Performance Vs Worship

The Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) likened worship to drama or theatre. He was critical of many of the churches of his day for redefining the rolls in worship. It was his observation that in the worship of many churches God was the prompter, the liturgical leaders (musicians, choirs, readers, preachers, and celebrants) were the actors in the drama and congregation had become the audience. Kierkegaard believed this assignment of rolls was wrong. In his opinion the liturgical leaders were the prompters, the congregation with the liturgical leaders were the actors, and God was the audience. All of us are participants and have a part in worship.

One of the burning questions in many churches today relates closely to what Kierkegaard was talking about. It’s expressed in a different way but it’s the same question. It’s the question of performance verse worship. In looking at church web pages I have noticed that Kierkegaard’s thoughts on worship are often lifted up by churches offering traditional worship. The implication is that traditional worship is never performance but contemporary worship is either performance or dangerously close.

But it is possible for traditional worship to become performance. It is sometimes a fine line between the two. It’s possible for the choir anthem to be a performance. It’s possible for the hand bell choir selection to become a performance. Even the scripture reading or the preaching can become a performance.

Paul Baloche has some helpful things to say about this issue. He is talking about contemporary worship but what he says also applies to traditional worship. He says there is always an element of performance in all worship which is not entirely bad. According to Baloche what is most important is the posture of your heart. The purpose of the praise band and the praise band leader is to “encourage and lead others” to worship. He goes on to say “God is my audience. I am just singing to God.” He sounds a little bit like Kierkegaard.

Baloche says it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between true worship and performance. The reason is that worship is a matter of the heart and is “better felt than telt.”

My personal feeling is that we should not be so sensitive about the word “performance”. Rather our greater concern should be who is the audience?

Thoughts on Worship

One of the great dividers in the church today is worship style. The division is so great that a recent book on the subject was titled “Worship Wars”. People often have strong emotions about the style of worship they prefer and it has become a very sensitive issue in many churches.
Reed City UMC is the first church I have served that offers two styles of worship. Personally I enjoy both services. For most of my ministry I have worked with traditional services but in my last appointment we had what I would call a “blended traditional” service. It may sound strange to some but I am equally committed to both styles of worship here at Reed City UMC.

Beginnings

November 29, 2008

Stating what is obvious but often forgotten, someone once said every journey begins with the first step. What this seemingly wise person forgot to mention is how hard that first step can be. For me this blog is the beginning of a new journey. And this first posting is my first step on that journey.

I have to admit blogging is an experience I never anticipated. If someone had suggested to me a year ago that I would be writing my own blog I would have laughed. But here I am taking that first step. And surprisingly this first blog has been more difficult than I thought it would be. After all as a pastor I do lots of writing. In some ways I feel like a young child struggling to take those first steps. But I am hopeful that as I continue at least some of the anxiety will be diminished.

Since this is my first post I want to explain the purpose and goals of this blog. In July of 2008 I was appointed to be pastor of the United Methodist Church of Reed City. Hopefully very soon a link will be posted at the church's website connecting it with my blog. This will be just one more tool to help me communicate with the members of my congregation.

My goal is to post on a regular basis (more often then once a month). The topics will change and may reflect whats happening in the church, my own personal life, and the vision that God is giving me for our shared ministry together. I want this blog to be more personal and less formal. For the most part I will be writing in the first person and sharing my own personal view and not necessarily the views of the United Methodist Church or the United Methodist Church of Reed City.

I am very excited about using this blog to communicate with family, friends, and most importantly my church family. I do welcome comments and feed back. I am smiling as I write this: "But please me kind."

Finally, I want this blog to be an expression of my personal faith in God. In future blogs I hope to reveal more of myself and my faith journey. At the end of our contemporary worship service we often sing the chorus, "God is Good." More than any other time in my life I believe those words to be true.

To all who have taken time to read this blog, May God bless you.