Music and Worship / articles
Index: 1… music and worship 2… new songs for old 3… Thematic worship 4… Ministry of music 5… artistic revelation
Music and Worship In worship, the simplest idea can often be the most effective. Pre‐meeting music Prepare your congregation for worship, a hymn or a scripture based song from the band or songsters. Include your YP sections in this too. On a practical note, ensure to make being seated in time a discipline (i.e. ready to play/sing 10 minutes before start time. PowerPoint presentations A presentation can be very effective using PowerPoint, however, make sure it attracts and not detracts. Use it to enhance, to emphasise words, to impart an image, to stimulate thought. Creativity not gimmicks. Corporate listening To enable everyone to respond to a piece of music without having to play or sing it. This is a good opportunity to emphasise a subject or topic in a corporate way. Creative art Dance Mime or Drama done well can enhance a piece of music or a worship period. Benediction A musical benediction should be an integral part of our week to week ministry. This can of course be varied: Band/Songsters/YP section/solo/small group. You could use recorded music, however, a ‘live’ benediction is preferable. Background music Creative use of background music can be useful and effective for: Offering time (often a non‐focused time) , Prayer and Scripture can be enhanced by suitable background music. Thematic Worship Ideas A thematic worship segment ( i.e. 15‐20 minutes) based on a theme, can enhance a meeting and also create a sense of ‘inclusion’ often missing from our worship. Use straightforward themes: Love/Light/Praise/Creation/Prayer etc. Some of the above ideas will need co‐ordination / co‐operation between music leaders and meeting leaders. Plan ahead, ask different people to lead, allow your young people creative expression. Assess and review what you do. Rehearse pre‐meeting and benediction music. Don’t do the same things every week, but establish a ‘model’ for creative music & worship Keep it simple – make it effective.
To encourage and equip musicians to develop a worship ministry that will effectively communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the 21st Century
New Songs for Old? The introduction of new songs and worship choruses are almost a weekly occurrence, in fact, there are too many to keep up with. The market for new material seems to never ending. The way we are teaching / offering our congregation’s new songs needs, therefore, to have some thought put into it. Firstly, make sure your congregation have a ‘balanced diet’ of songs. The Salvation Army songbook is still a resource that can stand on it’s own, and it should still be a regular thing to sing from the songbook. It’s not just a matter of being traditional, rather, it’s a matter of seeking out truths and being true to our heritage. ‘New’ songs contain many truths too, and can be reflective and challenging in their language, however, the nature of their structure and their melodic line does not make a lot of them immediately singable. Congregations do react to musical structure and therefore, need help with ‘new’ material. Introduce one new song only in a meeting Ask your songsters or a singing group to rehearse it and sing it through for learning If it is a rhythmic song, maybe add percussion and bass Give people a chance to learn, sing, and enjoy the song Use a small brass ensemble (although a full band backing is a great support to some of the more melodic and rhythmic material) Ask your musical leader how difficult it was to learn (if it is too rhythmically complex for your songsters or a singing group, the chances are that it is not going to work on a twice through sing with the congregation) Choose carefully (Choosing a song just for the words and it has a weak melody, or conversely, a good tune with weak lyrics … meeting leaders and music leaders can help get the combination right) Put the song in context (some of the the great hymns are poetic and demand respect as literature with great depth and meaning, whereas, some ‘new’ songs or choruses can be based on a single sentence or statement. With a scripture verse, the context is usually straight forward, however, some others may need a context (i.e. linked to a scripture verse) Learning a new song is like driving on a new road – once you have done it a few times it is easier to remember. Ps:30:004 Sing unto the LORD, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. To encourage and equip musicians to develop a worship ministry that will effectively communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the 21st Century
Artistic ‘Revelation’ To encourage and equip musicians to develop a worship ministry that will effectively communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the 21st Century
The Gift of…..
