We don\u2019t want to say it. It sounds like we\u2019re consumers, wanting more entertainment, and we know that\u2019s not the problem. Worse, it might sound like we\u2019re tired of God \u2013 when we know we\u2019ve only just scratched the surface of the infinitely creative, dynamically relational being he is. Hence the collective sigh of relief in the London School of Theology Deep Calls to Deep conference when the outgoing Director General of the Evangelical Alliance, the highly respected and deeply passionate Joel Edwards, used the \u2018B\u2019 word without apology or caveat. \u2018We\u2019re bored in worship\u2019. You could almost see tense shoulders sag and bright eyes perk up. We\u2019re allowed to say it! Our worship has become boring!\u2019 It was like permission, not to whine or complain or place blame (people do that enough about worship anyway), but to admit the weaknesses in our contemporary corporate worship lives and to begin to address authentic, fundamental and God honouring change.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something about the charismatic movement which brought something new and fresh. It came out of something new God was doing.<\/p>\n
I am thirsty for something new again. I have to confess to you that mostly on a Sunday morning I am bored! And I wonder if one of the reasons why people are not singing is because they too are bored.<\/p>\n
It may be a good thing to discover what you would write down if you spent two months noting what songs are sung on a Sunday morning. I cannot believe that so much of our repertoire has become so narrow. So predictable. That the formation of what we do on a Sunday is so utterly predictable. And I think to myself, how come the God who has formed the constellations and put the stars in place and has a new idea every second, doesn\u2019t have something new for us for a Sunday morning? I wonder whether he might not be vaguely bored too.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And so a conversation is stirring between worship leaders, pastors, songwriters, congregations, and (radical thought) the communities we are trying to reach, about how we might innovate our worship. No one person, movement or website has all the answers, but we\u2019re pretty sure the questions begin with how we get out of this predictable, narrow, reality-dodging, inward looking spiral towards a creative, indigenous, multi-sensory, outward-looking expression of worship.<\/p>\n
Problem \u2013 Predictable, Consumerist<\/strong><\/p>\nLike going to any shopping centre and finding the same stores, we seem to be able to go to almost any contemporary evangelical church and find the same songs, the same themes, the same \u2018one-size-fits all\u2019 worship solutions. But do they? We know of the tragedy when colonial missionaries export a western worship style into a non-western context, squashing indigenous response. But don\u2019t we \u2018import\u2019 the styles we find at the latest conference, or the successful church, or the hit CD, and expect them to work in our context?<\/p>\n
Possible solution \u2013 Indigenous Creativity<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat are the artforms practiced in your church, and by the community you seek to reach? Do they feature on Sunday? Where is the creativity, beyond singing? What is the heart-cry of where your church is at, and is it expressed in relevant media? How can we inspire indigenous creativity, and share with the best of indigenous creativity from other local congregations worldwide?<\/p>\n
Problem \u2013 Narrow Aims<\/strong><\/p>\nContemporary worship has had intimacy with God as its primary aim for the last twenty years or more, and we should never grow tired of drawing close to God. But isn\u2019t there more? How do we engage with a broader picture of who God is? How do we come to him with more of our emotions, needs and experiences?<\/p>\n
Possible solution \u2013 Rediscover different \u2018Movements\u2019 of Worship<\/strong><\/p>\nDo we need to turn back to some of the traditional \u2018movements\u2019 within corporate worship \u2013 gathering, praise, thanks, confession, intercession, lament, creed, testimony, communion, etc \u2013 and learn how to draw them into our worship life, expressing them through songs and other creative artforms?<\/p>\n
Problem \u2013 Lost connection with humanity<\/strong><\/p>\nIs worship a place where we leave our problems at the door, and lose contact with reality in wonder, love and praise, or is God interested in our whole lives? When does our worship embrace and celebrate our redeemed humanity? How can worship be a holistic experience of our bodies as well as our minds and souls?<\/p>\n
Possible solution \u2013 Multi-sensory<\/strong><\/p>\nCan we rediscover worship which engages with our tastebuds and sense of smell? Can we use more for the ears than a narrow range of music and spoken words? Can we create worship which paints a rich, varied visual picture of our God and his people? Can we put things into people\u2019s hands to touch, break and recreate?<\/p>\n
Problem \u2013 Inward Looking<\/strong><\/p>\nIs worship all about \u2018me and God\u2019, or does God engage with us as a corporate body? More pressing \u2013 how much of our worship engages with the community around our building, and the wider world which God so loves? Is our worship \u2018good news to the poor\u2019, is it grappling with the big global causes and issues, is it missional?<\/p>\n
Possible solution \u2013 Outward Looking (clever eh?)<\/strong><\/p>\nIs intercession seamlessly linked to our worship, or an add-on after everyone has sat down? Do we recognise the pain and suffering of our planet, and sing about God\u2019s heart for justice, equality, and restoration of this broken world? Do we sing the songs of the world church? Can we connect our worship with our missionary and evangelistic efforts?
\nOK, that\u2019s four to get you started. Your thoughts?<\/p>\n
Sam Hargreaves is co-founder of engageworship.org<\/a>. He will be blogging regularly for Musicademy and we’ll also be uploading some of EngageWorship’s great free resources each month.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We don\u2019t want to say it. It sounds like we\u2019re consumers, wanting more entertainment, and we know that\u2019s not the problem. Worse, it might sound like we\u2019re tired of God \u2013 when we know we\u2019ve only just scratched the surface of the infinitely creative, dynamically relational being he is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4108,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[302,303,148,149,308,307,304,306,305],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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