit the target. But what I’ve landed on is Scripture. Your new song, whatever it is, should be carrying some message attested to in Scripture, and if it isn’t you shouldn’t be singing it, imho. So let Scripture introduce your song. I think this helps because I think bamboosong’s reply was accurate. Worship leaders tend to talk too much, which really means we’re not really saying anything at all. But reading Scripture to introduce your song does at least a couple important things:
1) It shows where our authority is, in song selection, song writing, worship leading and otherwise.2) It grounds our singing in biblical truth.
3) It helps expose people to Scripture and shows in a very basic sense the important of exegesis and study. Now the key here is to make sure you are faithfully exegeting and studying, but I’m assuming here that it will happen that way. To just plow ahead into the song without some acknowledgment of its newness and some explanation regarding its purpose/intent is akin to dodging our call to lead people in some direction. We have to be careful not let our music do our leading for us.
Any other thoughts out there?
4 comments:
One of the things that I appreciate about worshipping at the Journey is your leadership. We rest in knowing that you, as our pastor, have our best interest at heart where corporate worship is concerned (and personal worship for that matter). It was a new thought to me that the music might “do the leading” as your blogger states. You have proactively led us – with Scripture, no less!! That being said, it is always interesting to hear how or why you have chosen (or written) a certain song and how or why you think it will be conducive to corporate worship for us as a whole.
Hey, Lauren. Thanks for your very kind encouragement. I DEFINITELY don't have it figured out (if there is such a thing). I sometimes speak too much, sometimes not enough or not clearly enough. But I pray that the Spirit will cover my mistakes or poor choices and highlight Jesus anyway. Thanks again, friend!
i'm with you bro! couldn't agree more...
Thanks, Brad!
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