The sound of our band - should we apply the brakes or the accelerator?
Hi all
Just a quick comment to say that I am feeling soooo excited about the sound of the band at the moment. I feel like we're discovering territory that is new to us....and it feels great.
As a creative person who loves music, it can sometimes be frustrating leading worship when, at times, there need to be certain parameters on the sounds of the songs and the way in which we play them. We can't just 'go for it' and be completely and recklessly boundless in what we do with our sounds...cos if we do, we may put up a barrier to people engaging with God and meet resistance...so what do we do?
I can hear all the creative people reading this saying "just do it Johnny...don't hold back...take your foot off the brakes". I can sense your frustration cos you love God the Creator and want to see something that manifests that part of Gods character. I feel like that too sometimes...but I also feel called to serve the church and all those people who don't even notice the textures of a sound that we've worked on for 2 weeks.
So do I serve the part of me that wants to be fully and wonderfully creative or do I submit myself to my calling of serving the church...or...
...is there another way?
Is there another expression?
Another alternative?
Something we are just discovering?
Is there a another place that is both wonderfully creative and serves the church?
What do we need to learn? What do we need to let go of? What can we do better? What else do we need to hear that we are not noticing?
What is it that we are not yet seeing?
God is bigger than our ways and ideas. Bigger than our traditions. Bigger that my fears. We don't really understand HIM.
Where are the new voices here? What do we need to learn and do differently?
let me know
JP xo
Just a quick comment to say that I am feeling soooo excited about the sound of the band at the moment. I feel like we're discovering territory that is new to us....and it feels great.
As a creative person who loves music, it can sometimes be frustrating leading worship when, at times, there need to be certain parameters on the sounds of the songs and the way in which we play them. We can't just 'go for it' and be completely and recklessly boundless in what we do with our sounds...cos if we do, we may put up a barrier to people engaging with God and meet resistance...so what do we do?
I can hear all the creative people reading this saying "just do it Johnny...don't hold back...take your foot off the brakes". I can sense your frustration cos you love God the Creator and want to see something that manifests that part of Gods character. I feel like that too sometimes...but I also feel called to serve the church and all those people who don't even notice the textures of a sound that we've worked on for 2 weeks.
So do I serve the part of me that wants to be fully and wonderfully creative or do I submit myself to my calling of serving the church...or...
...is there another way?
Is there another expression?
Another alternative?
Something we are just discovering?
Is there a another place that is both wonderfully creative and serves the church?
What do we need to learn? What do we need to let go of? What can we do better? What else do we need to hear that we are not noticing?
What is it that we are not yet seeing?
God is bigger than our ways and ideas. Bigger than our traditions. Bigger that my fears. We don't really understand HIM.
Where are the new voices here? What do we need to learn and do differently?
let me know
JP xo
posted by Johnny Parks at 1:50:00 p.m.
14 Comments:
Hi Johnny,
Always a great debate I think that musicians, and anyone who is in front of a church faces - how different can you be without either upsetting people, losing people or offending people. Personally I would take the risk every now and then, but do it in a way that people knwo it is something new. People dont usually like change - we are creatures of comfort. But when they know a change is coming they are more responsive. Maybe you should try out some of your new stuff on a 'forgiving' audience first and then evaluate how it went.
Just a thought. You playing Madness this year? We are hoping to bring a team across.
God Bless
Jason
Hey JP,
Good to hear from you. You have hit the eternal debating point for every worship leader, speaker, and person who finds themselves in front of a body of people. How do you lead people into new things and in particular new expressions of worship.
But at the end of the day we serve a creative God who has created us with the ability to express our worship of Him in different ways.
My only suggestion is to follow where God leads you - to do anything else would be disobedient. People tend to not like change, but they will accept a change that is explained to them. Remember when the first flag waving began in church? There were a lot of quizzical looks, but now people get it and are ok with it in worship - as long as they dont get smacked up side of the head with the flag.
Are you playing Madness this year? We are bringing a team over.
God bless
Jason
This was a comment that was sent to me by email:
Hey Big guy.
U guys did a real good job on Sunday.
The band sounded great, they are very competent and it looks like u enjoy playing together, theres nothing as bad as a sad looking band no matter how they sound! So keep having fun together doing what you are doing.
I don’t have a big pile of answers to your questions but at times its ok to ask the questions and kind of figure it out as u go along, suffice to say that you Johnny boy are a truly talented and gifted worship leader, keep listening and responding to his heart, keep writing and playing and laughing and shouting and dancing and crying… keep leading, and people will follow.. “ I rejoiced with those who said to me let us go to the house of the Lord” “To gaze upon his beauty” You took us there on Sunday morning, wow… what an honour… maybe its about opening the door to the sanctuary and allowing or encouraging or…. Challenging people to go on in, sample the atmosphere… smell the fragrance.. taste the wine…. Gaze upon the loveliness of Christ… Is there a greater calling?
