Biblical Worship

 I have been active in music ministry in the local church since around 1980. During this time I have seen a lot of change in the philosophy of music ministry including the songs and instruments we use in worship.  Being in the midst of all of these changes has at times been very confusing.  The only way to keep a sense of stability in all of this change is to keep coming back to the biblical principles on which we base our ministry.  The styles and instruments may change but the biblical principles become the guiding light to keep the direction of our ministries pleasing to God.

Do we as music and worship leaders think we are the only generation to deal with these issues?  Upon some research you see that most generations in the church have had to deal with the issue of music in worship.  What is appropriate?  What is distracting?  What is the music ministry philosophy that is most accurately based on biblical principles?  In the late sixteenth to early seventeenth century during the Reformation we had three reformers who did not agree on the proper use of music in worship.   Martin Luther promoted music in worship and sought to give the congregation a voice in the musical portion of the worship service.  He desired for those who attended the services to join in praising God through music.  Up until that point the music in the service was all performed by clergy and professional musicians.  Luther wrote hymns and edited hymnbooks for the church.

John Calvin another reformer from this period decided that the biblical way would be to only allow the singing of Scripture in worship.  He commissioned the writing of metrical settings of the Psalms so they could be sung in worship.  Here we see the first Psalter created for use in corporate worship.  Calvin not only wanted songs using Scripture texts, he also prescribed that the church would only sing a cappella (without instruments) and without harmony.  The distracting charm of music meant that the music must be kept simple so that people would focus on the text and offering praise to the Lord.

Ulrich Zwingli felt strongly that much of what the church was doing in worship during his day was idol worship.  In the church where he was pastor, he simplified the worship services.  He went a step further than Calvin and decided that all music was distracting and took the worshiper’s focus off of the Lord. There would be no singing or not instruments used in worship.  Zwingli wanted the service to focus on the Word of God and so his services were filled with Scripture and Bible teaching.  To further see that the church would not have a problem with distractions in worship, Zwingli dismantled the organ in his church and took out tapestries, statues, and anything that might be seen as an idol in worship.  Historians tell us that Zwingli was a musician, but thought music was much too distracting to true worship.

Deciding what are appropriate music styles and instruments for our worship services is not a new problem.  One could look at every generation and see how this was an issue in the church.  Here are several concluding thoughts on dealing with changes in worship music.

1.  We should decide what the non-negotiables of corporate worship are and use worship songs that help to accomplish this goal.

2.  When selecting a worship song – text is the first consideration.  Is it faithful to the teachings of Scripture?  Does it clearly speak the message of the Gospel?

3.  A wise music minister/worship leader will know his congregation well and understand what style of music will communicate the song texts best for that congregation.  This takes time and patience.

4.  Whatever instrumentation is used should enhance the communication of the worship song text not take away from it.  Instrumentation should support the song text not overwhelm it.  This is true with traditional instruments (organ, piano) or with contemporary instruments (guitar, keyboard, drums).

5.  Most of our congregations are multi-generational and sometimes multi-ethnic.  We may need to use a number of styles of worship music to help communicate with a diverse group of worshipers.

6.  Seek to keep the ‘family’ together.  Unity in the Body of Christ should be of upmost importance.  What a sad note to see the church divided over issues of personal taste in music.  If we are to take a stand on anything in the church, let it be over biblical principles and biblical issues, not what types of instruments we will use in worship.

7.  Teach your congregation to defer to the needs of others.  This requires us to be unselfish when it comes to our desires in worship music.  Senior adults should want to use a music style that helps a younger generation to worship.  Young adults and teens need to respect the music of their parents and grandparents and defer to them.  We should teach this principle in our churches not only in the area of worship music but in all aspects of our life together in the body of Christ.  The mature worshiper can worship in most any music style if the Word is being proclaimed.

Ultimately, we must ask the question  – what is pleasing to the Lord?  What brings glory to His Name.  Perhaps the top item on the list to consider is Prayer.  When is the last time we sought the Lord’s Will when making changes in our worship music styles? 

Lord, remind us that the opportunity to serve in your church is one of grace.  Remind us that this is not my church but your church and these not are not my people but your people.  Help us to do what will bring glory to You and build Your church.

This semester I have been teaching a class at Boyce College called ‘Music Ministry in the Church.’  Before the class gets into the specifics of what a music and worship ministry does, we first should look at a Biblical foundation for music ministry and a philosophy of music ministry.  Everything we do as music and worship ministers should flow out of a philosophy founded on biblical principles.

