One of the key components of a Christian church is worship. Visit any church in your town this Sunday morning and you’ll experience some form of worship ministry during the service. The worship leader will get up, you’ll have the songs displayed in a hymnal or on a projector, and everyone will be encouraged to sing along. Usually, worship is the very first thing we do at church. It sets the stage for the whole Sunday morning gathering. You can remove a lot of things in a church service, like different programs and practices, but you can’t do without worship. Worship is important.
If you’ve had the opportunity to visit other congregations or have been a part of different churches, then you know that there’s a lot of variation in the body of Christ when it comes to worship. Churches worship God in different ways. Some use an organ or piano and focus on congregational singing of hymns. Others enjoy contemporary music styles with a full band and an immersive experience. I’ve even been to a church that had a country western band and played cowboy worship songs. Not really my cup of tea, but hey, there’s lots of variety, and there’s something for everyone. Even within our own Calvary Chapel family of churches, you’ll get different expressions of worship based on where you attend. There’s freedom to follow the leading of the Spirit, and we enjoy that freedom.
Now, I know that some of you are probably thinking, “Yes, but ‘worship’ isn’t just singing songs. Worship is a way of life.” First of all, good observation, wise one. And yes! I agree with you. But today we’re talking about the worship part of the church service (the song singing and music playing), not the big-picture idea of worship in the Bible. Nevertheless, here’s a short definition of worship and the heart behind the musical worship we have in church:
What Is Worship?
The dictionary defines worship as “The feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity: ‘the worship of God.’”[1] It comes from “worth-ship,” to ascribe worth to someone or something.
Jesus said that true worshippers worship in Spirit and in truth.[2]
In Romans chapter twelve, we find a great summary of spiritual worship:
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”[3]
So worship is really a response to God’s greatness, as we, in Spirit and truth, offer our lives to him sacrificially.
Now that that’s settled, let’s get back to the topic of worship ministry in our church services. How should we worship the Lord together, and what are some practical things we can learn about worship ministry?
Music That Ministers
I grew up in the Church of Christ. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the denomination, the Church of Christ doesn’t use musical instruments during worship. In fact, it’s not called “worship”; it’s called “singing.” Thankfully, the church I grew up in had a lot of good people in a loving congregation. In that church I learned the stories of the Bible, and I learned about Jesus, but I also learned that using instruments in the singing was a big no-no.
As I got older and visited heathen churches that used instruments, I discovered that music actually makes singing better. The Bible has lots of examples of musical instruments in worship. In fact, Psalm 150 alone mentions eight different types of instruments. The Scripture commands us to “Sing His praises with the harp and the trumpet.” It calls us to “make a joyful symphony to the Lord.”[4] I’m not drumming all of this up just to make a point. I really don’t want to string you along or toot my own horn, but I believe that Instruments play an important role in the worship service of the Church.
I remember when I was a very godly Bible college student, I had a gift to critique worship services. I could methodically identify everything that was wrong with them. One thing that I found offensive was when musicians would play instrumental solos in the middle of the song. I thought it was so carnal[5] because, in my opinion, they were doing it to draw attention to themselves. Then I met Marcello. Marcello was the new electric guitar player at our Bible college and a very gifted musician. He didn’t say much, and I didn’t really know him that well, but when he’d play, my heart was lifted to heaven. I felt like Elijah in 2 Kings, “‘Bring me a musician.’ Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.”[6] My view of instruments changed, and I realized that a quality guitar solo or violin piece added to a worship song can enhance worship and not hinder it.
Spirit and Truth
One of Calvary Chapel’s core distinctives is “striking the balance.” We don’t overemphasize spiritual gifts, but we also don’t deny the work of the Spirit. Pentecostals say we’re too much like Baptists, and Baptists say we’re too Pentecostal. I say we have a good balance. Balance should apply to worship too. There has to be a balance in our worship song selection that includes both Spirit and truth. We want to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our times of worship, but we also want to make sure we’re singing the truth about God from His Word. We tend to miss the mark on one side or the other. We either have a Spirit-filled worship service with songs that are not as doctrinally sound as they should be, or we have a bunch of theological songs and no spiritual anointing. We need both.
As a pastor, I’m often asked why we sing certain songs and not others. I reply that it’s usually because the song is either biblically inaccurate or it doesn’t communicate our heart of worship. On the other hand, we’ve been criticized by some for singing worship songs by Hillsong, Bethel, and Elevation Worship, to name a few. I know that with any ministry or church, you have the good and the bad. Even though I don’t necessarily agree with all the theology of these ministries, I do appreciate the songwriting gifts of their writers and have seen them inspire many to worship. I personally believe that it’s enough to judge individual songs for doctrinal content and spiritual anointing, and if they check out, to incorporate them into the service. If the song is good and biblical, then we sing it! My view is that it’s a case-by-case basis for song selection. Ultimately, we follow the principle of “Spirit and truth” and seek to strike the balance.
