Hey Everybody. So this weekend at River Valley was amazing, and it felt great to work with our team to pull together something that felt so groundbreaking and unique. I'll planning to write more about that tomorrow or Thursday.
But before I do that, I want to write about something that's come up over the last few days. In a post I wrote a few weekends ago a new friend challenged me on what authentic worship should sound like and look like and feel like. Over the past 14 years I've share many similar conversations. Most of them begin as discussions about musical styles, but it you stick with them long enough you'll find something deeper under the surface . . .
It seems to me that most pastors approach worship from three different perspectives. The first is the philosophy that worship gatherings, at heart, should ultimately be about bringing people who are far away from God into a relationship with Him. This philosophy is a the heart of seeker-driven worship. If this is your default heart position it will influence everything about your service. For instance, the evangelistic approach to worship will strive to always include music and media from current culture.
Another approach would be one that emphasizes discipleship, or education. For centuries this has been the default of the western culture church. Again worship services created to emphasize this style will by default look and sound a different way. For instance, the lighting will usually be brighter, creating more of a classroom feel and emphasizing the congregations need to take notes on the materials being covered.
The third approach would be the experiential approach. This philosophy would view the worship gathering a time to experience emotional, transcendent experiences in community. Experiential churches tend to place a far higher premium on musical worship and prayer than the first two. If you're ever visiting a church and you're debating what their philosophic default is, just listen for the silence. If you don't hear any you'll know you're probably not participating in a experiential church.
Can their be hybrids of two or three? Possibly, but in my 14 years of leadership and study I've yet to find many that balances all three. What's your experience been? (use the "Comments" button to join in the conversation)
Am I correct that you have a bent towards the experiential type of worship? If so, what happens when one doesn't "experience" something? What happens if one isn't "moved"? Is there not a danger in allowing the "experience" to transcend truth? Is it tempting to create the "experience" in a way that borders on manipulation? What happens if my experience contradicts Holy Scripture? Can I manufacture an "experience" about from engaging the whole body of Christ? If so, is it worship? Questions...questions...questions...
Posted by: abroinchrist | March 29, 2008 at 07:23 PM
Not really actually. Over the past year we've definitely gotten comments that River Valley is 'too seeker', 'too emotive', AND too teaching-driven. Which I take as a sign that we're probably doing a pretty decent job at balancing all three.
At RVCC we're pretty big on authentic reactions, people responding genuinely to what's going on inside. Sometimes they're not in a place to sing or to celebrate - which is ok. Sometimes they're not ready to hear everything in the message - that's ok too. Sometimes they're not going to know top 40 music - fine by us. The most important thing is that we're encouraging people to take steps closer to God, no matter where they are on the spiritual continuum.
Posted by: Alex Schwindt | March 31, 2008 at 03:28 AM