So why are worship leaders afraid to branch out of certain styles??

makakoa · Aug 9, 2007

Hey Guys,

I am not labeling anyone, so please don't take this wrong.

Ok I have been a musician for over 19 years, I grew up in the party life and played a lot of fun shows with what most people would call "secular" bands. I love all styles of music everything from Johnny Cash to Bob Marley.

So now that I gave my life back to Christ I have played with quite a few worship teams and have led myself. Here is the question, why are (most) worship leaders so afraid to branch out of the same ol same ol. Why is it that we can't have some reggae, rock, funk, blues etc?

All of the times I have recommended it to over 10 worship leader in really relaxed churches, I get the funniest answers, I don't know hot to play that music, from the guy that can play guitar, bass, piano, mandolin, sings and has actually jammed funk and blues with me at his house and was amazing.

More answers like "well I don't know........" and "Can we do that?" then they just drop the subject. Why is this, have we decided that the only way to worship is acoustic guitar, bass player, drum kit behind glass and an extra female back up vocalist?

Or is it that we are just scared to worship outside of the box? Are we there to please peoples opinions of what worship should sound like or are we there to make some noise for God? There is a time and place for every style of music quiet and sweet to load and making people want to jump out of their seat.

I would say that maybe 3% of the people I know listen to worship style music outside of church and I know a lot of people. Now what should this tell us? Should we maybe branch out and start playing with other styles of music as well as what we have now. Don't get me wrong I enjoy worship music and am not trying to bash it, I am asking what makes us afraid to branch out?

God Bless you Guys!!!

Hit me with some feedback!

Leviticus

BrBob · Aug 9, 2007

"Worship Music" is the new organ. The organ was the only "authorized" instrument for church music and now, even though we all like to think that we're progressive and open to the things of the Spirit, we are human - we put things in boxes. We have a box for worship music and it is shaped like what we are accustomed to.

I agree with you Makakoa, I would like to use some blues styles for worship at times. I do know some young people who worship to rock and even some are worshiping to metal style music but for the most part we stick to what we know.

I know that some will argue that certain types of music are 'from the devil.' That's bunk! It is true that some keys, particularly minor keys, evoke a certain particular emotional response in most people in the western world. I think though, that those same sounds could evoke different emotions in people from different cultures.

I live in South Dakota. Out here we have very few black people so the culture of the blacks of the deep South is foreign to us. We do have a large Native American population though and a much of that population lives on one of the five reservations in the state. Native Americans have their own traditional style of music (not their only style of music, please don't misunderstand me) which involves using a big drum. That is usually the only instrument unless there are some sleigh-type bells attached to a pole. When I hear them singing with a drum I can see that those who are accustomed to it feel satisfacton, comfort, and other 'good' emotions. The emotion that comes up in me though is quite the opposite. That drumming makes me irritable and cranky!

So, I'm sure that what you are dealing with is cultural and human. It can be changed but it doesn't come quickly or easily.

So, long post to just agree with you, eh?

God Bless
Bob
Spearfish, SD

godsupergirl · Aug 9, 2007

Ok, this is just speaking for me.

I see my duty as trying to lead the congregation into the presence of God. Culture (as BrBob said) is a big factor in my church because we are mostly hispanic. We play songs on the more worship side, but then cross over to our roots and play music that's more moving, like salsa.

If we were to play something like blues or heavy metal, it wouldn't be a very effective way of ushering in God's presence because the people wouldn't feel it in them. I would probably also feel very our of place singing it (maybe that's not so good on my part).

We do have a night though where people can bring whatever style of music they want to the stage. There are many forms of latin music, and it's very interesting (mostly done by older people), the youth tend to go for rock more contemporary styles.

I guess I kinda repeated what Br. said. lol. As for the 3%. I don't even listen to that much worship music outside of church, but not because I don't like it. There are just so many different moods, environments, and situations that affect the choice of music you choose to listen to at that moment.

Maybe it would do you some good to travel to churches outside the U.S. You'd find some pretty interesting services out there.

makakoa · Aug 9, 2007

"If we were to play something like blues or heavy metal, it wouldn't be a very effective way of ushering in God's presence because the people wouldn't feel it in them."

I think you may have just decided what God likes for him???

Did God say music has to be slow and sweet to usher in the spirit? If he did I would like to see the scriptural reference.

You see we decided that certain types of music welcome the holy spitit more than others and this is really just a bunch of bull. Now like I said I love all types of music and I think that the salsa latin music that you guys do is sweet, I am actually trained in afro-cuban percussion.

But.....we can not tell God what to think, we can not put him in a box, and we as humans can't say well God only likes this music at this time because then we have decided we are bigger than God.

What it really comes down to is that we do quite a bit more people pleasing in church worship than we do God pleasing. I have played with a lot of teams and they are sooo worried about how it sounds and it has to be perfect and if someone doesn't perform good enough they are asked to step down.

