I recently read two
articles from the same issues of Worship Leaders Magazine. One of them was titled
“Open
Your Eyes: The Worship Trialogue”. You can give it a quick read but the article
basically gave a loving rebuke to worship leaders (meaning the entire band)
that the role of being on the stage is not just to worship themselves but it is
to lead the congregation and even relationally engage with those they are
leading. It says that people need to feel that worship is a part of a community
and the leadership from the stage plays a major role in that. It emphasizes the
role of a leader and the need for the people to have that connection with those
leading worship. It did not dismiss the moments of worship where an entire team
does find themselves in an intimate place in their worship; eyes closed and
hands raised. It merely showed the need for the worship team to function as a
part of the community of worshipers within the church and to own their
leadership role so as to help and not hinders those they are leading into
worship.
Then a few links down I found
this article entitle “Should
Worship Leaders Leave the Stage?” The title is pretty self-explanatory. It
explores the idea of worship leaders needing to leave the stage, take on a much
less prominent leadership role; all in the name of people being distracted by
the worship leaders and other creative things on the stage area. It suggested
ideas like moving them to the floor, or moving them to the back, or even having
them in a separate room. All in the name of not being a distraction or hindrance
to others worshiping.
Neither of the articles said
something I have not heard before but what surprised me was that I read them
from the same source, the same issue, just a few pages apart from each other.
To me they seem like they are contradicting each other. That each expel a
completely different understanding and perspective of corporate worship and the
role of a worship team/worship leader.
So what do you think? Are they contradicting or are the complementing...or
something else?
