Bored with Worship?

I never know whether it's worth bothering re-posting a link from Jonny Baker - I mean doesn't everyone read his blog anyway?!  But this is interestingt - an article from Musicademy.com... funny how things come around, but it seems even some of those most aligned with "Praise and Worship" culture are realising that something isn't right!  They respond to an interview with Joel Edwards (Evangelical Alliance) where he says...

There is something about the charismatic movement which brought something new and fresh. It came out of something new God was doing.

I am thirsty for something new again. I have to confess to you that mostly on a Sunday morning I am bored! And I wonder if one of the reasons why people are not singing is because they too are bored.

It may be a good thing to discover what you would write down if you spent two months noting what songs are sung on a Sunday morning. I cannot believe that so much of our repertoire has become so narrow. So predictable. That the formation of what we do on a Sunday is so utterly predictable. And I think to myself, how come the God who has formed the constellations and put the stars in place and has a new idea every second, doesn’t have something new for us for a Sunday morning? I wonder whether he might not be vaguely bored too.

They identify 6 problems and possible solutions (below) - this is a great conversation IMHO but it also sticks in the throat a little when you remember some of the criticism aimed those asking these questions 20 years ago... but, hey!

Problem – Predictable, Consumerist
Possible solution – Indigenous Creativity

Problem – Narrow Aims
Possible solution – Rediscover different ‘Movements’ of Worship

Problem – Lost connection with humanity
Possible solution – Multi-sensory

Problem – Inward Looking
Possible solution – Outward Looking

Mark Brewer's comment is encouraging...

As a musician I am more worried about the state of the church than I am about the state of christian music. Unfortunately God is asking his people to wake up and smell the coffee rather than sleepwalking through our maintainance schedules as we currently seem to be doing. Music springs from our culture. Same old springs from same old.Vibrant new expressions of musical worship will spring from vibrant new expressions of church. Relevant songs spring from relevant incarnation. A church that only invites people to join what they are doing rather than going into all the world is a poor image of Christ.

Technorati Tags: alt.worship: Christianity: Church: Culture: Worship

Comments

[Chris Goan]

Amen!
(He says in a non-liturgical if Christian jargonese kind of way!)

Someone once described worship to me as 'The cultural carrier of faith and theology'. If that is true, then I wonder what comes first, the changes to church or new ways to invigorate worship?

Cheers Mark

Chris