A leader sent this question to me:
Recently there have been some people offended by some of the appearance of the worship team. We are seeking to glorify God in our response. We do not want to go beyond what the Scripture says. What are some of the standards that you would hold for your worship team?
I’m assuming that “appearance” refers to what someone is wearing. I appreciate this person’s desire to follow God’s Word when it comes to the attire of those who lead congregational worship. Unfortunately, God isn’t as clear as we might want Him to be, which is a good thing. Can you imagine if God told us exactly what a godly person should wear? What do you think He’d say? L.L. Bean? Gap? Brooks Brothers? Coat and
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Ken, a dad with three kids ages approaching their teen years, sent this question to me:
[My kids] show some interest in hip-hop/rap music, so I have started to look into Christian versions of it. I have listened to Curtis Allen (have to list him first, right?), Lacrae, and Eternal MOG (Man of God). From what I have seen and read, the words seem to be gospel-centered, God exalting. My hesitation is that the broader hip-hop culture is so foul and perverse that I am not sure I want to encourage my kids towards it. I was thinking that maybe I could cut them off at the pass with solid gospel-centered hip-hop music, but I am not sure if that is wise or not. What are your thoughts on this?
First, thanks,
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This question is a follow-up to an earlier post concerning the place of parents in training children.
I’m in complete agreement with your quote from the blog (March 31, 2006): "Training children to worship God is primarily the parent’s responsibility, not the church’s." But does that mean that you shut down the nurseries and cancel children’s church?
The priority Scripture gives to parents training their children to know and worship God ( Eph. 6:1-2Ephesians 6:1-2
[6:1]Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this
is right. [2]"Honor your father and mother" (this is the
first commandment with a promise), (ESV)
; Deut. 6:7Deuteronomy 6:7
[7]You shall teach them diligently to your children, and
shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you
walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
(ESV)
; 2 Tim. 3:14-152 Timothy 3:14-15
[14]But as for you, continue in what you have learned
and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it
[15]and how from childhood you have been acquainted with
the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for
salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
) doesn’t negate the role of the church in working towards the same end. However, the church is often seen as a replacement for the parents, rather than a support to them. In the case of young children with non-Christian parents, the church is wise to take an active role in helping children
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In response to the series I did on physical expressiveness in corporate worship, I received a follow-up question from the gentleman who originally asked the question. It was pretty extensive, but this was his closing query:
Bottom, Bottom, Lowest of Bottom Lines: Am I exegetically, theologically, homiletically accurate when I say, “God COMMANDS us to CLAP our hands!”? Or should it be softened to “God ENCOURAGES us to express our love and worship to Him using our bodies?” And then let people do what they’re comfortable with.
Great question. And I want to commend him for seeking to pinpoint as clearly as possible what God tells us in His Word and what He doesn’t tell us.
In a set of unpublished notes from a course he has taught, Iain Duguid suggests that three …
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Not too long ago I received an e-mail from someone whose music team has grown, resulting in less-gifted musicians still on the team. He asks:
Do you set thresholds for talent/ability that must be met in order for people to participate in the leading worship? What about ‘good people’ who don’t meet your thresholds? As a corollary, how do you manage multiple musicians who ‘pass muster’ wanting to play the same part? In other words, do you have 4 guitarists every Sunday, or do you rotate your players?
Every growing church will eventually face the issue of too many instrumentalists and/or vocalists. Here are a few suggestions and ways we’ve addressed that issue:
I think of three standards for musicians - godly character, natural expressiveness, and musical skill. I generally rank them in
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This question came from Greg:
I would love to get your thoughts on how you address (or don’t address) civil holidays as you prepare worship services. I’m really thinking of July 4th more than anything else. That tends to be the one that stirs the pot most easily.
In brief, since God’s kingdom is not of this world ( Jn. 18:36John 18:36
[36]Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If
my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been
fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.
But my kingdom is not from the world." (ESV)
), we don’t feel any obligation to draw attention to, highlight, or celebrate civil holidays as part of our Sunday gatherings. There are a number of reasons. Our country doesn’t set the agenda and priorities for the meetings of the church – God’s Word does. Also, one country’s celebration may be confront another country’s values. For instance, not too many Christian Brits celebrate Independence Day. Finally, we gather on Sundays to remember the
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After the Together for the Gospel conference, I received a lengthy e-mail from a worship pastor in attendance who shared a current dilemma his pastoral team is facing. They have been “wrestling with how to best be obedient to Scripture in our corporate worship through song.” His church contains people who are “naturally NOT very expressive AT ALL” during that time. So he asks:
“Exactly how, and how much should we encourage our people to follow the numerous commands throughout Scripture of bodily expression (as a natural outpouring of the heart)?
First, I want to thank this pastor and his team for their humility in seeking to wrestle through this issue from a biblical perspective. His background and training have minimized physical expression, but he is realizing that although bodily expression …
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In response to my mention of clapping at the Together for the Gospel conference, Steve commented:
“I grew up in the type of church where clapping was extremely frowned upon. Later, as an adult, I got involved in more contemporary settings…where clapping, along with and after songs, was the norm…I recently watched a live DVD recording of a particular band doing an incredibly delicate and moving rendition of "I Love You, Lord." As the last soft chord decayed, the audience began to cheer and clap. It suddenly seemed inappropriate to me.”
In a more general sense, Jon asked:
“How we are to treat the commands of the psalms….clap, shout, dance, that aren’t necessarily repeated in the NT? Are we responsible to obey them as commands or are they biblical expressions that
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I recently received these questions from Lisa, a music coordinator whose church has had an influx of new guests. People are starting to comment more frequently that they don’t know the songs being sung. That situation has raised these questions:
1. How important do you think familiarity is in facilitating worship? 2. Do you limit your pick list somehow, even "retiring" good songs? If so, how? 3. How can we help our congregation familiarize themselves with the songs we sing, outside of church?
I’ve often heard it said that singing familiar songs contributes to people engaging in true worship of God. While a well known song can often help us more freely express the truths we’re singing about, there are problems with thinking that familiar means better.
Who determines whether
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This question came in from Amy, after reading my post on “Entering the Draw Me Close Conversation.”
“How do you balance discernment without being critical? I find myself struggling with this constantly. Where is the balance between noticing and being concerned that the theology presented in songs/sermons is man-centered, or that the gospel is missing, vs. being critical of the music and preaching and thus being unable to actually worship?”
Great question. How do we exercise doctrinal discernment and personal humility at the same time?
First, we need to recognize the importance of being faithful to Scripture. We aren’t simply promoting our own ideas and opinions about God. We are seeking to express what God has already spoken. That’s what theology and doctrine are – knowing and communicating as precisely
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