Infinitely Wide and Inches Deep Part II

Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men. I intended to post no less than once a week, but summer has a way of shuffling even the best of schedules. So, here I am with a follow up to my last post. If you missed it, please read or even re-read it before you dive into this one.

In an effort to reach out to such a diverse congregation, I have outlined how many different communication tools would be required and the level of “thinness” that is inherent in trying to provide those methods in a single service. In all honesty, it is impossible. So how can we become a deeper worshipping community and still provide opportunities for people to worship God in their own voices? One answer comes from the wonderful comments by John Garland on my last post. He points out an incredibly wise observation by Kierkegaard that has been echoed by top worship theologians and even CCM song writers; we worship for the glory of an audience of one-God.

If we as leaders continue to try and “reach” the diverse groups that make up our congregations, then we leaders become, as Kierkegaard puts it, the “performers” for the enlightenment (entertainment?) of the congregation, or “audience.” As a result, a consumerist reaction of approval or disapproval is the only avenue of response for that congregation. I have never ascribed to this way of thinking. In my approach to worship, the leaders are providing a collection of expressions for the congregation to embrace and reflect to God along with their own independent worship creations. In essence, the service is the palette, we schedule a variety of worship actions (the colors and types of medium), and the congregation takes these materials and paints a picture each week- of God, about God, to God, for the glory of God.

A great example of this pattern is congregational prayer. The individual leading in prayer provides a verbal framework that opens the door to the congregant to participate at the level in which they can best express their feelings to God. One individual may simply listen to the prayer being offered by the leader and silently (or out loud) agree with periodic “Amens” that say, “yes God, I agree with _______ and ask that you hear our prayer.” Someone else may be listening to the leaders prayer and while following the direction of the offered prayer will supplement it with petitions of their own. While the prayer leader may be praying for the church, such a participant might insert names or situations that he or she wishes to specifically bring before God. Both of these methods are seen in the traditional “Prayers of the people” model, but can also be seen in any church prayer tradition. Still another congregant may not even really hear the leader, but will use the time set aside in the service for prayer to lift their own prayers before God, thereby participating in the corporate worship event but yet doing so in a way that expresses their own desire to speak to God as an individual. Still another may block out everything and simply listen for God’s voice, recognizing that prayer is not just a one way event, but rather a conversation between believer and God.

If we take this approach to every event in a corporate worship service we understand that each event is not simply a time to “watch” but rather every event is an invitation to participate. Yet participation is not always done in the expected fashion. I have heard many people who say that while they enjoy listening to the music, they prefer to pray the text rather than sing along. Others have told me about how they reflect on the text and seek meaning in it. Others have said they let the music wrap them up and they are carried away in an expression of praise that goes beyond the actual words and music being offered and they “spend time with God.” Of course many people sing the songs. My belief as a worship leader is that the songs I choose for worship must be closely examined because I am providing words for the congregation to sing back to God. These surrogate words are another opportunity to tell God how we feel. In all of these instances the end result should be a congregation who is performing for the glory of God, not simply attending a performance for their entertainment and edification.

Assuming that all of this is true, what about the one action in which the congregation regularly sits and listens: the sermon? I will address that in my next post-Infinitely Wide and Inches Deep Part III.

Ok, post your answers and let’s keep this going. Thanks to everyone who is reading this blog and those who are sharing their thoughts. As you can see by my post above, your comments count.

Infinitely Wide and Inches Deep, Part 1

I have been reading a great book on the characteristics of different generations and the effect of these different characteristics on worship, especially in a church that has many generations represented in its congregation. Communicating to each of these groups at the same time is very challenging. Let me very briefly give you a couple of educational numbers to think about. I would love to go in depth here, but this is a blog after all. Maybe I should write a book of my own. Here we go. . .

Modern education practice teaches us that all people fall into one of four possible styles of learning. These “learning styles” are described in many ways by several different programs, but the consensus of four different styles appears to be universally agreed upon and the basic communication needs of each group are well established. Most educators know that in order to effectively communicate information, truth, or whatever goal is desired, to everyone in a group, all four of these learning styles must be represented otherwise someone will be left out.

Now, the average older congregation has at least three major generational age groups represented, with most having four or five generations coming to worship. As worship planners and designers we want to be sure that everyone who comes to our church for worship hears the Word and has an opportunity to meet with and praise God in a manner and language that is meaningful to them. Each different generation receives and processes information in its own unique way due to the cultural influences in which they developed the skill of receiving and processing information:

1. Born in the 30’s and 40’s is the radio-newspaper-library-encyclopedia generation
2. Born in the 40’s and 50’s is the radio-newspaper-library-encyclopedia-(3 channel)television-music(LP and 8track) generation-these are the “boomers”
3. Born in the 60’s and 70’s is the radio-newspaper-library-encyclopedia/(cable) television-music (cassette, CD and MTV) generation (that’s me, we’ve been called Gen X)
4. Born in the 80’s is the radio-newspaper-library-(what is an)encyclopedia-(cable) television-music (CD, mp3, MTV 1 and 2, VH1 etc.)-early internet-email generation
5. To the current born in the 90’s is the radio(I don’t need) newspaper(I don’t read)- encyclopedia(is that the same as Wikipedia)- library (where is that?) -television (satellite HD widescreen surround) –music(more formats than I can count)-high speed always on internet-social networked (who needs email?) generation

(not to mention our born in the 00’s who are beginning to enter late elementary school and of course all the different cultural experiences represented in a multi-national congregation)

So according to modern educational practice, in order to achieve a goal of reaching everyone in a way they can understand, we need to provide opportunities in no less than four different learning styles to no less than 5 different generations, with limited overlap of information receiving and processing skills or experiences. That equals a need of AT LEAST 20 different communication approaches to every worship service. Add in experiences for children and multi-cultural approaches and this can be easily increased to 30 or more. Add in variables for different religious and denominational backgrounds, socio-economic concerns, educational levels, geographical origins even within our own country, and so on and so on. . .

