Do you ever wonder why people don't participate in worship the way you would like them to? Have you ever been in a service where it was hard to
worship? Do you know why? If the music is not distracting, and the style of music is to your liking, there should be no reason why you can't worship right?
If I came to your church tomorrow, I could put together two different worship services, and one would have more participation than the other. If I knew a little about your churches background, and had a songlist of the songs your people do, I could plan the two services so that one would have people singing out loud and the other, they would stand there frustrated and lost. You know what the answer is. You know how I could do this, and yet each week worship leaders around the country face this very problem.
Familiarity is the key to good worship participation. If you don't believe me, try throwing together songs that no one knows during a service. See how much singing and participation there is. Then, try using songs that everyone knows and you will see the difference. Simple, and yet I am guilty of it on a weekly basis. Partly because I want to sing the new songs. I get hooked on songs that I've listened to for months before anyone else hears them. I know them and can worship with them. The problem arises when I fail to put the people in the middle of my planning. The worship team may get tired of doing the same songs over and over, but keep in mind, they may sing a song for months before you use it in worship. When it gets to the people, it may begin to get old with the worship team. It's a hard balance to maintain. Also, there
may be someone who is new to your church and doesn't know the songs yet. The influx of new people on a regular basis only adds to the frustration.
Experiencing Worship, The Study
Used by churches all over the world to help teach worship, the Experiencing Worship study can help your worship team too.
Your team will learn why we worship and gain a better understanding of how to worship.
One user said..."Your 5 week study course has made a tremendous impact on my life in the study of worship... I would like to express my thanks for a well written study course that leads into a higher realm of praise and worship."
Experiencing Worship, The Study