Bumper Guards for Creativity in Worship
For many of us, when we think of creativity in the worship service our minds are instantly flooded with cringey memories or perhaps Instagram reels of “worship fails.” Lyrics promoting spiritual disciplines set to the melody of a Michael Jackson song, clips of superhero movies, acrobats being lowered from the ceiling. So we think “if this is what creativity means, no thank you.”
But are we in danger of throwing out the baby with the bathwater? To be clear, creativity is not necessary for a God-glorifying and body-edifying worship service. Creativity should serve a supporting, not primary role. But that doesn’t mean it has no value. Creativity is like salt. Too little and the meal is lackluster. Too much and it overpowers everything. But with the appropriate use of salt, it draws attention to the flavor of the meal, not to itself. You don’t respond with “this is the best salt I’ve ever had!” No, you rave to your friends and family about how good the meal was.
How is this to be done? How should we think about creativity in the worship service and strike a balance between championing the content (God) without the tail (creativity) wagging the dog? Creative expression will look different at different churches based on many factors. Talent, culture, conscience, time, budget, etc. But while the artistic expressions are never the same in two places (nor should they be), I believe there are some universal (good for every church) principles that can
help guide the use of God-given gifts
release us from the copy/paste culture of church worship services, ironically the antithesis of creativity
foster a healthy culture of informed creativity that magnifies the Lord
While music is often the first thing that comes to mind when “creativity” and “worship service” are used in the same sentence, we are not just talking about music in the worship service. Rather, “creativity in the worship service” is meant to embody all of the elements used in the creative process of crafting a worship service, or “liturgy” if you prefer. This includes but is not limited to prayer, scripture reading, video, slides, background music, design of the space, lighting, etc. When reading through the following categories, spend time thinking about how the principles could be applied in all these areas (and more!) as opposed to defaulting to music.
FOCUSING AND GUIDING, NOT DISTRACTING
When you visit an art museum, you go to see one thing: the art. Within the museum there are tour guides whose sole purpose is to draw your attention to the art on display and help you better understand and appreciate it. While leading the congregation in corporate worship, there should be something of a museum tour guide feel to it. We want our people to see God. We want them to draw their eyes to specific truths about God, to ponder His character, to be reminded of his deeds, to appreciate, love, and glorify all that He is. Our hearts and minds are prone to wander. They need a regular resetting and restating of what is primary; of what is worthy of praise.
Where the museum analogy falls woefully short is that unlike art installations where we are merely observers and/or consumers, God invites us to interact with Him. To hear from Him through His Word and the Holy Spirit and to speak back to Him in prayer and our actions. To sing and rejoice and dance and clap and weep and pray and cry out. Our lives poured out as artistic expressions of praise to Him. We are calling people to behold the God of the Bible and respond accordingly. The more accurate (biblical) our presentation of God, the better we equip our people to respond rightly, in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
This guiding of the focus of the congregation includes being careful not to draw attention to things that would be a distraction. If there are distractions that detract from the congregation’s ability to behold God and His glory, work to remove and/or improve those things. This can be anything from eliminating that weird smell in the worship center to training the slides person to advance slides in a smooth and helpful way so that people aren’t thinking “wow, another wrong slide.”
CLARIFYING, NOT OBFUSCATING
We’ve all seen a piece of art and wondered, “What is going on? I have no idea what the artist is trying to say.” Thinking the best of the artist, perhaps the inspiration was so big and grand that in trying to cram it all into one artistic expression all understandability was lost. We serve a God that is infinite in all His characteristics. How easy it is to become overwhelmed by Him! But this is where the skill of the worship leader comes into play. You may have heard it said that a way to know if you’ve mastered a subject is if you can explain it to a child. I’m not suggesting that we can master the subject of God, but God has revealed Himself in ways that can be understood by a child. God has given us an entire book of examples of how to communicate His goodness and perfection in His Word. Use biblical metaphors and references. When using illustrations, be careful they don’t wander too far into the realm of the philosophical, untethered to any clear biblical passage or theme. If the sentence starts with “I like to think of God as,” stop. Using clear, biblical language will raise the waters of biblical fluency in your church without your people even realizing it.
