Expressive Worship

[PamWells]

I am currently working on a manual for expressive worship. I feel that God is leading me to do some teaching on this subject as a lot of Christians have no idea what expressive worship is. I would really love some input from all of you! I am inlcuding stuff like: dance, flags, sign language - - but I know there are many more ways to worsip Him. Many of us love to sing praise and worship songs but have you ever felt so passionate about your love for the Lord that singing just wasn't enough? You want to express yourself even more!
How do you express yourself in worship?
Have you had a stong possitive OR negative experience with expressive worship? Please share - even the negative. We learn from mistakes so I want to include stuff like this.
Any questions on this subject?
I would appreciate any and all feedback!
Thank you!!!
Pam

[MarkSooy]

A couple of important resources for you to consider would be by Jeremy Begbie. See especially these two titles:

"Beholding the Glory: Incarnation through the Arts"
and
"Voicing Creation's Praise: Towards a Theology of the Arts"

Begbie gives the best and most comprehensive discussions of a thoroughly biblical and historical consideration of the arts in the service of the church I've ever encountered. You can also check out his website at: www.theolarts.org

[PamWells]

Mark - thank you for your response and advice. I checked out the web site you mentioned and felt right away that this was over my head! lol I'm more interested in some very basic (definately biblical) teaching. I have studied the subject myself and my goal is to introduce this to others - not to do an in depth theological teaching. Many don't know what expressive worship is and just want the basics. I want to make this personal as well - that's why I'm asking for people to share their experiences with me.
Basically this is something for the lay person - so I want it to be simple and to the point.
Thanks again though! Blessings!

[MarkSooy]

Pam,

You might also want to do some Google searches on "liturgical arts." This will turn up a number of interesting ideas for you.

[PamWells]

I'll try that - thanks!

[Mike Darley]

My very first worship experiences as a young believer were at a very Charismatic church in which there was a lot of banner waiving, dancing, running around the aisles, waiving of handkerchiefs, and all the rest. I have to be honest, I found this to be a rather negative experience. It was very distracting, and seemed to be a means of drawing attention to the individual. A lot of those things made it difficult for me to focus on the Lord. This is not so say that all this is indicative of all who believe in and practice the Charismatic gifts. Maybe I just saw it practiced incorrectly.

[fmckinnon]

Pam,
I'm very excited about your study. I come from a Charismatic background, and i've been quiet before the Lord, and I've been radically wild, too! I've been overcome to the point of shouting, dancing, and celebrating. I've witnessed the use of banners and flags and there was an anointing on it - it made an impact.

At the same time, in most cases - I have to agree with Stevie - I find it distracting. I think "expressive worship" is awesome, but at a certain point, one's "personal freedom in expression" can quickly become a stumbling block/hinderance to the corporate gathering.

We are visual folks .. so, most anything that is demonstrative will naturally catch our attention ... and if attention is constantly drawn onto another person, it can cause issues.

I find that in some cases, it's helpful when/if a leader of the corporate gathering takes the time to explain (a short synopsis) what is happening, and give Scriptural backing as to how this is being used.

I'd encourage you to go for it .. I think the study will be great and much needed - but I hope you'll take into account the possibility of corporate "distraction" ... and the appropriate time/place. And THAT coming from a confessed Charismatic guy who has spent hours in Morningstar worship services where everything you can imagine was going on .. flags, banners, demonstrative dancing .. heck .. one person was even raising a real sword over their head, haha .. .and i LOVED it, haha!

[PamWells]

Stevie and twc - thanks for your responses.
In our church we mainly use flags at the back only. We only come to the front if the Pastor invites us to. It's the same with sign language in worship - and dance.

I appreciate your input and I will make this a point when I teach the subject. I know this is a ministry that the Lord can annoint and use to His glory - but it's also something that can easily become an offence and distraction to others. We don't want that! I will definately stress this fact.

Many times when I have signed a song up at the front I have noticed people with their eyes closed in worship - not looking at me at all. I am truly ok with that! I'm up there - not to perform - but to worship. That has to be what it's about! Others have come to me after and told me that I deepened the worship for them - or helped them to understand the meaning of the song better. :)

I do stress with my team that we are about the worship and if I ever see that anyone on the team is getting more into the perfomance than the worship - then they they will be taken off the team. (I actually had to do this once - not easy - but was necessary)

Thanks again for your posts - a good reminder of something I need to talk about when I teach!

[fmckinnon]

Hey Pam -
Sounds great ... honestly, I wouldn't even put "signing" into that same category - as it's something that is more directly engaged in leading/helping others - assuming you are doing this because there are (or may be) deaf people in the congregation who need this in order to be better-facilitated in their worship.

If you were ONLY signing because it's a personal preference for you (deaf or not, let's just say you know sign language, and it's meaningful for you to "sign" the songs during worship) ... I'd say that didn't belong "in front" .. but rather, feel free to do it from wherever you stand.

