Missions flame - Worship

I am playing for my church in the worship band. We practice Thursdays nights, and Sunday mornings prior to the service. It is a very difficult job to do correctly. My job is not to play the guitar without missing the next chord or note, or to sing with out screeching my voice, but through music, to lead a large group of people with no collective musical experience into the throne room of God with humility and reverence. This cannot be done by musical ability at all. The only way I can do that is if I do it myself, on a stage, and lead by example.

If you have ever been involved in the music 'scene' of a church then you know how practices go. The band members wander in with instruments, clueless as to the songs, the order, the key, the roles they play, etc... We as bands worry so much about how the song goes, from the intro to the ending followed by the transition to the next song. We never plan on how to worship in song. No thought is ever made. If you are part of a church band that worships on stage, it is usually a few band members going spontaneously, which is good! That is the point, right? Or if you are on a band that doesn't worship on stage, what IS the point? Why go up there at all? I like music, I enjoy playing and I enjoy singing, but you know what? Christian music really isn't that good! It is typically 5-10 years behind secular music in lyrical creativity and musical ability generally. This is from a guy who listens to 95% of christian "praise-and-worship" type music for not only practicing but for casual listening. I know it is not as good as mainstream secular music. So their really is no point in going on stage to perform a mere concert of christian music. Save you and your congregation the time!

If you could not tell I feel as if my band is the second group described in the previous paragraph.

What can be done? I used to have a bad habit of making comments that really served no real purpose other than to vent my frustration. Do not do this! I am done doing this. Again, it serves no purpose. Be a man (or woman), an adult, and take your worship leader aside one on one and tell him (or her) your frustration calmly and politely. In all honesty its usually not their fault. It's the band's fault, and your part of the band. You've let the band build up and become use to playing in this lack luster fashion, without a purpose or vision. The band leader needs to know that YOU ALL as a BAND are failing at YOUR job. Please don't turn your grown-up conversation into a B&M/complaining/finger-pointing session. It is hard being the band leader. There is some responsibility to this position and most leaders are volunteers. So they don't get paid enough to run a band AND listen to you fume and vent at them at how they have failed. Be honest with yourself, you failed too.

Next time you have a practice, or see your band leader, or call him up, tell him! Right the wrong and steer the worship back to where it belongs.

Ok, this has been a way too serious and solemn first blog about worship. I hope all won't be this down or serious. This is a topic that I have been thinking about for far too long.

Keep focused on Jesus. As Matt Redman says, "Your fame, your renown, is the desire of our souls."