A Facebook memory popped up two days ago with me watching my niece and nephew running around at their elementary school field day. It reminded me of the carefree life of being a child. Fast forward to today, one is in beauty school, and the other has hopes of a career in the medical field.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Whether we are intentional or not, as parents or even as uncles/aunts, everything we do plays a role in teaching these children. We do not (or more importantly, should not) throw children into the deep end when they cannot swim. It takes several attempts and consistent effort before they are sufficient on their own.
Just as it is not wise to allow young people to go through life without the proper training and mentorship. In the church, (especially for those who did not grow up in a Christian home), it is not wise to allow the congregation to go through their walks without proper training and mentorship. The results are a lack of purpose and direction, and so we see a generation of people who do not understand. For some reason, we assume that when someone becomes a believer, they automatically understand why we sing, why we read scripture, and why we come together. Most churches could probably put more effort into the teaching and training of worship. Paul had to teach the church in Corinth that they could no longer live as they once did. They had to be taught that they were bought with the precious blood of Jesus and thus they were to honor and glorify God with their bodies (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Therefore, in the same way, believers also need to be taught how to worship God.
So now we approach the dilemma that many church leaders and worship directors face: Why does it feel like no one sings or participates during worship? As a worship leader for over 15 years, it can be so discouraging as we look out into the pews and see lifeless stares, crossed arms, and mumbling mouths. Don’t they know how much preparation and sacrifice go into arranging songs and getting the team together to practice? The late nights and the early mornings away from family and friends?
I firmly believe that minimal participation and apathy arise due to the lack of conviction and understanding behind the purpose of worship. I’m not saying that the lack of congregational participation during worship is solely the fault of church leaders. However, I am saying that there is a responsibility of the church to establish a culture and vision for the importance and physical demonstration of worship. This culture also needs to include the exhortation of the church body to understand the importance of their involvement in congregational worship. Just as a child constantly questions the way of the world, new believers (and even long-time believers) have a responsibility to also be curious. Are they seeking to understand the ordinances, the liturgy, and other various elements of the church?
A culture set on assumptions will never thrive. It has no clear vision, it has no clear direction, and it has no buy-in. If our goal is to increase the participation in congregational worship, there needs to be a clear vision and purpose behind it. We must move away from the assumption that our congregation knows why we lead the church in the ways that we do. It may seem silly to experienced leaders, but try asking your own staff and volunteers the reason why things are the way they are, and you might be surprised at the variety or lack of answers/conviction amongst even your own leadership.
So what do we do? In the words of the Lord as he speaks to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). A culture of those who love and understand congregational worship will not be built overnight. However, it is my hope and prayer that you are able to implement some of these suggestions to help foster a culture where your people will not only worship freely and publicly, but also understand the why.
Sabbath Sunday
After working closely with a trusted mentor, I developed this concept based on Sabbath Sunday. Being entirely volunteer-based, many on the team also wore different hats in the church. Many had husbands, wives, children, and other obligations to tend to. Thus, in a desire to give them rest, this idea came to mind. We would allow the team to rest, and we would engage the congregation in a different way.
The methodology is fairly simple, but we take the time that is allotted to the singing of songs and hymns to additional Scripture reading, prayer, and congregational dialogue. We have a worship leader prepare questions, an activity, or mixture to challenge and encourage the congregation to reflect and minister to one another. The goal and emphasis of our “Sabbath Sunday’s” is to have members intermingle and learn what it looks like to share one’s struggles, pray for one another, and encourage one another. As you can probably already tell, we are a smaller church (around 75 active members). However, this allows us to have intentional time to teach about worship, the why, and what Scripture says about it.
Scriptural Foundation
Ligon Duncan says that “The Bible alone ultimately directs the form and content of Christian worship.” The Psalms are filled with rich encouragement for the church to sing to God and lift up his praises (Ps 68:4, Ps 95:1, Ps 150:1). The New Testament also does not shy away from this teaching (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16, James 5:13). I always tell my young worship leaders to trust in the source material for expositing and engaging the congregation. The Bible tells us clearly that the singing and expression of joy in worship is good. However, our people probably don’t know it. Let us move away from the old adage of “It’s just the way we’ve always done it.” Rather, let us speak truth and inform our fellow brothers and sisters of the many reasons from the Bible why we should sing aloud and together as a body of Christ.
Personal investment/opportunities for engagement
The Next Gen Director for Hmong Baptist National Association, Chris Vang says that people need to feel like they were a part of the visioning process for it to be effective. In other words, they need to have buy-in. How will the congregation be invested when they never get the chance to participate? Our church has created a poor culture where we take care of all ministry needs. Our people have become comfortable and have the mindset that they don’t need to do anything because the leadership will take care of it. However, what are some ways that your leadership could involve the people in worship? Could they read the Bible verse or lead a prayer? Could they share testimony about how God is working in their life? What are simple engagements for the church to feel like they too have a part in the congregational worship of the church?
Lead by example
“Monkey see, monkey do.” How often do we see our children exhibiting the same behaviors as us? How often do we start behaving like our spouses or our close friends? People naturally take on the behaviors of those around them. If we seek to increase congregational worship, what is our leadership doing during worship? What is our worship team doing during worship? Assign some “secret shoppers” to observe and make note of what the leadership is doing and share it out. If we want people to be smiling and lifting their hands, are the leaders smiling and lifting their hands? The tough thing about leading by example is that we are so influenced by the picture of festival worship. We think about church camp, conferences, and big events where the lights are dim, all hands are lifted high, and you’re backed by the voice of a thousand heartfelt voices. It skews our perception of what “successful” worship looks and sounds like. However, I believe that leading by example is critical for the culture you seek to establish.
Promoting the vision
Finally, promote the vision. Do you want to see hands raised because it looks good in the livestream? Or do you want to see hands raised because people are worshiping with their body and soul? Do you want to hear people singing because it sounds great? Or do you want to hear people singing because they believe and affirm not only with their lips, but their hearts, the words and purpose of their congregational worship? Explore the why and hopefully gather it from the precious Word of God. Structure is good, but understand the why behind it. Be unafraid to break the norms of your church to establish a culture that understands the significance and relational importance of worshiping our God.
To God be the Glory.
Alex Thao is the Worship Pastor of First Hmong Baptist Church
