HOW
DID WORSHIP BECOME (FALSELY) SNYNONYMOUS WITH MUSIC AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
In both
Greek and Hebrew, the biblical words used for worship do not equate to music.
Biblical worship refers to either 1) an attitude or a posture or 2) a service
rendered. Abraham reveals the first use of the word in the Bible when he says,
“. . . I and the boy will go over there and worship . . . ” (Gen 22:5 ESV). In
essence, it could be said that music is but a small part of worship. Worship
might be separated into two categories: corporate and personal; yet, even in
corporate worship, the entirety of the gathering constitutes worship rather
than merely the musical portions of the service. How then did the word,
worship, become synonymous with music? Historical records of worship reveal
that the church, through the centuries, has considered all aspects of the
worship gathering (e.g. prayers, sermons, communion, etc.) to encompass the
whole of worship.[1] I
have four ideas for how the terms, worship and music, became synonymous and
some suggestions for how to counter this false connection.
Lingo
The worship
leader(s) or worship pastor(s) of local churches are almost always musicians,
often classically trained in formal educational institutions, which lends
congregants to assume an equality between music and worship. People often fail
to realize that while the worship leader’s job heavily involves music, it does
not only involve music but rather everything that encompasses the worship
experiences of a local church. With an incorrect assumption, local churches
have naturally created lingo that assumes sameness with worship and music.
Although it is usually unintentional, we see obvious examples of this in our
discussions of worship. Most of us have heard someone say something like, “The
worship was so good today at church.” It would not be wrong to understand that
they are referring to the music; yet, the entire service includes many acts of
worship other than music. Even our worship planning resources fail in this
area, e.g. Planning Center Online distinguishes between worship and the sermon;
reality is that the sermon is part of worship as well. Perhaps, the
unintentionality is part of the problem. By adopting such implicative language,
local churches begin to perceive worship in a misleading manner. Lingo then has
played a significant role in the false assumptions of what amounts to worship.
Christian Industry Publications and Productions
Christian
industry has also played a weighty part in paralleling worship with music. In
the music industry, Christian artists often record and produce so-called
worship albums; articles, books, and journals publish material that discusses
worship only in the context of music; and furthermore, radio and television
programs designate music-related material to the worship category. Doing so
further contributes to the already false assumption Christians have regarding
definitive worship. Christian industry already uses incorrect lingo and then acts
by forcing a synonymous meaning between worship and music. This does not
represent biblical worship; nor does it help the local church in understanding
the vitality of worship.
Celebrity Communication
Stemming
from Christian industry, Christian celebrities often speak of worship in terms
of music. One of the most apparent examples is gospel recording artists who
discuss worship as it often related to their ministries of music. Music is but
a fraction of worship; yet, what churches observe when Christian celebrities speak
of worship is music, i.e. the connection between worship and music becomes involuntarily
engrained and embedded in believers’ minds. Certainly, there is music used for
worship and congregational singing is a vital part of the local church’s
worship gatherings. It is wrong, however, to assume that worship is equal to
music when music is only a part of the whole. Celebrity Christians often
contribute to this false supposition.
Lack of Theological Training
In working
backwards through the root causes of wrong beliefs on worship, my final
suggestion of how we arrived at this point is a lack of theological training
among pastors and worship leaders. I might also suggest that more of the blame
belongs to pastors and preachers than church musicians, although both are at
fault. I am not referring merely to a lack of formal education but rather to
the overall deficiency of desire to learn among church leaders. Congregants are
generally more readily willing to listen to pastors than church musicians.
Wrong as it may be, the common assumption is that a church musician does not
possess the same theological understanding or ability to teach as does the lead
pastor. In my observations, the lead pastor then often does not consider the
topic of worship to be priority when it truly is of primary importance and “the
key to the church’s renewal.”[2]
One cannot teach the biblical truths of worship without first understanding
them. Far too many leaders in today’s churches do not understand these truths
and, thus, contribute greatly to the false equation between worship and music.
Worship leaders and pastors alike should work to know, understand, and realize
the importance of worship, what it is, and how to teach it to local churches.
Without changing the way we think about worship, we will not change the way we
talk about it.
What to Do about It
What then
are we to do about the wrongly perceived synonym of worship and music? While
change will not occur fast, I have three promptings that will help church
leaders be proactive in changing the tide of communication about worship.
Change the Lingo
First, we
should change the lingo. Lingo is at the root of all issues surrounding wrong
beliefs about worship. Changing lingo, nonetheless, should not be subconscious
but should, in fact, be intentional. When communication is important, we
present it with purpose, e.g. formal presentations, academic papers, and even
court proceedings. Even in casual conversation, church leaders should strive to
present accurate thoughts, ideas, and theologies about worship. Words that may
seem minute still imply particular concepts and ideas, e.g. congregants’ minds
usually perceive the difference between a platform and a stage. When we
purposely discuss music solely as music and worship in broader terms than
merely music, people’s minds will shift; overtime then, they will understand
the essence of corporate worship. Lingo must change.
Worship Leaders Must
Train Congregations
As lingo
changes, congregations’ theological notions about worship will also change; this
is a responsibility of worship leaders. It seems that many churches do not
realize the need for worship training, as if it is a theological issue that
human beings have already naturally perfected. While the act of worship is
natural,[3]
we continually become better worshipers in our sanctification process. The idea
that believers do not need to be taught how to worship is erroneous. Therefore,
worship leaders should take seriously their job to teach God’s people the
biblical, theological, and historical truths of worship and to be taught
themselves. The process is unending; nonetheless, if worship leaders do not
realize the need to train congregations in worship, few will.
Pastors Must
Understand Biblical Worship
Without
lead pastors rediscovering the primary responsibility of the people of God to
worship him, local churches will likewise not achieve their purpose, namely
glorifying God. A church’s spirituality is revealed in how they worship
corporately. Weak worship likely implies weak spirituality. I submit that
spirituality is derived from worship, i.e. a local church’s spirituality is
directly derived from their worship practices, which are derived from their
beliefs about worship. Pastors, the unquestionable leaders of local churches,
should be the primary proponents of biblical worship and should, therefore,
seek to teach that worship is not synonymous with music but rather embodies
more. Without pastors’ leadership in this area, we will not correct the wrong
ideas people have about worship but will instead further contribute to weak,
baseless, and unbiblical teaching.
Worship Is Primary
I have
offered four probable reasons thoughts on worship have been tainted and given
three ways to counter wrong beliefs about worship. Music is a small part of
worship but not the whole. Church leaders, pastors included, should take
critically their job of facilitating worshiping communities. Such an endeavor
will not be achieved if local church members continue to misunderstand worship.
Let us sing faithfully; let us pray faithfully; let us preach faithfully; and
indeed, let us participate in every act of worship faithfully.
