Biblical Worship

John and Charles Wesley had an immense impact on the church of the late eighteenth century.  Their emphasis on evangelism and discipleship caused great growth in the church.  They also strongly influenced church music in a wonderful way through their efforts to improve the congregational singing of the church.  Both John and Charles focused on bringing new congregational songs to believers.   It was Charles who penned over 6500 hymn texts over his lifetime.  We still sing a number of his hymn texts today:  And Can It Be, Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing, Jesus Lover of My Soul.

Apparently in an effort to bolster congregational singing in his church, John Wesley penned these words in 1770 to encourage his congregation:

1.  Sing All – see that you join the congregation as frequently as you can.

2.  Sing Lustily – and with good courage.  Beware of singing as if you were half-dead or half-asleep; but lift up your voice with strength.  Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sang the songs of Satan.

3.  Sing Modestly – do not bawl so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation that you may not destroy the harmony, but strive to unite your voices together so as to make one melodious sound.

4.  Sing in time – whatever time is sung, be sure to keep with it.  Do not run before and do not stay behind it; but attend closely to the leading voices and move therewith as exactly as you can and take care not to sing too slow.  This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from among us and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

5. Sing spiritually – have an eye to God in every word you sing.  Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself, or any other creature.

Some words from John Wesley that still ring true for our congregations today!

The larger a church grows the more difficult it is to actively involve the congregation in the worship service.  People who attend worship services where a thousand or more people are gathered for worship often find themselves more in a passive, spectator role than as an active participant.  Except for the congregational involvement in the worship songs, the people passively watch others on the platform leading the different parts of the service.

I’m not advocating that we keep our congregations small or that we not grow the church.  (Although we could discuss what is the most effective size for a congregation and when to start a new congregation.)  When we look at gatherings in the early church (Acts and the Epistles) we see a congregation very active in the worship service.  The Apostle Paul states in I Corinthians 14:26 that when the church assembles “each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation.”  This verse indicates that believers should come prepared to participate in the service.

What are some ways that worship leaders can actively involve the congregation in worship?

1.  Do more congregational worship music than “special” music.  I really don’t have a problem with solos or choir songs in the service but these should not overshadow the congregational involvement in the worship music.

2.  Plan ahead to involve more church members in congregational prayers.  Call during the week and invite members to lead particular prayers.  This gives them time to consider how they would voice a prayer for the congregation.

3.  Plan ahead on Scripture reading in the service.  Call and ask a church member to read the opening Psalm in the service.  Have a member read the passage the pastor is using in his sermon.  If you are not reading much Scripture in the service, I would encourage you to do more Scripture reading in the service.  (see Hebrews 4:12)

4.  It may be old fashion, but have a responsive reading. This includes the whole congregation as you read the Scripture.

5.  If your church can logistically do it, allow the congregation to break into small prayer groups during the service to pray for others or the church. 

6.  Have a greeting time when people can speak to each other as the service starts.

7.  Have a church member prepare a 3 minute testimony about a recent mission trip or an answer to prayer.  (I would ask them to write out the testimony and then send it to you during the week.  You could make suggestions about how to better express a thought in necessary).

Other obvious places where the congregation is actively participating is in the offering time, the Lord’s Supper, and the time of response after the sermon.

Worship leader, how actively involved is your congregation in the worship service?  Are they mostly watching others worship?  I would encourage you to find ways to get your congregation involved in the service.