I've thought alot about these issues, and often thought that if I were ever leading a church, how I'd go about establishing an orderly protocol for such.

I think we too often "throw the baby out with the bathwater", and I think it will be great to see your teaching and we can learn how to better incorporate expressive worship, yet in an orderly protocol that enhances corporate worship, rather than detracting from it.

For the Kingdom,
Fred

[PamWells]

Hi Fred;
Sorry - didn't make it clear. When I 'sign' a song - I do it as a form of expressive worship. We do not have any deaf in our church at the moment. I only sign up front when invited to by the pastor. There have been times when he's had me teach the signs to the congregation. There has been the odd time when a deaf person was present - but only as a guest.

When I worship I have a hard time staying still! lol I sign quite often - when home alone - or at church. I have no problem keeping it subtle and trying not to be a distraction to others - but for me it is worship.

[John Green]

I too am from a charismatic background, and also have found that some forms of expression can draw too much attention to itself. It's a fine line sometimes, with anything we do in the worship service, and I guess we have to always evaluate things in light of does it draw mroe attention to God or to ourselves.

We have a member of our worship team who sings as she sings. We don't have any deaf people in our congregation right now, but the signing is beautifully expressive and I find that it somehow seems to add more meaning to the songs for me.

[PamWells]

Thanks for your input John. It's so easy to fall in love with the worship and forget about the one we are worshipping! If the worship becomes a distraction - then something is indeed wrong. This can happen all too easy.

One of my favorite experiences when signing a song was when our worship team was invited to another church. It was an older church that was used to a much more traditional type of service. I signed an old hymn. After the service a sweet elderly woman came to me and said that she had been singing that hymn all her life and she never really understood it. But watching me sign it helped her to understand it for the first time. Wow - awesome to be used by God like that!!

I've been in discussion with others (from outside my church) who feel very strongly that if I'm not signing to translate for the deaf - then I should keep my hands down in worship and not sign. This really got to me and I wondered if what I was doing was wrong in God's eyes. So I went to the ultimate authority and asked Him - is this what YOU want me to do? If not I will be still in my worship. God confirmed to me that what I'm doing is a good thing. For those who don't see that - just let it go. Trust Him in it - don't argue. :)

[Mike Darley]

This really got to me and I wondered if what I was doing was wrong in God's eyes. So I went to the ultimate authority and asked Him - is this what YOU want me to do? If not I will be still in my worship. God confirmed to me that what I'm doing is a good thing. For those who don't see that - just let it go. Trust Him in it - don't argue. :)

Pam,

You really have to be careful with this type of reasoning. You said weren't sure if signing during a worship service was pleasing to God so you asked Him and He told you that it was good, and that no one should argue with your personal experience. This a very dangerous way of thinking. A person can slap "God told me so" label on anything and then say that people are not allowed to challenge that because...well..."God told me so." The truth of the matter is that people often superimpose their desires on what they perceive to be God's desires. We often say we've heard from God when we've really only heard what we wanted to hear. Another problem inherent with this thinking is that there's no way to see if it's correct. What if someone heard God tell them something else. What if I said that I went to God and He told me that you didn't hear Him correctly or weren't listening or whatever and that signing during a service is sinful. You have one experience, I have another. Who is right? If we only go by our subjective experience there's really no way of knowing.

I don't mean to come across as terribly negative. I just want to warn you. I've had friends of mine may bad decisions for higher stakes based on this way of thinking. A very close friend of mine felt God calling him to another avenue of ministry even through he'd gotten a lot of advice not to pursue it. He said that he'd heard for God and that settles it. I don't care to go into it deeper than that, but as a result of his decision he's currently fallen away from the Lord and is addicted to drugs and alcohol.

I'd also like to say that I'm not necessarily against the use expressive forms of worship. I'm only opposed to the reasoning used to defend it.

[PamWells]

One problem with typing out our views here is that it is very easy to be misunderstood. I know quite clearly what I mean when I type something but someone else can read what I say and get something quite different from it.
Stevie - I appreciate what you said and I know you are right - but I didn't mean to say that "God told me so - so I won't listen to what anyone else says". What I meant was that sometimes we need to "agree to disagree agreeably." does that make sense? There are some that feel very strongly that signing in worship is wrong. There are others (including me) that feel it's a good thing (in it's place) I do feel that God has told me not to argue - meaning that if you don't agree with me... that's your right - and I can leave it at that.

There have been times when I felt very strongly that God wanted me to do something and I have gone to my pastor with it and he has told me no. He is the authority in my church and so I submit to him. If God still wants me to do whatever it is - then I trust Him to talk to my pastor. If it doesn't happen - well then maybe I was wrong.

Is this clearer? :) I do understand what you said. I've also seen people say that God told them to do something and it's clear from watching at a distance that they are going down the wrong path. This is why I run my ideas past my pastor before acting. Most of the time anyway - lol

Thanks for your input!