How can we possibly be more than infinitely wide and inches deep?

Next Week: Infinitely Wide and Inches Deep, Part 2

There are literally hundreds of you reading this blog. Thank you and please continue to do so. Don’t forget to share with your friends or others you think would find this blog compelling. PLEASE comment on this blog page or on the new Worship Ink fan page on Facebook. Also follow me on Twitter using @worshipdr. I want this to be an interactive blog that answers your questions and addresses your comments. See you next week!

I am having several discussions with a Pastor friend about the errors we make in our efforts to communicate with all generations in worship service settings. Music has been the vehicle/scapegoat for many efforts of both success and failure to “reach the younger people for Jesus” and of course, get them to come to our church. My friend and I have talked about this being a gross oversimplification of the communication gap between generations and, in my opinion, a short changing of “younger people.” It is implied that if we just sing the right songs this generation of believers and seekers will coming running as if effected by some gospel pied piper. I simply do not believe this is so. I think that our worship must communicate not just in a language younger people can understand, but that we must offer the things which these believers/seekers need to hear in their daily walk with God, or, their desire to find a reason to walk with God. This belief is confirmed as we begin to understand that many 18 to 35 year olds consider themselves to be “spiritual people” even without the church. Take for instance a recent quote from recording artist Lady Gaga in an interview with talk show host Larry King:

Gaga told King: “I struggle with my feelings about the Church in particular….in terms of religion, I’m very religious. I was raised Catholic. I believe in Jesus. I believe in God. I’m very spiritual. I pray very much. But at the same time, there is no one religion that doesn’t hate or speak against or be prejudiced against another racial group or religious group, or sexual group. For that, I think religion is also bogus. So I suppose you could say I’m a quite religious woman that is very confused about religion. And I dream and envision a future where we have a more peaceful religion or a more peaceful world, a more peaceful state of mind for the younger generation. And that’s what I dream for.” Source-Posted Tue Jun 8, 2010 8:58am PDT by Lyndsey Parker as seen on Yahoo! News.

I don’t see anywhere in there that if I just program the right music in my worship service Lady Gaga and those who think like her will coming running to my church. She does not mention the arts at all. What she is focused on is content. I am particularly taken by her statement that she is a “religious woman” whose problem is that she is “confused by religion.” I believe that her statements are not that far off from the shared feelings of  many people who listen to her music and share her viewpoint. I believe reading the commentary left by readers of Parker’s blog on Gaga bear out this point of view.

So what does that mean to us as worship planners and leaders, or for our corporate worship experience in general? Are we speaking to the deeper issues that are challenging our younger attendees and addressing how God works in their struggle to understand how he is present in the world, or are we continuing to focus on the surface issues of music and video? I would like to hear from you, especially if you are in your 20’s or 30’s, about whether you believe that Gaga’s comments reflect your own or your friends opinions about religion. Because if this is who we are trying to reach and this is how they think/feel about religion, we need “something more than a song, for a song in itself is not what (God) has required.”

Of course, then we have to figure out how to speak to this generation without leaving the other generations present in corporate worship services to scramble around seeking their voice in  worship. But that is a blog for another day.

Coming Soon- Worship Ink: Infinitely Wide and Inches Deep

Welcome to Worship Ink

I have been thinking a lot lately about getting a tattoo. As a 40 something member of Generation X I am acutely aware of being surrounded by people with personal ink. I catch myself being constantly surprised by the amount and variety of ink around me. People of all walks of life and generations, color and background, share a common experience; getting a permanent representation of personal taste and expression.

When I was a teen and later in college being “expressive” meant getting your ear pierced and wearing torn up jeans, all of which I did. Tattoos were for those who really needed something radical to express themselves. Then, during the course of the next 2 decades (I graduated college for the first time in 1989) I noticed more tattoos began to appear in more places on a greater diversity of people. One great example is the NBA, where in the 80’s I don’t know if I ever saw a player with visible ink to now when I am not sure I could name a player who does not display a tattoo of some kind. Sometimes I think if I am to retain my “cutting edge” I am going to have to get “inked,” or at least just start wearing my earring again. Of course, if I break out the earring does that mean I have to re-grow the “mullet” I used to sport?

So, welcome to Worship Ink, the blog that finds a way to navigate the change that has occurred and is still occurring in worship in our churches. Worship Ink stands for merging the old school “pen to paper” method of communication and the new school “self expression through any and all media” which is represented by the tattoo or “ink” and even the mode  of composition and communication I am using here: the blog. I am entering the blogosphere with the intention of reaching out to everyone using my thoughts, insights, and perhaps even an original idea or two about worship in Christian churches, both here and abroad, in any denomination, from the perspective of all generations. I will be posting my own thoughts, researched information, and even sharing the comments of you the reader if you share them with me. I will post reference materials and suggested books, which of course you can purchase for your Kindle or iPad if you are adverse to paper. Most of all I will present to you honest, non-partisan observations intended to encourage and facilitate an open dialogue about all things worship; NOT JUST MUSIC, but ALL things that are part of our personal and corporate worship of God.

Please send me your questions and ideas. I want this blog to be driven by what you want to know, not by just what I think is important and have to say. I am looking forward to this experience. Now, where did I put my earrings . . .