1. In which kind of musical environment do you find you corporately worship best?
*Traditional (hymns, piano, organ, choir)
*High Energy Contemporary (upbeat, guitar driven, a little louder, more lights, sound?)
*Just plain ol’ Contemporary (moderately upbeat, calmer production)
*Rock/Edgier (heavy distortion, effects)
*Acoustic (no electric guitars, acoustic guitars/percussion, quieter)
*Fill in the blank…
2. Are there any aspects of corporate worship (your typical weekend/church service) that you find distracting? Inviting?
3. What about your bulletin or worship guide…do you like having information about the church & programs in it, or would you rather it focus soley on the message and/or provide further devotional reading? What have you seen done well…or done poorly?
Comments
20 responses to “Environment Questions”
A variety. I like a service with a point that reaches a variety of people without grating necessarily on anyone’s nerves by too much of anything. I may be the lone opinion in my body on any point of view, but I think the more diversified we’ve become, the less griping I hear. If you don’t like it this week, hang around, it will be different next week. But, the quality is good, the focus is good, and the energy is always there. People love what they do, have a passion not only for Christ, but for the sytle, and for being sensitive to who they are trying to lead (the generation). All those elements, and adequate preparation for varying skill levels have helped us…rotating teams have kept us more fresh and allowed some diversification of style so that it doesn’t ever seem stale.
I like growing up younger musicians on my team…youth, less experienced. I try to give the feel from the keyboard and then drop back as they catch on and let them run with it as they feel confident and prepared. I love that synergy.
Bulletins? Again, depends on your goal. I like having the sermon, events, and would like more room for notes at times. I love having a children’s bulletin and wish they varied more to keep their interest. I wish, for the sake of visitors, we had something more than one print color at times…but in time.
1. I like acoustic or rock, generally.
2. I find big dramatic vocal solos to be distracting, or when the words on screen don’t match what we’re singing.
3. I think the bulliten should be jam-packed with details of every little thing that’s going on in the church. Just don’t read me the bulliten during the “announcement” time.
ooh… i like this conversation. :)
1. i like a bit of variety. ok, i don’t tend to pursue opportunities to worship in a more traditional fashion. and i probably prefer ‘plain ol’ contemporary’ least of the options you listed (it makes me feel like candy is being dangled two inches from my face, and i can’t reach out and grab it). but i think excellence in whatever musical style is used in worship (not that worship = music of course) is a bigger deal for me than the style itself. so a traditional gospel or more classically-oriented choir can be great if led well. and a more intimate acoustic with a guitar or two and a djembe can be great. and u2-esque rock with lots of production is awesome. but something half-baked and cheesy or out-of-tune would distract me… my home church has a big service/ worship event for junior high/ high school students every summer, and last summer they had a rapper during worship, which was awesome. i’d love to incorporate some hip-hop in what we do in our brand new church plant. (not that i’d rap, going back to the distraction of cheesiness…) :)
2. as a musician, a lot of things can distract me (wow, i’d love to use that song in a set sometime, this song fits/doesn’t fit my style preference, what are those chords that the guitarist is playing, wow, they sound really good today, etc.). as a worship leader, all sorts of things distract me (how am i sounding, what am i supposed to say when i’m done, don’t look at the cute boy in row 3, wonder if i’m impressing him, flash photography, etc.). i have to remind myself of why i’m really there… inviting? hmm… i like candles. i like effective use of powerpoint and stuff like that (a video or interesting graphic, as opposed to just words, etc.). i like people with inviting personalities (running into a less-than-inviting person before/ during worship can be a huge distraction). good song content, good talk/ sermon content. that sort of thing…
3. i like informational bulletins. that was a key way i knew what was going on at my home church, although that info and more could be found on the web. i’d always peruse during the time between the songs and the talk… i do think that an order of service is wasted paper unless it’s a more traditional service, where you might need a liturgy or something. a church i went to in college used to print song lyrics in the programs. that was cool, because i could learn the songs every week. and i like taking notes in programs.
so that’s my two cents. again, good conversation starter!
I can enjoy worship in multiple different environments though I do find some can be more of a distraction than an aid to worship. I don’t like it when the music becomes the focus point and you almost end up worshipping the excellence of the experience than God who is the point of it all. I was visiting a church recently, and the whole time I was going, “wow. this is amazing. those screens are great. what a fantastic band. and that lighting is awesome…”. But I never really worshipped.
I love worship to require the congregations involvement. So often, the band is so good that they could actually do there stuff and you almost don’t need the congregation. I love it when the congregation help to lead the worship and take it in the direction they want to. I struggle when worship is overly controlled/directed by the worship leader. I prefer worship leaders who facilitate the worship rather than dictate it.