It is sometimes helpful to remember the old adage “less is more.” Much like a preacher must make decisions on what to keep in his sermon and what to leave out (to more clearly communicate the main point of the passage while simultaneously remaining faithful to the text), so must the worship leader make wise decisions regarding what to highlight and what to leave for a future Sunday. Make the transition sentence tighter in scope, choose a shorter video that is more clear and concise, repeat a chorus that highlights the main point instead of adding another song. Focus on one or two themes instead of seven. We as sinful human beings need no help in making it difficult to see God clearly. We look through a glass dimly at the best of times. Artistry should not muddy the waters, rather, we should be polishing the panes of glass through which we behold God so that He can be seen as clearly as possible this side of glory.
DELIBERATE, NOT CHAOTIC
Artistry can (and some would say should) include elements of serendipitous praise as led by the Holy Spirit. This is not wrong and with a proper biblical framework is rightly encouraged while being informed by the context. The Bible gives helpful guidelines in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40 which speaks clearly to our God being a God of order. By definition, He is not chaotic. To have a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach to the worship service, especially if the worship leader is inexperienced, can unhelpfully represent God in a way that is inconsistent with His character and wrongly represents Him to the congregation. Instead, having a service thoughtfully designed while at the same time leaving room for the Spirit to work in the moment seems more in line with biblical principles, represents God more accurately, and is a more loving way to serve your congregation.
INCLUSIVE, NOT EXCLUSIVE
There are so many things to decide when arranging music. For example: in choosing what key to play a song in there are many factors to consider. Different lead voices have different ranges with varying sweet spots. Different instruments sound better in different keys. Songs as a whole have a completely different feel played in G compared to Eb compared to B. When chasing tone and trying to make all these elements work with one another, the congregation can easily become Mr. Irrelevant, all but forgotten in the decision-making process. If the order of processes is out of whack, songs quickly become impossible to sing for those with an average vocal range, and singing in church becomes an exclusive club enjoyed only by those in possession of the Mariah Carey super whistle.
By all means, chase tone, work to make the song work for the tools and people God has given your church music team. Work hard to make the music sound as good as possible. But do so within the parameters of what your average attender can keep up with. Start with a realistic vocal range and tweak from there. If your congregation struggles with irregular time signatures, either don’t use them or adjust the arrangement to make it easier to follow. If they can’t get the syncopated timing of a melody line, teach it to them until they can get it or smooth it out. If your congregation can’t do the octave jump in the melody, reassess if that song is worth keeping in your catalog.
Prioritize the congregation being able to hear one another while singing. If their voices are completely drowned out, we shrink the power of the lone clear command we have in the New Testament regarding music, Colossians 3:16 to be together, “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” We are to sing truths to one another. There is a bonding, encouraging aspect to this we would be wise to promote rather than smother. Sunday mornings are a unique opportunity for our people to be in the same room with people that believe the same things, hold onto the same promises, and process the world in the same ways. Singing the truths that bind our hearts together to one another has a “building up the body” utility that is often overlooked. The message is not to prescribe turning the amps down to 1.5 or to cap your noise level at a certain decibel level. Perhaps it’s just that your congregation needs to be encouraged to sing louder by teaching them (over and over) the importance of singing to one another in addition to singing to God.
Don’t use just the “professionals” of your church. We are a royal priesthood. Have Sally read scripture, have Jeff lead a prayer. Yeah Rebekah isn’t our best drummer but she keeps the beat and isn’t distracting, let’s give her opportunities to serve and grow. Create guidelines and have clear expectations around the different elements and how they are to be carried out, but include the people of the church. We are in this together, all sinners with the same level of need for a Savior, saved by the same gospel, serving the same King. The benefits of incorporating the whole church, such as emphasizing that the church is for everyone instead of just a place for the polished, cleaned up professional Christians, outweigh the periodic awkward pronunciation of a word or a transition that isn’t quite as smooth as the lead pastor would have done it. It’s like putting the first scratch on the brand new car. Everyone breathes easier and is more comfortable.
