“The Art of Worship Leading”
January 18, 2010
For those interested, I am teaching some new classes this semester in the Church Music Program at Lee. I created a new class titled, “The Art of Worship Leading.” In this class we are going to discuss some of the artistic aspects of worship leading that many classes and even churches do not discuss. We are starting the semester with the discussion of the tension between functional art and aesthetic art in church.
It seems to me that most of the decisions being made by worship leaders, worship committees, and creative teams concerning music for worship are all driven by functional choices. I often leave church feeling as if I have met with God in a spiritually emotional way, but I almost never leave thinking, “Wow, that was beautiful.”
I open this conversation because I believe that the music of the church must function to serve the liturgy (whatever your liturgy might be), but I do not think that making functional choices must exclude aesthetic values as well.
Ok, some thoughts to ponder.
January 18, 2010 at 8:41 pm
For larger churches with a plethora of people to participate in the programs and smaller healthy churches who have people who regularly show up to practice, I can see how it would be much easier for aesthetic considerations to be made.
But for dwindling churches who are struggling to stay alive and consist of people in the choir who do not want to learn new music for the most part, it’s difficult to incorporate “new” aesthetic choices when the only reason the congregation is there is to “feel” something. The only way they “feel” anything is usualy by performing a song they’ve heard thousands of times and know when to raise their hands or stand and shout. Therefore, choices are made based on whoever happens to show up that Sunday morning and whatever will get the congregation to respond in some manner (which usually ends up being a learned response to tired music used over and over again).
Even if you try to teach people the difference, the board, the pastor, and the members don’t recognize the aesthetic beauty unless someone stands up to shout to it (which usually ends up being “upbeat” music that has 3 key changes where everyone stands up and shouts on the third key change as some of us have discussed before). So once again, functionality wins out to aesthetic beauty.
I personally do the best I can to incorporate aesthetic beauty in the choices made, but when you have no real authority in your position and your choices are forced to be made by whoever happens to be there that service or with the purpose of helping the Pastor “cheerlead” the congregation into some sort of response, there leaves little room for anything but functionality – attempting to keep the service alive.
Just a thought from the struggling corner of the church world.