I enjoy both big bands with lots of instruments and much simpler set ups. They key in both though is that they are pointing people away from themselves and towards God. We led a weekend away last year where Rachel was leading worship and they led it from the back rather than the front. It was great. No one was able to end up just watchin the worship team. Everyone seemed a lot more engaged.
I guess ultimately, I am more affected by the focus rather than the style. I enjoy most of the styles that you mentioned, but, for me, to really encounter God in worship, it needs to focus to be competely off the band and onto God. Music is an aid to worship for sure, but sometimes it can seem to become and obstacle.
I loved it when Matt Redman was worship leader at Soul Survivor church in Watford, England and he just felt that it had become far too much about the music. And so they just stripped the whole thing down to just a guitar for a season. A church I went to for a while in Sheffield also goes for a much more low key approach in July and August each year. I think that these things can be really helpful in helping make sure we keep the focus on God.
Anyway, I’ve rambled on for ages! Sorry about that.
We really use a variety — i actually feel like i could have written ‘mewhoelse’s first paragraph. One of the values we live by is that the music portion of a service is the one opportunity the church body has to unite their voices in a corporate way — God gets to hear us all say/sing the same things together in a (hopefully) beautiful way.
We want participation so we try to use a variety of styles/songs that will encourage it. We use everything from acoustic to borderline distorted sound … probably would generally fall into the contemporary/edgy contemporary bracket.
2. we use a lot of video – to tell stories, or create moods. that’s a highlight for me. some we create, some are from movies etc… video is the story telling media for our culture, so i like that we use it.
3. primarily our WG has become a ‘newsletter’ – highlighting upcoming events, explaining how to become involved etc….. occasionally we include a section for message notes, but that’s about it. we also point people to our website – all the time — as it has become our #1 communication tool.
1. yes.
2. distracting: typos in the songs
inviting: when the worship team gets lost in worship and you can tell they’ve forgotten there is a congregation there too.
3. pack it with info. don’t give it to everybody. they have to want it.
nooc
p.s. how’s that video snippet on the topic of dying to self coming alond Anne? ;)
1. High-energy contemporary, but not w/ crazy lighting.
2. Distracting- all of the media stuff on the projection screen, like video-clips, and all of the announcements not given before, but spread throughout the service. Inviting-greeting the people around you, and the new attenders.
3. Ours is packed with information, which is good, but I really think they ought to find a way to recycle, or maybe have a condensed version because the people who attend every week don’t need the same info. over and over. I wouldn’t mind going paperless.
1. Acoustic, less distractions, more intimate, seems to fit with deeper lyrics.
Sometimes when I visit grandparents baptist church I like the hymns without any music, just accapella
2. I find cheesy/shallow lyrics very distracting. I also find it distracting when the leaders oversing and make it seem like a performance. I don’t like breaks in between songs, it makes me break my focus.
I like if there is a break to have prayer during that break time and not just standing around waiting for the intro to the next song.
3. I don’t like color in the bulletin, because I think about the extra cost that it took to make it, and how the money for colored ink could have been used better elsewhere.
I also don’t like big bulletins, I think one third of a page, with front and back print is sufficient.
I love a variety. High energy, old hymns with a new twist, thoughful , slow and prayerful. I am part of the worship team at our church and I find that sometimes just seeing others deep in worship makes me so intwined with the music itself. When I come to worship, I also know that it is not the only worship I experience. My worship is throughout the week in many different ways. Sunday morning is only a fraction of that worship.
hear what?
1. A mix. i love re-vamped hymns
2. lots of things, but only cause i over anaylyze. i love to see passionate worshipers
3. i love fill in the blanks.
love you
trace
My personal taste is fairly simple. As long as I am not distracted by the music, lyrics are of greater importance than style. I want a genuine worship leader, not a show. I enjoy simple acoustic, but anything will honestly do as long as it is not lyrically cheesy. By “lyrically chessy”, I mean lyrics that are derived from (1) my choice to serve God (as if God needs to be glorified because I have chose to serve Him), (2) Me some how finding God (ie “I found Jesus”. We didn’t find Jesus, Jesus has always been), and (3) Empty Lyrics (ie Party by Chris Tomlin). Give me some good theologically sound worship and you could play it from a Kazoo for all I care.
I often get distracted when either of the 3 points are met, and find myself with a judgemental attitude, which is horrible. This is definetly something that needs to change.
As a side note, once a worship service turns into presentation versus God being pleased, you might as well close up shop. I guess that goes for more than just worship service, as if you have read my blog you would know I have often led a life that preffered presentation over substance.
