SoulThirst

Having read Marva Dawn's
Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for the Turn-of-the-Century Culture, I've started to write up a "practical reflection" on the content she presents, specifically as it applies to worship in a youth group setting.

While Dawn's book is very insightful, profound, and correct (in my opinion) I nevertheless must concede to its relative "inaccessibility" to the non-academic layperson (that was not meant as an insult, only to say that the book has a definite academic angle to it). Specifically, most church worship leaders (who are not trained theologians nor do they have a lot of time on their hands) who read the book, assuming they have the time to, will find it difficult to apply her concepts and points in a concrete manner that people can accept.

One thing I've learned in ministry, is that diplomacy (i.e. how you communicate an idea, concept, vision, etc.) is just as important- perhaps even more so, initially- as the content itself. Marva Dawn is right that worship in most churches is in need of reformation or at least evaluation. However, trying to convince your worship leader that his or her beloved songs & beloved styles need re-tooling is a potentially messy process. What I've started working on then, is taking the content, synthesizing it with the practical ministry needs, and finding a way to express the content in a "digestable" form (without dumbing it down, as it were).

A hint on church diplomacy: People usually react against someone telling them that ______ is the right way to go, or that their way is in error. As a matter of fact, very seldom did Jesus teach and correct in that manner; he used parables and he used examples. The wonderful thing about a parable is that the meaning and its applications are discovered, not imposed: "he who has ears, let him hear." In addressing sensitive matters, the best way to approach it is to ask questions- pointed, good questions. First you present your observations, the needs, etc. But before you offer critique or suggestions, ask questions that help point your audience in your direction; for example:
- What do you think is good about our worship? What needs improvement?
- What are the core values of our theology of worship?
- How do you think we are doing in communicating those values?
Granted, those are very very general questions. But they are starting points, and based on the answers, you can steer the discussion from that point; more so than you can if you simply "tell them straight out."

Anyway, so as I finish my reworkings/applications of Dawn's book, I'll post snipits of it here.

Another resource I'll recommend is to go to Crosswalk.com and sign up for their Worship Matters e-mail column. Worship Matters is written weekly by Bob Kauflin, director of Sovereign Grace ministries worship ministry, and worship pastor of Covenant Life Church in Maryland. Incidentally, CovLife is where I attend when I am back in Maryland; their worship is quite well thought out and practiced (both theologically and musically).

So enjoy, and check back often for my take on the worship culture in our churches.

posted by Andy Chang @ 12:22 PM