Voices, Week 5- Guest Speaker John McCollum
I Will Go Starfield
Solution Hillsong
For Your Name Hillsong
Mighty to Save Hillsong
Tell the World Hillsong
Set List 7.22.12
I Surrender
This song isn't coming this week or anything, but probably soon in our church. It's off Hillsong's new album, "Cornerstone" - pick it up on iTunes. For now- let it bless you. Press in, my friends.
Set List 7.1.12
Voices, Week 2- "Vision for Students," Matt Simon speaker
My Future Decided Hillsong
We Rejoice Elevation
With Us Hillsong
One Thing Remains Jesus Culture
Mighty to Save Hillsong
Fair Fighting
"When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I'll like it or not. Disagreement, at this stage, stimulates me. But once a decision has been made, the debate ends. From that point on, loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own."
- Colin Powell
A "Next Step." Looking to help, looking to lead.
In comprising worship services for the church, and selecting songs, there is a balance and tension between the practical and the ideal.
That is, where we are versus what we could be.
Here's an example: I visited another church one time for a prayer service- this church was at the time experiencing great growth and revival. After worship, we sat down, and an associate proceeded to preach from Hebrews. The entire book. In one sitting.
The nerd that I am, I liked it. The group I was with became so bored several got up and left.
This isn't to say that its "more spiritual" to preach through all of Hebrews in one sitting. Thats neither here nor there. However, it's valuable to nurture ourselves to become well-rounded for the sake of depth and enabling experience.
By "enabling experience," I'm referring to ways of doing things that are rich and deep that folks would be unaware of if they had not experienced it before. We want the church to be able to worship in different ways at different times.
Most songs that seem to "work" may tend to be as follows: 4 minutes, verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus. Top 40-esque.
Some of my favorites fall into that category. Nothing wrong with them.
We want to nurture the church to be able to have songs "work" for them that may have more dynamic range, and be a bit more abstract in sections. "Woah's" in the below song are not meant to be unintelligible or reduce singing our theology (not much theology in a "woah"), but it may create an environment where the heart and spirit "sing" in a different way. Where not all "singing" is matching what the lead singer is doing at the time. Where prayerful verbal worship comes out. I don't care if you are singing the "woah's" with us. My heart is that in that environment, you'd get lost in Jesus. That where you are, you'd sing your own song. Go ahead, watch the video- but don't be too quick to dismiss as emotionalism or frenzy. Look deeper at the heart there, and what else we could have.
At Western Reserve, you may have noticed we're doing more hymns recently, and worship respose songs tend to be very scriptural and deep lyrically- but you'll also notice songs we're doing like "With Everything," below. It's to nurture, to equip- a "next step."
We don't go the full 11 minutes. Doesn't matter.
It's good for us to have anthems that follow an unusual map, that have musical interludes where the church can worship expressing their own gratitude and ascribe glory from where they are. To get lost in the majesty of Jesus...
That's our heart. That's the WHY behind a song like this. Listen to the lyrics... they are so pure... full of surrender, desire for Jesus and His Kingdom...
Church, listen: you are free.
Set List 6.17.12
Go Hillsong
My Future Decided Hillsong
Stronger Hillsong
Savior King Hillsong
Preaching to the Choir
The complaints about music, production, and the like I/we should get at our church, at our size, is astronomical- however, I get less complaints here than any church I've been at in the past. This church is also 10x the size of those former places. Church music is a very controversial subject, especially with our style.
Here are a few reasons why it is different here:
1) Pastor Jason's leadership. He leads the way with this; fights battles and sets precedence so I don't have to. That's what a real leader does. For example, check out 15 min. into his sermon June 3. He's set a culture which I walked in to. Any leadership I have done with this has been on the foundation of his. If this isn't true in your church, you're done. Jay-Hay has done it right, I see that, and I'll defend him any day.
2) The People of WR: WR is a special group of people. For real. I've been conversing with a family man at our church recently who is early 40s, successful, and a bit more conservative than me. I flat out asked him how satisfied he was with the music at our church, if he felt "taken care of," and if he felt he could invite his peers with confidence. My heart wasn't political, I really do care- I want to pastor, take care of him. His response was wonderful, and showed what kind of a guy he really is- he felt taken care of, and yes could invite peers, but also that "you could look around and see people worshipping, and that was the litmus test. Keep doing what you're doing." In other words, to him, it wasn't about him. That's a mature response. I like it.
3) "On Mission" Mindset: The church needs to be inclusive, not exclusive. How long you've attended or how much money you give doesn't add to your "rights;" if anything, it minimizes them. Why? Because as leadership increases, your "rights" go down. It's more about responsibility and looking to provide for others. If we want to reach people who have never been reached, we need to do things no one else will do. Church music is not only about the present church, it's very much evangelical. Looking out. Creating an experience where not-yet-saved can be drawn in. Don't believe me? Read 1 Cor. 14.
As a pat-on-the-back to our church (not a corrective), here's a section from what I consider a classic: Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren. I've probably read it 20x. Have fun with this church history:
"Throughout church history, great theologians have put God's truth to the music style of their day. The tune of Martin Luther's 'A Mighty Fortress is our God' is borrwed from a popular song of his day. (Today, Luther would probably be borrowing tunes from the local karaoke bar.) Charles Wesley used several popular tunes from the taverns and opera houses in England. John Calvin hired two secular songwriters of his day to put his theology to music. The Queen of England was so incensed by these 'vulgar tunes' that she derisively referred to them as Calvin's 'Geneva jigs'!
Songs that we now consider sacred classics were once criticized as today's contemporary Christian music. When 'Silent Night' was first published, George Weber, music director of hte Mainz Cathedral, called it 'vulgar mischief and void of all religious and Christian feelings.' Charles Spurgeon, the great English Pastor, despised the same songs we now revere.
One of our weaknesses as evangelicals is that we don't know our church history. Because of this, we begin confusing our current traditions with orthodoxy. Many of the methods and tools we use in churches today such as hymn singing, pianos, pipe organs, altar calls, and Sunday school were once considered worldly and even heretical... I guess that is why Spurgeon called his music ministry 'the War Department!"
Thank you Western Reserve for not making the music ministry "the War Department." Lack of selfishness enables us to be on mission.
