Other "Thinking Drafts" and writing by Keith Drury -- http://www.indwes.edu/tuesday .

 RESPONSES to: O How We love our New Worship Leader!

This Tuesday Column (O How We love our New Worship Leader!) outlined 23 characteristics of a good worship leader. Other than my personal addition of the sacks-of-rice-on-trays spoof, the list was wholly made by a group of Xer students assigned to describe "an ideal worship leader." (Which probably puts a curiously different twist than you might have seen when reading the first statement (We know 80% of the songs this new leader uses.) Sorry for playing GOTCHA! with my readers, but re-reading the list from an Xer perspective might bring even greater illumination.

A sampling of the suggested additions and thoughts of the responses:
_____________________________________________________________

From: Aimee Vardaman
___ Our new worship leader doesn't tell me what to say when I turn to my neighbor......."

From: Richard Perkins
___Our new beloved song leader reminds us at least once per week that ever since we Protestants gave up the celebration of The Mass we haven't had much to do in the way of worship. So, we fill up the time with a lot of songs (a LOT of songs), and a lot of talk from the pastor. That's about it. We call that "worship."

From:(please withhold my name)
___He sets me at ease,
___He "releases" worship rather than "manipulates" it,
___He engages my mind as well as my heart,
___He presents a plan and order that leads me from "my world" into "the holy of holies",
but,
___Why do I think it would it be much different if he were a woman?
--(please withhold my name)

From: "C. G. White"
___Glad he/she appreciates Quaker silence. The Lord knows many Quakers do not appreciate it the way they should.
-- CG White

From: (Don't use my name)
___Doesn't blabber on in a self-pre-occupied way until turning over the remains of the service at 11:54 to the guest speaker (me) and whispers, "Take all the time you need..." --(Don't use my name)

From: DayneG@aol.com
___The Senior Pastor is secure enough to let him! In fact, the Senior Pastor has been known to actually glance at the proposed Order of Worship ahead of time!
___The Worship Leader has developed leadership in a competent assistant, assuring the service does not stumble along should he be on vacation..
___He is so obviously dependent on prayer... He has developed lay leaders within the music and worship ministry, freeing him to minister rather than micro manage...
(We actually did an old "Hymn Call Out" song service!... ) Darrin Gowan Indianapolis

From: Fred La Plante III
Barbara wrote: I would add:
___I can hear the words above the din of the so-called music.

From: "Terry Dawson"
Well Keith, as usual, lots of good stuff. Some of it though sounds like the same kind of preference stuff that I heard every week in the Baptist church I used to pastor.

From: gunsalur@wesleyan.org
These types of worship leaders are so rare I don't think she exists. But if she does and I was pastoring I would pay her a million bucks to do just that, lead worship. Let me know when you find this servant. ;-)

From: Roger Keyzers
Thanks. This was a Monday morning encouragement that I so appreciated - like a reassuring pat on the back. With gratitude, Roger Keyzers.

From: "James J Lake"
This is a very confusing time for me in church music and other things which are being done to help younger people to feel more connected to worship. I`ve never felt so out of it and I`m usually the one encouraging change and growth. But in the present movement I see change but I don`t see much depth and I`m not impressed with the majority of the praise music around that I believe lacks substance, inspiration and personal accountability. Funky with a good beat has replaced songs like Majesty & All Hail King Jesus. Not to mention the great hymns. Church music used to be special and unique. Now it sounds like most of the music of any good rock band. We are becoming good at entertaining and losing something that we used to consider to be important---ministry and testimony. Just a follower of Jesus trying to make sense of it all. ---Jim-- ----------

From: (name withheld :-)
___our new worship leader is the pastor, assisted by a song leader?" -- (name withheld :-)

From: GENE SCHENCK
Why not do away with Worship Leaders and have a Song Leader and let the Pastor be the Worship Leader? Why not return preaching to the main part of the service? By the time some Worship Leaders and preliminaries get done, the Pastor has maybe 15 to 20 minutes to preach before noon. Camp Meetings sometimes turn in to mostly singing and preliminaries without much time for the Evangelist. -- Gene Schenck

From: Terry
HE WILL NEVER CHANGE ANYTHING AGAIN!

From: "Robert Russell"
I especially appreciated the emphasis on blending the old and the new. I try to remind my Worship Leader that the "Olde" songs were once new songs. I try to remind the Senior Adults in our Congregation that the "new" songs will soon be "old" ones. It is a difficult balance to maintain.

I do take exception to your "personalizing" of songs. I believe we need to constantly re-emphasize community in worship. The life of the Christian is not about "ME" and "I". It is about "US" and "WE". I try to make sure that we do personalize songs sung in the third person, "she/he", "them/they". Thank you for your thought provoking columns, I do my best to read them each week, and often share them with friends. -- Pastor Bob Russell Redmond, WA. Church of the Nazarene

From: Brad Boydston
Keith, you're on the mark in much of what you said. I'm concerned, though, about this comment and trend. "___ We now personalize songs, substituting I-Me for We-Us."

From a broad historical and biblical perspective worship is primarily a corporate act. It is something that we do together in honor of our Lord. It is not a time of individual and personal devotion but of corporate homage.

I'm not saying that there is no room for individual expression or reflection. We don't loose our individuality when we come to the Lord; rather we are drawn into something greater--the ongoing worship of the church.

It's true that many of the psalms are first-person singular in their perspective (e.g."I will praise the Lord at all times..." Ps. 34:1). However, in our self-obsessed individualistic culture it seems that we're moving in the wrong direction when we "personalize" worship and further encourage people to cocoon in their personal worship boxes. In Psalm 34 the psalmist begins with his personal experience but it becomes the launch pad from which he draws the people into a corporate experience of the Lord's presence. "Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness; let us exalt his name together." (vs. 3) Good worship leaders will do the same.
-- Brad Boydston, Pastor, Cornerstone Covenant Church Turlock, CA

From: Rachel McKee
I like your new worship leader.
Tell us about your new pastor.
-- Walter McKee


So what do you think?

To contribute to the thinking on this issue e-mail your response to Tuesday@indwes.edu

By Keith Drury, 1998. You are free to transmit, duplicate or distribute this article for non-profit use without permission.