APPROACHABLE, NOT ESOTERIC
Bible believing and preaching churches commendably have a high view of God, this is good and right. But praise be to God that He has revealed Himself to us in a way that is accessible to all men, not closed off to a select few with multiple degrees and a vocabulary as deep as the Mariana Trench. Because of this, we should use language that every-man can understand, as the Bible does. This will look different from congregation to congregation, but communicating in a way that is understandable by the demographic being served (with an appropriate amount of “stretching” so that they might grow) is loving to the congregation and will hopefully create a thirst to learn more of the God they worship. If theology and understanding God are consistently presented as out of reach enterprises, our people will be discouraged from learning more about him. We will inadvertently build an artificial ceiling atop their God-knowing that restricts their desire to chase after God and Bible study instead of inspiring awe and a deeper thirst to know their Savior.
AWE-INSPIRING, NOT DOMESTICATED
In our zeal for the lost to be saved, there exists a temptation to present God in a down-to-earth light so that people will be drawn to Him. Similar to teaching a child to refer to adults by their first name instead of using appropriate honorifics. We are sadly comfortable presenting God as inoffensive and unassuming. We gloss over his wrath and judgment, His expectation of us to pick up our cross and follow Him, or our call to follow Jesus’ example and die to ourselves on behalf of others. It is far too easy to present God as a buddy, wingman, spotter, or co-pilot; a being that is subject to our beck and call rather than the God of the universe that does all that pleases Him (Psalm 115:3). We must strive to hold up the God of the Bible. The God who deserves all glory, the God to whom all creation cries out in praise, the God that is jealous for His name. It is precisely God’s otherness, what we wrongly attempt to suppress, that makes Him worthy of praise.
This not to downplay the personal nature of God. It is just as true that He has come near us through Jesus Christ. That He is intimately involved in the development of our physical bodies (Psalm 139:13-16). That He listens AND responds to our prayers (1 John 5:14-15). That He knows our thoughts and desires (Psalm 139:3-4). That He graciously supplies all our needs (Phil 4:19). There is a beautiful balance between the transcendence of God and the immanence of God. To overemphasize one at the expense of the other is to rob our people of a fuller, and therefore more awe-inducing, understanding of God.
Another common reason our churches present a domesticated view of God is worship leaders at times sadly living up to the stereotype of not knowing their Bible well and consequently not knowing God well. How can we call others to be awe-struck by God if we are not first awe-struck by Him? How can we articulate what we are calling people to if we have no personal knowledge and experience ourselves? If your worship leader is not there, is he being equipped by his pastors to do this?
GENUINE, NOT SYNTHETIC
We must walk the walk. The worship leader aesthetic has been carefully crafted for us by the big churches over the last 20+ years. Anyone can put on black skinnies and a jean jacket, buy a Taylor 414 and wear non-prescription aviator frames with a tasteful 18” chain. Being careful not to forget the Vans or AF1s. If the service is simply a show that’s been curated with all the cutting-edge tech and elements but devoid of God-honoring substance, any discerning believer in the congregation will see the service for what it is, a carefully planned theater. Over time they will desire more substance than they are receiving and decide to either put up with it while only half-engaged because their friends are there, or try to find another church. Immature believers will come away from most Sunday services feeling a cotton candy sugar high that doesn’t last long enough to get to their car in the parking lot, wondering why. Sadly, they haven’t experienced anything else and don’t know enough of their Bible to know to look for more.
Let us strive to be a group of believers living out convictions while calling others to do the same. Let us walk the walk, not just talk the talk. May we be far more concerned about serving God and others well than how many “killer set!” comments we get after the service. Wear the chain and neo-mullet, there is nothing wrong with that. But do not fall for the trap that looking the part makes your worship more acceptable in the eyes of God or that your congregation is being better served. Conversely, it could be a sign that you are living for the approval and adulation of man instead of God. 1 Samuel 15:22 “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” I would much rather have a worship leader in need of musical tutelage that is flourishing spiritually and leading by example than a super gifted musician that is proud, self-serving, and spiritually anemic.