Now, does God worry if you hit the right note?? Nope

Does he care if you sing out of tune? Nope

Does he care if you worship through any type of music as long as it glorifies him? Nope

I am not saying we need to change I am saying why are so many scared? I would say its because they are afraid of what people will say, not Gods acceptance, Cause we already have it.

Keep the comments coming.......

God Bless You Guys!!

makakoa · Aug 9, 2007

Oh and in response I have traveled to churches from Outer Mongolia to Germany to New Zealand and many more countries, I love the culture and the way God moves through all types of congregations either here in the US or abroad.

BrBob · Aug 10, 2007

I understand what you mean about people pleasing. That is a trap that is so easy to fall into..... I believe there is a fine line that is defined as the difference between pleasing the people and trying to facilitate worship of God as much as is possible with the character of the people in mind.

In other words, a worship leaders job most of the time is to lead worship, but in a way that doesn't detract people from worshiping. Now, there are times when Holy Spirit will lead the leader to break new ground and then there is inevitably some clumsiness in the congregation as the new style is introduced. Some people will even be offended and leave at times but if it is Holy Spirit led then the leader is being obedient and everything will be fine.

As musicians we love music. We usually love many types of music, if not all music. That means that the trap of people pleasing may be reversed if we are not careful and we can end up introducing a style that Holy Spirit has not actually led us to introduce. In that situation we are pleasing ourselves and the 'leading' is selfish.

So, the answer here is being so immersed in the Spirit of God that we follow Him and don't introduce changes without His leading. That is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. I think that error happens in leaders (pastors and teachers, etc... as well as worship leaders) when the act of leading becomes commonplace and the leader lets down his guard. Then self can creep into the music selection, preparation time, or any other place.

So, diligence in being immersed in the Spirit is the only answer. As far as your frustration goes with the same-old, same-old, well - maybe Holy Spirit is leading you to a different place or different style. He may be preparing you for a different season in your life. I don't know.

I believe, based on what I've read of your posts, that you do seriously try to follow the Holy Spirit so keep on pressing in and ask Him for clarification. That dissatisfaction could be a Spirit thing. If it isn't He will let you know.

God Bless
Bob
Spearfish, SD

godsupergirl · Aug 11, 2007

makakoa said:
"If we were to play something like blues or heavy metal, it wouldn't be a very effective way of ushering in God's presence because the people wouldn't feel it in them."

I think you may have just decided what God likes for him???

Did God say music has to be slow and sweet to usher in the spirit? If he did I would like to see the scriptural reference.

You see we decided that certain types of music welcome the holy spitit more than others and this is really just a bunch of bull. Now like I said I love all types of music and I think that the salsa latin music that you guys do is sweet, I am actually trained in afro-cuban percussion.

But.....we can not tell God what to think, we can not put him in a box, and we as humans can't say well God only likes this music at this time because then we have decided we are bigger than God.

What it really comes down to is that we do quite a bit more people pleasing in church worship than we do God pleasing. I have played with a lot of teams and they are sooo worried about how it sounds and it has to be perfect and if someone doesn't perform good enough they are asked to step down.

Now, does God worry if you hit the right note?? Nope

Does he care if you sing out of tune? Nope

Does he care if you worship through any type of music as long as it glorifies him? Nope

I am not saying we need to change I am saying why are so many scared? I would say its because they are afraid of what people will say, not Gods acceptance, Cause we already have it.

Keep the comments coming.......

God Bless You Guys!!

No, I don' t think I've decided what God wants for Him. Maybe blues or heavy metal would go great for someone like yourself, or a church you know of, but the language barrier in my church doesn't really allow for this. Even though I think, write, and speak english, there are many who don't.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that our church tries to play something that different groups and types of people (within our culture) can relate to, allowing them to step into God's presence. We need them to see a connection to Him. Are we going to succeed with everyone? Absolutely not. We have had people walk out on us because we followed where the Holy Spirit was leading, and they decided that it wasn't God.

God Bless

godsupergirl · Aug 11, 2007

makakoa said:
Oh and in response I have traveled to churches from Outer Mongolia to Germany to New Zealand and many more countries, I love the culture and the way God moves through all types of congregations either here in the US or abroad.

Sorry, I was just thinking about how traveling to other churches in Mexico has had a big impact on my life. There are so many different styles of music in big churches and services held in tiny homes in just the northern part of mex alone.

ALABALE · Aug 16, 2007

Makakoa - I guess it has to do with the circles you are traveling in.

The church I was the Music Pastor at was a bi-lingual church, where we translated every song. However, we did Rock, Salsa, Merengue, Reggae, etc.
I would implement it into songs where it would catch people off guard.

Blessings!

lostwithoutu · Aug 16, 2007

In our church we split the worship group into 2 teams. The youth worship group and the "contemporary" worship group. Reason being that the leader of the "contemporary" group does not have the ability to play in other styles. Our youth worship services include, salsa, merengue, ranchera, nortena (mexican), blues, jazz, metal , experimental , regaetton, rap, hip-hop, bachata, classical, and contemporary, hyms.