 In preparing for this class, I came across a section of a music ministry book that describes the five tasks of the music ministry in the local church.  The book, Understanding Music and Worship in the Local Church (Evangelical Training Association, ISBN 0-910566-65-8) is written by Vernon Whaley, chair of the Center for Worship and Music Ministry at Liberty University.  I think Dr. Whaley is on target with his list of what the music ministry should be doing and I would like to share his list with some comments.

The Five Tasks of Music Ministry

1. Teach – Just like other ministries in the church, music ministry should be teaching the Word of God through the ministry of music and worship.  This is why music and worship leaders are not only musicians but Bible teachers as well.  Since so much of our worship time is given to singing, music ministers need to be selecting songs that teach the truth of God’s Word.

2.  Train – One of the main responsibilities of the music minister is to equip others for ministry.  The music/worship minister must constantly be training the people to do ministry.  In the case of the music minister this training happens in rehearsals and in other small group settings.  This training should include the music skills necessary to carry out the music ministry in the local church.  It should involve all ages.  We not only work with adults but take an active role in training future generations of music ministers.  I have always felt that the mark of a ‘successful’ music ministry is when the ministry carries on even when the leader has been called to another place of service.  This shows that the music ministry was not focussed on the leader but on a broad base of leaders.

3.  Edify – Paul’s letters tell us that much of what we should be doing when the church gathers for its meetings is edification.  We need to seek to encourage our fellow believers in their walk with the Lord.  Music ministers not only want to choose music that teaches the great truths of the Word, but we want this music to edify the believers.

4.  Evangelize – Music ministry can be a great tool for sharing the Gospel and reaching into places that other ministries of the church may have difficulty going.  Do the lyrics of our songs help people understand the Gospel?

5.  Support  – The music ministry in the church should be a support to all of the ministries in the local church.  Music can be used to assist in many areas from weddings, funerals, community services, retirement homes to youth ministry, childrens ministry, and singles ministry. 

Is the music ministry in your church accomplishing these goals?  This is a good list to use in determining our goals and objectives for music ministry in the church.  We want to see music ministry first as a ministry.

On Friday and Saturday, March 9 and 10 Boyce College will host a student worship conference called Heart of Worship 2007.  This conference is designed for college and high school students who are worship leaders, instrumentalists, vocalists, sound techs, video techs or anyone who wants to learn more about a biblical basis of worship.

The conference schedule includes general worship times with messages on worship and breakout conferences on different music and worship topics.  Dr. Barry Joslin, Assistant Professor of Christian Theology at Boyce will be preaching on Friday night at the general worship time. Dr. Jimmy Scroggins, Dean of Boyce College will bring a message at the worship time on Saturday.  The Boyce music ensembles Aletheia, Boyce Worship Band and Boyce Chorale will also be leading musically during the conference.

At the breakout conferences there will be skilled teachers leading sessions on guitar, bass guitar, percussion, keyboards, vocals, sound, and video.  There will also be breakout sessions on ‘What is Biblical worship?’ and ‘Selecting Songs for Worship.’

Complete information, registration and housing information is available at this site: www.boycecollege.com/heartofworship.  For those who register by March 1 the conference cost is $20.00.  The fee includes a couple of meals and refreshments.  Housing costs are separate. There is a discount available for groups of 10 or more. 

You may also call Boyce College at (502) 897-4693 for more information.

Worship Conference Program

Program includes updated schedule and list of elective leaders

 I recently finished reading a book on worship called True Worship by Vaughan Roberts (Authentic Media, 2002, ISBN 1-85078-445-0).  Roberts does a great job pointing us back to the basics of biblical worship in light of the upheavals that press in around us from our postmodern culture.  In one section he is describing the meaning of Romans 12:1-2 where the Apostle Paul discusses giving our lives as a sacrifice which is our spiritual act of worship.  Roberts states that the better translation for spiritual in this verse is reasonable or rational (Greek root: logikos). ”It implies that our worship is connected to our minds.” (21)

Robert goes on to talk about the implications of this verse in our present culture.  Allow me to share an extended quote from the book: 

“In recent years, Eastern thinking has had a big impact on Western culture.  Increasingly we are elevating experience above thinking, feeling above the mind.  One writer has put it like this:  ours is ‘a culture in search of an experience, not in search of truth.’  In choosing a religion, ‘The one measurement that matters is the spiritual high they give, as if worship was something you snorted through your nose’. (Roberts is quoting Clifford Langley). 

