I felt like I could speak to this sentiment in a unique way. I worked as a paramedic for about seven years, so that analogy really connected with me. My current job is a staff director at a Bible camp. One of my roles includes leading the singing portion of our daily chapels. I also get to lead the signing at my local church about once a month. In thinking over the comparison and similarities, a few things stuck out to me:
1. People value the "treatment." 911 is called in emergency situations, and people arrive in the pews on Sunday morning in similar emergencies. They are seeking a spiritual equivalent in treatment for an injury or illness, but it's not seen trauma. It's unseen, but no less real. I think it's one of the reasons why attending church in person is still more popular than virtual services.
2. The "treatment" can also be a tool. During out teaching meetings this week, I have been reminding the staff at the Bible camp of a few functions of music. It is worship, certainly, but that's not all it is. Music can be used to exhort and teach as well (Eph. 5:19). Declaring the truth together is incredibly, and the repetition can also serve to lock things into our minds. "Sing the Bible" has songs that list the books of the bible as well as the ten commandments. My kids have these songs committed to memory and, by extension, the list of the books of the bible and the ten commandments. While not inheritnely "worship" music, these songs teach facts about the bible, which in medical terms, is kind of like a first aid manual.
3. The point. Worship leaders and pastors get to provide much needed treatment and support on Sundays. And they even have the opportunity to go a step further. They get to teach and remind their brothers and sisters of how to "treat" themselves. Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime. Sing a song over a congregant, encourage them for a day. Teach a congregant to sing, encourage them for a week.
Thanks for the reminder and encouragement, Andrew!
Thank you for your thoughts and insights. I have been struggling lately with this exact thing. I have recently decided to take a couple months break from participating in "church worship" to pray and seek His direction. Good to know others are uncomfortable in the direction these days. I have spent time lately writing music to some Psalms as well.
I really appreciate the language of medic (and how you go on to expand on the role as well). Honestly, it's easy for us as a worship team to go week to week with a "business as usual" mentality rather than really taking time to critically think beyond maybe the sermon topic for the week. We pray and listen to the Spirit, but we aren't asking critical questions like this in those moments of prayer. I'm curious what you think on how we use this focus as an interaction in our prayer lives as we spiritually prepare for sets as well?
I put this on your Facebook post, but since you asked to engage here, I'll post it here too.
This is really good, thank you Andrew. In my church, we do a confession and absolution every service, and one of the things I say as I lead that part is that it's really about being honest. Honest with ourselves, honest with each other, honest with God. Honest that we don't have it all together and we need forgiveness and healing that only God can give. God promises that he always responds to that honesty with love and forgiveness, so we don't have to be afraid. I hope that Christians will take that as a call to stop hiding their brokenness behind a mask of whatever they think a Christian is supposed to look like, and that anyone who isn't a Christian yet will hear that at this place we try to shed our hypocrisy.
Enjoying the thoughts and ideas as someone who has been following along with you for a long time! I remember seeing you “solo” with caedmons call at a student lounge at Pt Loma in San Diego around 2002!
This resonates in a big way for me. And I absolutely love the metaphor of medic over warrior for worship leading.
I coordinate worship for my a small country church where we mostly use old hymns, and the standard we set is basically to just focus on Jesus and God's grace a lot in the songs we pick, and to keep it as simple and gospel-centered as we can - without a lot of talking in between. The leadership is on the same page about not doing any patriotic/fight songs at any time, even on July 4 weekend, which I'm grateful for.
I think the primary reason we're able to do this has to do with how small our church is, and how many people are there who have problems in their lives that politics can't fix. The people that come to our church know they are broken and just want a place to hear about the God Who heals.
We don't really change our songs to cater to any one generation, because we're multi-generational. That's partly why we focus on Jesus and how He meets and exceeds our deepest needs the most, because that's the area of direct unity. When we sing more modern songs, they're ones like Jesus Strong and Kind (which the kid's choir taught us all a few years back) and He Will Hold Me Fast, which man, you should hear those old folks belt it out on that one.
I guess I worry, even as someone in a younger (millennial) generation, about the time when our pastor retires (5ish years, probably) that we would get someone my age who wanted to push for promoting the church instead of faithfully preach the Gospel and serve the congregants. I've been in large-scale churches where that push has been the first step to decline, because what sells today is not Jesus, and definitely not minding your own business and working with your hands, but outrage and high violence and using religion to further your ambitions. That way lies further decline.
I don’t have a good comment yet, other than to say “YES.” Beautifully said and received. WOW. I’ll be thinking and will write back. There is so much to say here.