We worship with all styles. In fact , what led me back to God was the reggaeton and hip hop ministry which are not my primary style of music but it made church fun to go to. The lord called me out when I arrived and I have been there ever since.

YahsAncientRestoration · Aug 17, 2007

If people can't relate to the music or have an inner heart issue towards one style, and that style is being played it will drive them away before they ever get a chance to be ushered in. The messiah did much for us by grace in fact he had to reach out to us first, so we should show a little grace towards the people in our community that attend these worship meetings. Some mixing it up is fun and can be good. But completely switching styles can be more of a hindrance than a benefit. Remember when they come to the messiah, just like you did they dont have everything in order in their lives and all their heart issues can still be there. We are a work in process. So there are many like me that say its a preference and can atleast attempt to worship with all my heart to any style, (I'm not bragging either it took years of me struggling with it, and i still do). And others who as soon as they hear the overdrive pedal click on they walk out.

I suppose its like the above posts, its all a matter of being led by the spirit to do what HE wants rather than what is comfortable and a routine to us!

godchaser8775 · Sep 3, 2007

lostwithoutu, that's awesome! It just goes to show that God created music, all music. It's the world that has taken what God has created and twisted it into their plan! But God's plan is a plan for good and not evil!

lostwithoutu · Sep 4, 2007

godchaser8775 said:
lostwithoutu, that's awesome! It just goes to show that God created music, all music. It's the world that has taken what God has created and twisted it into their plan! But God's plan is a plan for good and not evil!

i keep saying that to people, I will play any style of music as long as I dedicate it to the Lord first.
Last time we played in the sunday morning service (which we do not do regularly as we play in the youth service in the evenings) there was one of our dancers/ flag girls with her finger in one ear as she waved a flag making a face. Our singer almost stopped the service. LOL So yeah there will always be someone who does not agree. No biggie. We know what we are doing pleases God. That's all that matters.

WarEagle · Sep 7, 2007

Are you talking about worship or entertainment?

If you're talking about worship, then genre should be the last thing on your mind.

In our church, we made the decision that we're not going to have rock and roll or a "worship band". These things lead to entertainment and the glorification of those on stage, rather than God.

I realize that this means after I leave the room, you're all going to call me names, but the bottom line is that I can go to a rock concert anytime.

We go to church to worship.

WarEagle · Sep 7, 2007

lostwithoutu said:
We know what we are doing pleases God. That's all that matters.

How do you know?

lostwithoutu · Sep 7, 2007

WarEagle said:
How do you know?

Mr. Eagle I do believe you might have to visit our church sometime and experience the holy ghost working through the instruments our musicians are holding in our church. The "music" is all styles, it's no concert. It's worship.

I have no reason to call u names, you have your opinion and there will be many more people "thousands" perhaps tens of thousands that have your outlook on "worship" that's ok. God loves them all. Ask him. ;-)

WarEagle · Sep 9, 2007

lostwithoutu said:
Mr. Eagle I do believe you might have to visit our church sometime and experience the holy ghost working through the instruments our musicians are holding in our church.

What does that mean, exactly?

I have no reason to call u names, you have your opinion and there will be many more people "thousands" perhaps tens of thousands that have your outlook on "worship" that's ok. God loves them all. Ask him. ;-)

Again, how do you know that you're pleasing God?

SGM4HIM · Sep 10, 2007

Why Assume "it's Not Pleasing To God?" I Have Heard "performance Styled Worship" In Many Different Formats, Why Pick On One Particular Style? You Can Have Performance Style Pipe Organ Music As Easily As ...... Some Folks Think Any Musical Instrument Is Not Pleasing To God While Others Think String Insturments Are Ok But Absolutely No Drums. AND THE LIST GOES ON.

YeshuaTourniquet · Sep 11, 2007

worship music has 2 reasons for being, 1) to worship the lord and 2) to get you to relax and open up to the Holy Spirit's presence

music in itself is just a tool, a tool isn't good or evil, it's how you use it that makes it good or evil, any form of music can be used for good, same as any form of music can be perverted.

personally i have a hard time worshiping to any of the mainstream church songs, could be due to the fact that i grew up listening to Death Metal and Hardcore Punk

our congregation is basically made up of a bunch of people from that background who are now Hardcore Yeshua insted, so having standard church songs woulden't work in this case and would actually drive many people away, the exact oposite of most churches

WarEagle · Sep 11, 2007

YeshuaTourniquet said:
to get you to relax and open up to the Holy Spirit's presence

And the scripture you use to back this up would be...?

Either you have the Holy Spirit or you don't. There's nothing in the Bible about "opening up to the Holy Spirit's presence". And there's certainly nothing in the Bible to suggest that that's the role of worship.

So why are worship leaders afraid to branch out of certain styles??

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