A Post For Pastors and Music Leaders To Consider

James Smith:

1. If we, the congregation, can’t hear ourselves, it’s not worship.

2. If we, the congregation, can’t sing along, it’s not worship.

3. If you, the praise band, are the center of attention, it’s not worship.

He also writes:

Please consider these points carefully and recognize what I am not saying. This isn’t just some plea for “traditional” worship and a critique of “contemporary” worship. Don’t mistake this as a defense of pipe organs and a critique of guitars and drums (or banjos and mandolins). My concern isn’t with style, but with form: What are we trying to do when we “lead worship?” If we are intentional about worship as a communal, congregational practice that brings us into a dialogical encounter with the living God–that worship is not merely expressive but also formative–then we can do that with cellos or steel guitars, pipe organs or African drums.

Read the rest.

Personally, I would add some qualifiers to this article but in general I think it provides a very helpful means for discussion.  Keep in mind that the three bullet points above will be answered differently by different people.  There are no hard and fast rules for evaluation of those items in your local context.  From church to church it will look different and we should be ok with that.

(HT:  Denny Burk)