Let me just say what everyone is thinking…
I want to see more salsa dancing on stage during worship
there i said it
1. In which kind of musical environment do you find you corporately worship best?
*Rock/Edgier (heavy distortion, effects)
*Acoustic (no electric guitars, acoustic guitars/percussion, quieter)
2. Are there any aspects of corporate worship (your typical weekend/church service) that you find distracting? Inviting?
The meet and greet five minutes into the service. The announcements during the offering (I make the announcement video every week, so it’s my own fault I guess). The way we close the service – all of these to me are distracting and not inviting.
3. What about your bulletin or worship guide…do you like having information about the church & programs in it, or would you rather it focus soley on the message and/or provide further devotional reading? What have you seen done well…or done poorly?
I think people are more interested in information in the bulletin, personally. It’s a way for new people to come in and feel like they understand your church a little more – they can see what’s going on in the church, what ministries are prominent, what activities are coming up, etc.
1. Balance. Mewhoelse had this one pegged for me. “Variety is the spice of life”. My own personal music collection has everything from classical, to metal, to comedy, to rap. And I like my worship the same way. And to the newcomer it shows that God is really everywhere around them in all things.
2. Greetings. I’ve always been in churches that have a time for people to stand up and greet each other during the service. This unfortunately always ends up with me having the first 5 minutes of a 2 hour conversation that gets me thinking about finishing the conversation with my friend just soon as the preaching, singing, and prayer stop. And for the rest of the service my focus strays from God.
Pre-service. prior to the service my praise band practices the songs for worship and for those of us not in Sunday School who show up early get to enjoy a little personal time of reflection while listening. My pastor also posts himself at the entry to greet everyone who comes to the door and thank them for being there and see how their week has been.
3. Services, services, services. I love having a bulletin that describes the various ministries in the church and either how to join the ministry or take advantage of what it provides. Also the events and occasions that the church participates in.
1. In which kind of musical environment do you find you corporately worship best?
All except Just plain ol’ Contemporary (moderately upbeat, calmer production) never quite gets to where you think it’s going and neve gets slow enough to be peacful. like luke warm water to me.
2. Are there any aspects of corporate worship (your typical weekend/church service) that you find distracting? Inviting?
When the leader brings the attention back to him by stopping a song then shuffling papers then starting another song. I also would rather have a set of hymns or songs in a row rather than one song annoucements 1 song message 3 songs etc.
3. What about your bulletin or worship guide…do you like having information about the church & programs in it, or would you rather it focus soley on the message and/or provide further devotional reading? What have you seen done well…or done poorly?
Fill in the blanks are so grade school. i just like a notes section with the scripture being taught and referenced at the top. I think having the annoucements in there is a bad idea everyone just reads it when they are bored and don’t pay attention to the guy who acctually annouces them. Pick one or the other.
hope that helps
Graham
In which kind of musical environment do you find you corporately worship best?
I prefer a mixture of all the elements listed.
Contemp/upbeat, as well as slower. Tradition hyms and modern remakes.
I think it’s important for the worship leaders to be led in the spirit, and be flexible to go where it leads. having a set format doen’t allow for that spirit to flow sometimes.
It’s good to have an outline of the songs and order, but being able to change and adapt as the spirit leads is important to me to succesfully lead the worship.
. What about your bulletin or worship guide…do you like having information about the church & programs in it, or would you rather it focus soley on the message and/or provide further devotional reading? What have you seen done well…or done poorly?
I think a breif definition and scripture reference is sufficient for the message. it helps the congro, be familiar with what the sermon is about and bookmark the given scripture ahead of time if they want.
I think a church is very important to the health of a community. So by all means the programs should be listed eac week to remind the members of what’s coming up and how things went on the last weeks events.
Also my church adds a breakdown of the tithes for the subsiquent week. If find it re assuring to know how much was brought in on a given week and how much went to each mission and projects at home. This accountablitiy to the congregation helps silence any “voices” that members may have had as to the direction of their tithes.
i mean if you don’t have faith in your church you shouldn’t be tithing to it, but this just puts things in perspective even for those who do.
Peace be with you,
jerm :)
I think since my comment was first, it became a sounding board. Cool! I’ll have to get first in line more often.
Seriously, I just wanted to add a couple thoughts for those who lead in worship who may be considering more “variety”. You can get whiplash going from one style to another too much within one service. We had that problem at one point.
Now, we do pretty much a broad gammet of Contemporary Christian varying tempo and instrument focus to keep people awake in the “seeker” dominated am service. We have a more blended traditional 11am service, and in the evening, we have family time, all ages, so we do a lot of old hymns in new ways, youth services, and gaither style hoe downs. We alternate Sunday night lead worshippers…You can pretty much determine the style by who is leading, which varies. Some say they’d prefer one leader…I don’t in the evening. My preference.