“That tendency has affected Christianity as well.  Many people who come to church are looking for an experience.  They do not want to think; they want a direct encounter with God.  They want to feel his presence with them.  And when they do, or at least when they think they do, they call that ‘worship’.  For them, worship is primarily to do with feelings rather than with the mind.  But the Bible will not allow us to divorce the two.  True worship will certainly involve our emotions, but it does not begin with them.  Worship is rational; it involves the mind…. Worship involves thinking because it begins with what God has done for me in Christ.  It is a response to what I have understood about his mercy.  If I switch my mind off, I break the connection with the truth that prompts my worship.  So worship must be rational.  But it can never stay just in the mind.” (21-22)

Our worship should be based on the objective truths found in Scripture.  We understand what Jesus Christ has done to redeem us from sin and death.  We then respond with our emotions showing gratitude.  Our worship is a response to truth, not based on subjective experience.  I think Roberts has done a good job of describing the state of much Christian worship today.  Are we seeking an experience or are we responding to objective truths of the Word?

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29).

As one studies historical worship practice in the church, music has most often played a major role in the worship of the church.  It is also interesting that the ongoing discussion of what type or style of music is appropriate for corporate worship is really not a new discussion.  Since the New Testament does not give much instruction on the role of music in worship, worship planners must wisely decide how music will be used in the corporate worship of the church. 

The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 5:18 and Colossians 3:16 about the use of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs in gatherings of believers.  We see that these worship songs should have a “teaching and admonishing” aspect.  I Corinthians 14:26 mentions that psalm singing should be a part of the gathering and that all things should edify as the church is worshiping together.  There is a strong case for congregational singing found in these passages. 

Is there a biblical basis for “special music” in the corporate worship of the church?  (When I say special music, I am referring to music performed by a soloist or group of musicians in worship for the congregation.)  Most writers on this topic usually point to the Old Testament worship practices of the Tabernacle and Temple when skilled Levite musicians both vocalists and instrumentalists performed music as part of the worship.  One fascinating passage describing “special music” in the Old Testament is II Chronicles 5:11-14.  King Solomon has completed the building of the Temple and the Ark of the Covenant is brought into the Temple.  These verses describe the musical scene:

“and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praise the Lord saying, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud sot that the priests could not stand to minister because of the could, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.”

Here we have the Levitical music directors, orchestra (trumpeters), and choir (Levitical singers) joining together to praise the Lord.  There are many other examples like this that describe musical worship in the Tabernacle or Temple (I Chronicles 6:31-32, 9:33, 16:4-36, 25: 107, II Chronicles 7:6, 29:28).  We also have a hymnbook (Psalms) that was written for corporate and private worship.

The Reformers had different views on the use of music in worship.  Martin Luther encouraged the use of all kinds of music in the worship of the church, wrote some hymns to be used in worship (A Mighty Fortess is Our God), and published hymnbooks.  John Calvin restricted the use of music in worship by allowing only unaccompanied, unison psalm singing in worship.  He felt that music should be simple, undistracting and should only use the words of Scripture for text.  Another reformer Ulrich Zwingli decided to not have any music in the corporate worship times of the church he pastored.  He felt music was too distracting to worship and even dismantled the pipe organ in his church.

I personally do not have a problem with “special music” in worship.  I think there is better support in Scripture for choirs, and instrumental groups than solo performances.  At least when a church uses choirs and instrumental groups a good number of church members can participate in the worship leadership.  Most of the musical worship time in the worship service needs to be reserved for the whole congregation.  Congregational singing is one wonderful way to help the congregation to be actively involved in the worship. 

Obviously, a whole book could be written on this topic.  Music in worship can enhance the worship time or distract when it takes the attention off of the Lord.  It must always be about His Glory.  I like how Ron Owens in his book Return to Worship (Broadman and Holman, 1999, ISBN 0-8054-1888-1, p.5-6) describes the role of music in worship:

“As wonderful and important as music is, the truth is we don’t have to have music to worship…It is my conviction that in much of the Western Church today, music has become overly important. To many, worship is music and music is worship, and many worship music.” 

Lord forbid that our worship music would ever become an idol in our worship. As we discern the role of music in corporate worship, let us first of all seek to be biblical in our approach.  Secondly, let us seek for the edification and unity of the body of Christ.  My prayer is that we would never allow a church to be divided over the issue of the role of music in worship.