More often than not, “partnering in missions,” means small churches give what little money they think they can afford to a larger church or a missions sending agency that will handle mobilization, screening, indoctrination, training, sending, and maintenance of missionaries on the field. This is not “partnering,” it’s outsourcing.

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The Counterintuitive Church (pt.6, Impractical Worship)

Posted April 6th, 2009 by Ernest

PREVIOUSLY: What’s Wrong With Pragmatism?

The majority of evangelical churches don’t pray prayers written by someone else. Sure there’s the occasional St. Francis quote, or a Puritan prayer used in a responsive reading, but for the most part, we like to pray more personal prayers that express a personal sentiment. Yet when it comes to worship through music, how many churches sing songs they’ve written?

Is it okay to outsource the message, language, and composition of your worship to Matt Redman (or Chris Tomlin, or David Crowder)? What about the preaching? There are countless “resources” available to expand and facilitate our ministries. We outsource these basic functions of the church because it just makes sense. The quality is better. It’s easier. It’s practical. But there’s a problem:

Quality, ease and practicality aren’t Kingdom values.

People who don’t make their own stuff soon forget how. We value things more when we know what goes in to creating them. Worship is not singing (someone else’s) songs in a heart-felt manner. It’s a posture, an attitude, a natural result of interaction with the Most High. Music is a great medium for that. It’s a powerful spiritual thing that can teach, unify, sober, excite, comfort, inspire… well, you get the idea.

So the Impractical Church writes its own worship music. Their worship time might not be as polished or professional as the new Passion City Church’s, but they’re okay with that. Polish and professionalism aren’t Kingdom values, either. Sincere hearts, clear consciences, and confidence in faith are. If an Impractical Church doesn’t have any musically-inclined people, they learn. Or, they find other ways to express their adoration of God. Even if it’s messy, the important thing is that the people of God learn how to worship in Spirit and in Truth.

NEXT: Impractical Spaces

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4 Responses to “The Counterintuitive Church (pt.6, Impractical Worship)”

  • Alan Cross Says:
    April 6th, 2009 at 8:45 am

    Outstanding. I was a worship leader (among other things) before I became lead pastor or whatever, and I wrote some of my own music. But, it was really hard to play it and get the congregation to sing it. No one ever said this, but I was hindered by the thought of “Who do I think I am trying to get people to sing songs that I have written?” I was worried that people would think that I was prideful? How stupid is that? I think that in trying to be humble and not assert ourselves, we end up stifling creativity for the sake of sameness, so we sing Chris Tomlin songs incessantly. Again, stupid.

    Thanks for these thoughts. Believe or not, evangelicals need permission to be ourselves and feel like we might be pleasing God in the process.

  • stepchild Says:
    April 7th, 2009 at 11:38 am

    Alan,
    Thanks for your comment. I didn’t realize you had been a worship leader. I think you’re right about the spirit of timidity we have about certain things. I usually struggle with the whole “who am I to be doing this? thing, too.

    Evangelicals needing permission… that’s a great concept.

  • Watchman Says:
    April 8th, 2009 at 2:36 pm

    stepchile,

    you are reading my mail, no? is there any way we can dialogue on these matters? your last post was eerily deja vu.

    watchman

  • stepchild Says:
    April 9th, 2009 at 7:07 am

    Watchman,
    Sure, let’s talk. Send me an email!
    ernest(dot)goodman(at)gmail(dot)com
    Always pleased to hear that God might be talking to someone else about the same things he’s saying to me…

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