So, if you are going to break the genre, say from Gaither vocal band style early in a service, even a casual evening service (meaning a lot of old type hymns, smiling, happy hand clapping), then please put some break in the service like a welcome, children’s sermon, or speaking break) before you switch to a drastically different type of music.
If it’s going to fly way up and you aren’t sure if it will be palatable, just warn the people…say, “We’re going to kick it up a bit now, get ready!”
Announcements?…we’ve settled into what some might call a rut in our service order, but it’s so different than any other churches I’ve ever been to, and it really works well for announcements, so with that, I’ll post our typical service order. (Sometimes we vary for special service or to break routine but here’s the typical planning flow we’ve arrived at over time to minimized “stops”.)
1. Wake Up Song (s) 1-2 (generally fast paced) At 8:45am, we need it.
2. Welcome. Visitors need to be welcomed, see those who are “staff”. We need to know we are part of a body, not “lone worshippers”. We need to welcome those we don’t know. This becomes even more important the more visitors you are having. To keep things high and moving fast, the band plays an upbeat something–this discourages deep conversation. It’s just “greeting”, not talking time. Focus on the visitors, not fellowship. If you don’t have many visitors week to week, I’d be tempted to stratch it until we did.
Say, “Hey!”, learn names, move on. This time also allows the music leader to deal with sound issues, cue us for the tempo of a new song, or take care of any production issues.
3. Worship: Set B. 3-4 songs, sometimes a drama or video. The last song, whether up or down in tempo, usually focuses the mind lyrically, or in mood toward the message…we vary from slow to fast and drop out as the last song of the set. As the leader prays for the speaker, we move off stage. So there is never a break between songs or speakers. There should never be more than three seconds between songs or speakers ideally. It makes people uncomfortable we’re told.
Musician Note: I’ve found that not making any one instrumentalist lead more than two songs is helpful for speed of flow and avoiding player fatigue. I personally squeal if I’m getting too heavy and we change the order. )
4. Sermon
5. Invitation: For the seeker service, we don’t give a prolonged invitation. We save personal ministry time in the early morning services for Sunday school or evening during “family time”. So, “invitation: is short personal prayer, public commitment time, not a counseling session. (Our sunday school falls between services, so we can’t afford a prolonged invitation in that service.) At times, we do pray over people for upcoming medical proceedures or tests or for ministry commissioning, but the pastor controls the time flow–has to.
6.Offering: Yup…after the sermon…that way they know how much it’s worth.
Just kidding. We do offering at the end. To celebrate it and not make it feel “last”, we do “special music” or a theme interp or some fun video during that time. It brings people back up to be ready for more “people time” in Sunday School. The song or theme interp either focuses back on the sermon in an upbeat way, or showcases individual talent (which I think can distract from the worship set earlier).
6. Announcements: Yes…at the very end. Doesn’t take away from the service at all there, stays in people’s mind’s longer, and doesn’t draw attention to the bulletin too early.
Do not make the pastor do your announcements. He needs to stay focused on people and the message. My opinion, and our pastor’s preference.
Our education minister reminds people of important upcoming events Sometimes, small ministry groups will call planning or organizational meeting off in a side corner between church and Sunday School…that works well for us.
Sometimes we do a fun, wacky skit here at the end during announcement time if we really need to draw attention to an event.
People are drawn to things by numerous exposures. It takes 7-15 times for most people to consider involvement. Do it as often and in as many different forms as you can to meet different learning styles and create importance. Me? Love to read, but busy Mom and full of responsibilities on Sunday AM…if somebody doesn’t TELL me or it’s not on a screen, I never get to the bulletin. Visitors DO need to now all we have going on…they need to see signs of life.
Well…to close, I have to say, on fill in the blank vs. space for notes–I like variety! Surprise me!
edits:
–I meant to say on the instrumentalist note that we prefer to not have the same person lead out in more than a couple IN A ROW in the set to keep flow going more strong.
–by “drop out” during the last song……we don’t drop out playing–we DO leave after the last song during a prayer for the speaker.
–all done!
1. Traditional
2. I find it distacting when the choir attempts songs, choruses, refrains, etc that are beyond the ability of the assembly and as a result the participation in the singing is mixed at best.
3. The idea of using the bulletin for devotional purposes or to communicate a message. Most of the ones I’ve seen are so full of announcements and a glut of information that they are no long useful.
you guys are flipping awesome! thanks again for all your wonderful comments & insight.