Music: How it Impacts Church Shopping
It would be hard to talk about observing worship services without addressing music. Most people associate worship with music, but are the two really the same thing?
Music is worship, but is worship music?
When it comes to worship services, music is often one of the first things people think about. As one of the central practices throughout the service, it brings everyone together in adoration of God. In fact, according to James White, “Christians have found music a vital means of expression for their acts of worship1.” However, Gerado Marti, Professor of Sociology at Davidson College argues that “many church leaders are quick to point out that “music” and “worship” are not synonymous terms…Worship includes prayer and preaching, an alternation between noise and silence, and many [services] include connecting with others and “fellowshipping” as part of worship2.” Its easy for people to forget that worship includes so much more than musical praise. However, music, in particular, is a powerful means in which people connect with God and one another. as “[it] is used to organize people in [worship] service[s] for how to understand themselves and each other3.” While music is certainly not the entirety of the worship experience, it remains significant week after week.
The Significance of Congregational Singing and Participatory Worship
What makes music so central to people’s worship experiences? Part of it has to do with the social action of worship itself. Robert Webber argues that “singing together is a mysterious form of communication that helps us to truly experience the presence of God and his transforming power that means healing and restoration through Christ4.” This experience varies from church to church. With different styles of music and different expectations for participation, many would try to make the argument that the music is simply another aspect of an individual church’s culture. However, “Worship music is not “a part of” the culture of a church or “embedded within” the culture of the church. Music is a practice. Music does not add to the community of a congregation; it is, in the moment it is done, the community of a congregation as it continues to move forward in life as a whole. Music is a performative element that actively engages the community in its very existence. Music not only engages our emotions; music involves physicality.5” When we participate in worship, we are engaging our whole being in the experience. The act of singing and being apart of something bigger than ourselves is what makes it so impactful. Indeed, “Music and song are among the most powerful instruments of the Spirit in worship because they are nonverbal ways of approaching mystery. A relationship with God has a highly mysterious and non cognitive side to it…By returning music and sound to the people, we invite them into a personal participatory journey of relationship with God6.”
Diverse Styles of Worship Music
Traditional and Contemporary: both familiar words that are used universally to describe worship services on a large scale. The issue is, its very had to pinpoint exactly what these terms mean. The fact of the matter is, a worship service (either traditional or contemporary) will look different everywhere you go. Churches will typically choose to either stick with one type of worship service, or to offer multiple. But these “Choices of style in services are often one of appeasing and not offending…[measured] in terms of quality, musical excellence, loudness, appropriateness, and godliness-sacredness7.” Some churches are married to the idea of only offering one type of worship service, claiming that multiple types of worship services leads to conflict within the congregation. Meanwhile, other churches choose to offer multiple types of worship experiences, claiming that they are trying to reach multiple types of people. While there is no set definition of either type of worship, the trends of both have established their lasting impact. To learn about these different styles of music, click here.
When choosing a church, the style of music should not be the single deciding factor. However, it is important to recognize that “when members commit to a congregation, they come to accept the music as a part of that congregation11.”
Music in every church looks a little different. As visitors and church shoppers, it often gives you a good feel of the church in their worship expression. But be very careful in using worship music as a unit of measurement in your church search. Churches “are told that it is now worship style that attracts or repels visitors. And so, conversely, the success or failure of church growth has been placed squarely on [the worship leaders] shoulders. If churches are going to become diverse, and therefore “successful,” it will be up to worship leaders and music directors to lead the way12.” As a result of this notion, some churches cater their worship experience towards their visitors. This becomes problematic once visitors turn into regular attendees. If a church is worrying more about bringing in visitors and newcomers, chances are they are thinking less and less about the people who are already in attendance.
While music is a central figure in worship services, its important to remember that “learning to worship has much to do with moving away from simply focusing on music and words to opening oneself to experiencing the broader social happenings in the room13.” In terms of the next page in Navigating Church Shopping, this means looking at the size of the church and the amount of people in the worship space on a given Sunday.
1. White, James F. Introduction to Christian Worship. Abingdon Press. pg. 20.
2. Marti, Gerardo. Worship across the Racial Divide: Religious Music and the Multiracial Congregation. Oxford University Press, 2012. pg. 79.
3. Marti, Gerardo. Worship across the Racial Divide: Religious Music and the Multiracial Congregation. Oxford University Press, 2012. pg. 204.
4. Webber, Robert E. The New Worship Awakening: What’s Old Is New Again. Hendrickson Publishers, 2007. pg. 46.
5. Marti, Gerardo. Worship across the Racial Divide: Religious Music and the Multiracial Congregation. Oxford University Press, 2012. pg. 201.
6. Webber, Robert. Renew Your Worship: a Study in the Blending of Traditional and Contemporary Worship. Hendrickson Publishers, 2001. pg. 116.
7. Marti, Gerardo. Worship across the Racial Divide: Religious Music and the Multiracial Congregation. Oxford University Press, 2012. pg. 122.
8. Webber, Robert. Renew Your Worship: a Study in the Blending of Traditional and Contemporary Worship. Hendrickson Publishers, 2001. pg. 45.
9. Marti, Gerardo. Worship across the Racial Divide: Religious Music and the Multiracial Congregation. Oxford University Press, 2012. pg. 11-12.
10. Witvliet, John D. Worship Seeking Understanding: Windows into Christian Practice. Baker Academic, 2003. pg. 259.
11. Marti, Gerardo. Worship across the Racial Divide: Religious Music and the Multiracial Congregation. Oxford University Press, 2012. pg. 93.
12. Marti, Gerardo. Worship across the Racial Divide: Religious Music and the Multiracial Congregation. Oxford University Press, 2012. pg. 5.
13. Marti, Gerardo. Worship across the Racial Divide: Religious Music and the Multiracial Congregation. Oxford University Press, 2012. pg. 85.