I felt like I could speak to this sentiment in a unique way. I worked as a paramedic for about seven years, so that analogy really connected with me. My current job is a staff director at a Bible camp. One of my roles includes leading the singing portion of our daily chapels. I also get to lead the signing at my local church about once a month. In thinking over the comparison and similarities, a few things stuck out to me:
1. People value the "treatment." 911 is called in emergency situations, and people arrive in the pews on Sunday morning in similar emergencies. They are seeking a spiritual equivalent in treatment for an injury or illness, but it's not seen trauma. It's unseen, but no less real. I think it's one of the reasons why attending church in person is still more popular than virtual services.
2. The "treatment" can also be a tool. During out teaching meetings this week, I have been reminding the staff at the Bible camp of a few functions of music. It is worship, certainly, but that's not all it is. Music can be used to exhort and teach as well (Eph. 5:19). Declaring the truth together is incredibly, and the repetition can also serve to lock things into our minds. "Sing the Bible" has songs that list the books of the bible as well as the ten commandments. My kids have these songs committed to memory and, by extension, the list of the books of the bible and the ten commandments. While not inheritnely "worship" music, these songs teach facts about the bible, which in medical terms, is kind of like a first aid manual.
3. The point. Worship leaders and pastors get to provide much needed treatment and support on Sundays. And they even have the opportunity to go a step further. They get to teach and remind their brothers and sisters of how to "treat" themselves. Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime. Sing a song over a congregant, encourage them for a day. Teach a congregant to sing, encourage them for a week.
Thanks for the reminder and encouragement, Andrew!
My goodness, Nathaniel. This is POWERFUL. Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you for your thoughts and insights. I have been struggling lately with this exact thing. I have recently decided to take a couple months break from participating in "church worship" to pray and seek His direction. Good to know others are uncomfortable in the direction these days. I have spent time lately writing music to some Psalms as well.
In His Grip.
I really appreciate the language of medic (and how you go on to expand on the role as well). Honestly, it's easy for us as a worship team to go week to week with a "business as usual" mentality rather than really taking time to critically think beyond maybe the sermon topic for the week. We pray and listen to the Spirit, but we aren't asking critical questions like this in those moments of prayer. I'm curious what you think on how we use this focus as an interaction in our prayer lives as we spiritually prepare for sets as well?
I put this on your Facebook post, but since you asked to engage here, I'll post it here too.
This is really good, thank you Andrew. In my church, we do a confession and absolution every service, and one of the things I say as I lead that part is that it's really about being honest. Honest with ourselves, honest with each other, honest with God. Honest that we don't have it all together and we need forgiveness and healing that only God can give. God promises that he always responds to that honesty with love and forgiveness, so we don't have to be afraid. I hope that Christians will take that as a call to stop hiding their brokenness behind a mask of whatever they think a Christian is supposed to look like, and that anyone who isn't a Christian yet will hear that at this place we try to shed our hypocrisy.
Enjoying the thoughts and ideas as someone who has been following along with you for a long time! I remember seeing you “solo” with caedmons call at a student lounge at Pt Loma in San Diego around 2002!
This resonates in a big way for me. And I absolutely love the metaphor of medic over warrior for worship leading.
I coordinate worship for my a small country church where we mostly use old hymns, and the standard we set is basically to just focus on Jesus and God's grace a lot in the songs we pick, and to keep it as simple and gospel-centered as we can - without a lot of talking in between. The leadership is on the same page about not doing any patriotic/fight songs at any time, even on July 4 weekend, which I'm grateful for.
I think the primary reason we're able to do this has to do with how small our church is, and how many people are there who have problems in their lives that politics can't fix. The people that come to our church know they are broken and just want a place to hear about the God Who heals.
We don't really change our songs to cater to any one generation, because we're multi-generational. That's partly why we focus on Jesus and how He meets and exceeds our deepest needs the most, because that's the area of direct unity. When we sing more modern songs, they're ones like Jesus Strong and Kind (which the kid's choir taught us all a few years back) and He Will Hold Me Fast, which man, you should hear those old folks belt it out on that one.
I guess I worry, even as someone in a younger (millennial) generation, about the time when our pastor retires (5ish years, probably) that we would get someone my age who wanted to push for promoting the church instead of faithfully preach the Gospel and serve the congregants. I've been in large-scale churches where that push has been the first step to decline, because what sells today is not Jesus, and definitely not minding your own business and working with your hands, but outrage and high violence and using religion to further your ambitions. That way lies further decline.
I don’t have a good comment yet, other than to say “YES.” Beautifully said and received. WOW. I’ll be thinking and will write back. There is so much to say here.