GK Music Workshop

Home

Some thoughts and observations gained from
Graham Kendrick’s Music Workshop 6^th July 2002 at Greenlane Christian Centre.

Worship is more than singing. It is a state of the heart.
As church leaders, our main ministry is to encourage people to give their whole lives as an act of worship and singing and music is just one expression of this.
Neither the service nor the music should dominate but each should complement the other and each should be Spirit- filled . Music done for its’ own sake becomes entertainment or a show and as such is no longer worship.
When the music is all band-driven, or choir-driven or singer-driven, you turn people into spectators and consumers and evaluators. They are distanced from what is happening and become critical spectators.
People need to ENGAGE. The music is a tool to enable worship by the whole body. As such question why you are doing what you are doing. What are the motives behind your music and examine the theology of your music. "Let all things be done for edification" ie " edify " to build up the house of God, to build up the whole body of Christ.
Beware of the traps to be found in worship: consumerism; individualism; world’s culture. The excellence to be found in worship is not performance based but in its’ ability to enable, facilitate a connection between God and His people.
There is always a healthy tension between being relevant to the world, culturally sensitive and not "conformed to the world".
Never lose sight of the WE the corporate body life. We think of worship as our individual response to God and while there is an element of that, worship is a corporate activity which links us with Christians everywhere, all of creation and all of the angels. It is through Jesus Christ that we have the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit prays within us and it is the Holy Spirit through which we worship God also. This is Grace of God that through Jesus Christ we are able to worship with the angels. It’s a big picture thing, not just our little personal agenda. We need to embrace the Trinitarian approach to worship ie worship the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit.
Worship is truly about obedience to the Father . Worship which costs nothing is worthless. Thus in our times of worship we must give people an opportunity to give of themselves. We cannot do it for them, we can only facilitate the process.
"Sing me your songs and I will tell you your theology." Charles Wesley’s hymns are ‘lyrical theology’. Our songs should be packages of teaching. Today the most influential theologians are the song writers. If the music is accessible, you have a wonderful opportunity to teach theology. So we see that the style of the modern praise songs are based on the pop songs with three elements: motion, emotion, notion. That is the beat, the feeling and the knowledge imparted. Be discerning about the third element.
Throughout the Church’s History, whole movements in teaching were carried through the music/songs/ hymns.
We must note Ephesians 5: 15ff in conjunction with Colossians 3:12ff, let our songs of praise be filled with the Spirit and filled with the Word. There is a critical balance of Spirit and Word and both must be present.
Let us ask ourselves honestly, What are our songs teaching? Are they worthy?

C. Braatvedt