HOW DID WORSHIP BECOME (FALSELY) SYNONYMOUS WITH MUSIC AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

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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.

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[1] See Didache for further information on early church worship instructions.

[2] Robert E. Webber.

[3] Humans were created to worship. Therefore, all humans naturally worship, although what or who one worships might not be correct.

FOUR REASONS TO SET NEW TEXT TO FAMILIAR TUNES

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FOUR REASONS TO SET NEW TEXT TO FAMILIAR TUNES

            For centuries, the church has utilized familiar tunes with variations of text in congregational worship. Those who have studied church music and hymnody are likely familiar with the crossover between texts, tunes, and meters. Only in recent years has it been common to associate a particular tune with only one set of text, e.g. Amazing Grace with the NEW BRITAIN tune; yet, there are marvelous benefits to setting new text to familiar tunes. Such a practice can help both worship leaders and congregants. I would like to give four reasons to employ the practice of setting new text to familiar tunes in congregational worship.

I.                Familiarity

First, familiarity is beneficial to both the worship leader and the congregation. If a song or tune is familiar, the congregation sings more boldly, and the worship leader is more confident in his or her leadership. One might have never led Matt Boswell’s Come, Behold the Wondrous Mystery, a modern hymn; nonetheless, by setting the text to the NETTLETON tune, most congregants will be able to more readily sing since they would likely be familiar with the setting of Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. Many modern hymns engage easy melodies, so familiarity is usually not an issue. A more familiar tune, however, helps a congregation, particularly those congregations that might consider a new song or hymn to be a drastic change. By setting new text to familiar tunes, congregations feel emboldened and empowered to sing rather than frightened or violated by the newness.

II.             Freshness of Text

When we sing a text in the same manner, we often disassociate the meaning and theological importance it conveys. By setting new text to familiar tunes, a freshness of meaning can be realized by worshipers. The theological truths do not change, but over time, the way we state them certainly does. When we sing new text to familiar tunes, our minds are more likely to shift from passivity to activity, which essentially allows us to realize timeless truths articulated in a variation of ways. Additionally, we can sing the fresh text confidently because we are familiar with the mode of singing, namely the tune. The freshness of text can surely revive theological truths in our lives that might otherwise grow merely routine and stagnant.

III.           Easy Introduction of New Songs and Hymns

I am a song and hymn writer myself so in my own context, I often set freshly composed text to familiar tunes before introducing the new tune itself. Such a habit eases the congregation into familiarity with the song or hymn. How a worship leader introduces new music is a vital part of the job. The process undoubtedly varies between worshiping contexts; nevertheless, worship leaders should consider the best approach for introducing new music in their own context. For my current congregation, slower is better. If I introduce a new text by setting it to a familiar tune first, when the new tune is introduced, the congregation has at least some relationship with the song already. In that case then, the song is not an abrupt shift from their norm. Setting new text to familiar tunes then helps both the congregation and the worship leader. Worship leaders should always realize their duty to help the people in their mission field (their church) worship. If a worship leader hinders the worship experience of his or her congregation, they fail in their duty. While new songs present a vital element of the worship experience in any local church, setting new text to familiar tunes can assist greatly in the introduction of new music.

IV.           Elimination of the Sacred/Secular Divide

It is common to think of music in a sacred/secular divide. In God’s economy, however, there is no such divide, for God has created all things for his good pleasure and will. It is humankind that has corrupted what God has made good. Setting new text to familiar tunes helps eliminate this false divide. In this case, I suggest using not only hymn-tunes but secular tunes as well, though great caution must be taken when doing so. A worship leader’s goal should not be to put the cool-factor on a song by secularizing it but rather to use the available tools at his or her discretion to glorify God through congregational worship. If a tune hinders the worship experience then, it should not be used. This is surely contextual, as secular tunes have different impacts on different congregations. Many of our known hymn-tunes were once secular tunes but are still used for congregational worship. A new association with these tunes has thus been created. Perhaps, a new association with newer secular tunes should be created as well.

Be mindful of the fact that God intends for all resources and gifts to glorify him. Worship leadership requires wisdom, guidance from the Holy Spirit, and learning by failing at times. On a personal note, I have had tremendous success setting new text to familiar tunes in my own framework. The practice is not absolutely necessary always nor in every context; still, it could be beneficial. Hymn-tunes especially are usually written with singability in mind. When a theological truth is presented through a new text then, a familiar hymn-tune can help both the congregation and the worship leader.

The four points I have just submitted illustrate the primary reasons setting new text to familiar tunes has been used in the church for centuries. Let us sing with joy, with boldness, and a fresh realization of timeless truths through the melodies we employ to glorify triune God.

INTERVIEW WITH A MISSIONARY TO AFRICA

Sunday, February 25, I interviewed a missionary to Africa, during his recent visit to West Texas. We discussed missions in general and his specific calling to a nomadic unreached people group. The set of questions that guided our discussion were as follows:

1.     Tell me your story. How did you end up where you are and why Chad, Africa?

2.     What are you doing to prepare to minister specifically to the people to which you are called?

3.     What are some practical things you are doing now so that you will be able to minister in Africa, e.g. funding, language, etc.?

4.     Can you look back on your life and see events or periods, perhaps even undesirable, that God was clearly using to prepare you for missions in Africa?

5.     What are some essential overarching qualities and characteristics of a missionary no matter where they serve?

a.      What are some that are specific to your mission field?

6.     What advice would you give to someone considering foreign missions now?

7.     Are there new doors of opportunity in Chad and among the people to which you are called that might not have existed in previous years?

8.     What are the barriers you will face in Chad?

9.     What is the governing goal or purpose of global missions, i.e. is missions an end in itself or a means to an end?

10.  How can local churches see themselves as partners with you and other like-minded people around the world even though they may not even know them personally?

Audio for the interview may be found here. Additionally, you may listen to other Act of Worship episodes here.