Music as a discipline
To practice To progress To communicate To appreciate To perform
To lead
Music as creativity
Dance Drama Scripture presentation Video CD Poetry PowerPoint presentation
Music as Diversity
To encourage To inspire To heal To confront To enable To reflect To teach
To encourage and equip musicians to develop a worship ministry that will effectively communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the 21st Century
Artistic Revelation ‘If God be for us – who then shall be against us’
I am convinced that if God did not require us to have s.a. bands/ choirs/youth groups/etc. …we would not have them. There are artistic revelations happening round about us… how we develop support and incorporate them is a challenge for all of us. There is much more of an expression of the creative arts in our thinking and our programme ( i.e. drama/dance/spoken word) Music is a gift and therefore, needs to be nurtured, developed and expressed. Music does require from us…..discipline….. (as an act of following/communicating/fellowship and leadership) As leaders, it is our responsibility to get the best out of our musicians. Every rehearsal: personal / or as a section …..to embrace….. ‘discipline’…’creativity’…’diversity’… The more disciplined our rehearsal / the better the result The better the result / the more equipped we are to perform. Do not put aside the fact that we are performers…yes at times we even entertain! Better communication by the leader and the performer will lead to a greater communication and appreciation of our message. Preparation Communication Appreciation We have a great opportunity to bring people, through our music, closer to God, make sure rehearsal time is given to this task and this privilege. In revealing God’s beauty through our music we have the opportunity for creative flare: Dance/drama/scripture/video/poetry/etc.
Look for music that reflects and reveals. Anything we can do to create clarity and understanding will be useful. Consider our ‘art’ on different levels: poetry…band…vocal…word Our music should engage and confront. As musicians , we should seek understanding of words as well as technical issues/ structures etc. Our music is rarely one dimensional, it often tells a story, or reflects an issue, or challenges. Even music that may seem ‘entertaining’ has value in it’s excitement or uplift or sometimes just to make people feel good. Salvation Army music is a most potent element in a worship service (sometimes ‘thee’ most potent element. Think of a piece that is special to you…think of it’s time…it’s place… What effect did it have? In a corps situation with a band, songsters / YP sections / worship group, a large percentage of a worship service can be it’s music; Over 60% of a s.a. service is ‘music’ related: Pre‐meeting music/songs/choruses/offering/band/songsters/YP sections/solo item/Benediction. Our rehearsals should reflect the musical needs of our services with: a) good balance of styles b) programme material c) Sunday material d) ‘new’ material e) diverse / worship material Remember the diverse nature of our music : To encourage / inspire / heal / confront / enable / reflect / to teach With the combination of song words and scripture can come clear teaching. To perform to the best of our ability is important, not for ‘biggest’ and ‘bright’, rather, for Best. The music we choose and use is crucial , as is the spirit in which we use it, however, also important is our ability to reveal. We must not be afraid or feel guilty about putting our music on the highest plane possible. We must too, be encouragers to those musicians who want to give of their best. I do not believe that giving ‘anything’
is good enough. I do not believe that there is one musical expression that is better than another. However, I do know that people respond to things that are good and worthwhile. If we do that, I believe we will ‘reveal’ the effectiveness of our ministry.
Ministry of Music / The Authority God considers music a high priority in celebrating His worship. (Eph.5:19) Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Musicians are ministers appointed by God. Some to be leaders, some composers, some soloists ,some singers, some instrumentalists. Performing music is ministry. Eph. 004:011 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 004:012 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry. Music must be appropriate for the occasion. COL: 003:016 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 066:002 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Music is a great opportunity for evangelism, participation and fellowship. Ps: 098:004 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. 098:005 Sing unto the LORD with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. 098:006 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Having received the authority, I have no problem in promoting ‘army’ music making and all that means. I grew up in ‘army’ tradition (and I’m grateful for it), things have changed and things are changing. However, I am convinced about the value of our music ministry both in it’s formal way and, if you like, in it’s contemporary way. We have gone through and will continue to go through areas of ‘difference’ in the style / nature of our music, but one thing remains clear ‐ that people respond to quality presentation and quality of performance. Words like standards, progress and achievement are not words to be ignored but, indicators of how well we are doing things (just as in any other area of life) However, there are possibly ‘new’ words that we have to become involved with if we are to continue to be effective: Ministry – mission – communication – culture e.g. how well are we preparing for our week to week ministry are we part of an overall corporate mission
is our quest for performance matched by our ability to communicate are we responding to cultural changes around us Our Territory is becoming more musically diverse: Creative arts inclusive Music schools diverse / mission based TYB waiting list TYC “ “ Musicians councils