Team Too Loud vs. Team Too Quiet
There’s a law—like the law of gravity—that’s called the law of commenting on the volume of worship. This affects everyone from the long-term ministry leader to the new congregant. There’s an invisible force that compels them to say something. Having been a pastor for 20+ years, this is the number one complaint/comment I get. And it’s from both sides.
“Excuse me, pastor?”
“Yes, how can I help you?”
“I just want to say that the music is so loud and I’m afraid I will get hearing damage if I stay one more moment.”
Then, at the same service, a few minutes later…
“Excuse me, pastor?”
“Yes, how can I help you?
“Is there any way to turn the volume up? I’m having a hard time worshipping; the volume is so low it sounds like background music.”
Without going into too much detail, what we’re experiencing in our worship services with the too-loud-crowd and too-quiet-crow are two different preferences of worship style. It has nothing to do with one being better than the other but rather with how people like to worship. Those who like lower volumes favor hearing themselves and others sing. They’d like the music to support the singing rather than being immersed in the music. On the other hand, those who like a bigger band and louder volume would rather be enveloped in worship. They choose to feel the moment and share in the same immersive experience with others.[7]
I personally lean toward a more immersive worship experience. I like to sing at the top of my lungs and not worry about everyone turning around and looking at me. But I also appreciate times of refrain and corporate singing. I love hearing the congregation sing together. Good worship leaders can have a nice mix of both, but usually, a church will specialize in one or another.
Chasing The Feeling
We recently had a young family leave our church because of the worship. In a new church plant, you’ll always have people come and go, but it’s always hard when people you love leave. Before they left, they had a meeting with one of the elders and explained their reason. They said that the worship wasn’t Spirit-filled enough. Even though they loved the teaching, and had made many friends and connections in the church, they were afraid that they were going to “dry up” spiritually due to the worship.
This came as a shock to us because God has blessed the church with several incredibly gifted and seasoned worship leaders. Yes, our worship style is simple, but I feel the presence of God every Sunday as people sing to the Lord and lift their hands in heartfelt praise.
After digging a little deeper, we discovered that this couple had a background with churches and ministries that focused more on Spiritual experience and feelings than on biblical teaching and discipleship. Ministries like these will often look to the emotional expression of the congregation during meetings as a benchmark for health rather than internal biblical transformation over time. If people aren’t intensely worshipping, with visible demonstrations of the Spirit (intense emotional expression, every person’s hands raised, prophetic words, spontaneous utterances, etc.), then that means that the service is lacking in Spiritual power.
Don’t get me wrong; I love a great worship experience as much as the next guy. I’m a big fan of worship nights and big loud worship events, but I also realize that our personal experience isn’t the end goal of what we’re doing here. Sadly, many Christians are chasing the feeling rather than using the feeling to focus on Christ. It’s a classic case of looking to the gift (emotional experience in worship) rather than the giver (Jesus, the object of worship). They get caught up in the next big thing, going from one intense worship experience to another, and forget the value and maturity of being still and waiting on the Lord.
Sometimes, God wants us to be quiet and let all the noise drift away. “In the secret in the quiet place / In the stillness You are there.”[8]
The Heart of Worship
Ultimately, what matters most is not the different components of worship, or how loud or quiet the music is. It’s not really important if you like to sing hymns or prefer contemporary classics (You may even like that cowboy worship). At the end of the day, the real question is, did you worship with your whole heart? Did you have a connection with God? Even if you did not feel a rush of emotion, did you offer a sacrifice of praise to Him?[9] Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. He’s looking for a heart of worship.
“I’ll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the ways things appear
You’re looking into my heart
I’m comin’ back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You
It’s all about You, Jesus”[10]
Footnotes
[1] Oxford Languages, Google Dictionary. https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
[2] See John 4:23
[3] Romans 12:1 (ESV)
[4] See Psalm 98:4-6 (NLT)
[5] “Carnal” is a term we used to use in Bible college to refer to someone who was not spiritual, someone who was “in the flesh.”
[6] 2 Kings 3:15
[7] There is a great article on this by a worship leader named Dan Wilt. Find it at https://www.danwilt.com/is-it-too-loud-worship-accompaniment-vs-worship-immersion-culture/
[8] Lyrics from Andy Park’’s “In the Secret”
[9] See Hebrews 13:15
[10] Lyrics from Matt Redman’s “The Heart Of Worship”