So for what its worth… Brakes or Accelerator?
Accelerator every time!
So… keep er lit!!
Bless ya.
Much love and Thanks.
Caldy.
This is another comment sent to me by email:
Hi Johnny,
Sorry can't figure out the blog thing. Must be my old brain..... isn't working the way it used to. My thoughts are I think mans traditions are only a season. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth. If you are respectful and go to the authority over you with your new sound and it is rejected then maybe that season is over for you. I would always be respectful and let them know what you are hearing from God. Will pray for God's wisdom for you!
Debbie
The line must constantly be walked between creativity and accessibility, working it out, discussing it, trying things out, rejecting them, offering all the sounds up in worship.
I was reading 'Velvet Elvis' by Rob Bell there recently. He made a great point that came back to me when i read your post. The ancient Jewish Rabbis had their own 'Bind' and 'loose' based on their interpretation of the Torah. Because the Torah was all they had in terms of Holy scripture, they had to interpret what was allowed (ie loosed) or not allowed (bound) in the context of the day - each Rabbi had slightly different interpretations of the law, worked out through debate, study, revision, dicussion, life.
This creativity/acessiblity line can be a bit like this i think. God wants our all in worship and we need to be accessible when we lead others in worship, but thats all worked out through constant 'binding and loosing' - trying, discussing, playing, leading, following. The actual working out of it has as much importance as the final outcome.
In terms of what you say about all those people who dont notice the textures of something that has been worked on for weeks before - i think an analysis with more than a hint of edam is useful here. I love thinking about worship in an artistic sense. I was in Rome there and saw the Sistene chapel for the first time - its impossible to notice every intricate detail, every flick of Michelangelos brush, but the overall picture comes together to form something amazing and awe-inspiring.
Worship can be a bit like that - 90% of people wont notice every small detail the band slaves over, but a room of people, worshipping their hearts out serves to paint a big awesome picture of worship.
Keep 'er lit - keep working it.
Great comment Ian - i had goose bumps reading it. feel inspired to pain the Sistene Chapel in my songs.
JP
This is another message i reveived about this topic through email:
Jp
i thought you had a great balance on Sunday.
You lead the crowd who may or may not have got what you are about musically...they just enjoyed it.
Because you understand the importance of leadership, I think you can afford to take your foot off the brakes a little more.
I think people can appreciate 'reckless' when they feel like they are being led.
When you establish early in a set that you are interested in god and the worshippers, then the worshippers will follow you into the music...the subtle, delicate and profound phrases that you laboured over in the creative process. They don't have to get it. They have to feel safe. And you need not appeal to the lowest musical denominator.
That's what I think anyway!
SS
Hi Johnny,
I love these questions! The very fact that these questions are being asked demonstrates a searching and creative spirit, and this is something I believe that God would desire in a man anointed to bring people into intimate worship with Him.
In fact, the very point that these questions have been put out there challenges me. We often settle for what there is already, and this can often mean that what we experience in Church can be creatively 'one step behind' the stuff we experience in secular culture.
In the message translation of Ephesians 1 was this verse which really switched me on recently:
"The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence."
I would love to see more worship in Church setting the cultural pace, experimenting, pushing boundaries. As someone has said already, as long as we are in touch with God through the process, I can't see why you should "decelerate" in your creativity. Indeed in following God's will, I am sure that the rest of those you lead who are also seeking to be part of His plan will join you on that journey.
A really tough balance then needs to be struck, as you would not want to completely alienate those who are searching for God. Although thinking about it, what would normally attract these guys, something new, fresh and exciting, or something restricted by the expectations of a few who might complain at change?
the great conundrum... take a breath...
Worship music has become all about the song. Finding a simple song that can be recreated in any cultural situation around the world. Inevitably this has led to most worship songs sounding like American radio friendly soft rock. When they are put on albums or sung in churches they are done in such a way that they do not push those very limited boundaries.
I understand the heart behind how things have ended up this way. It is an inclusive heart. But i believe it is short sighted and potentially dangerous.
If our primary concern is the local church (rather than the global church) then the trust built up in a Godly community allows, if not demands, that new sounds and songs spring up from amongst it.
I have started to feel that God's intention for our worship is not only the singing of a theologically sound lyric, but it is contained in the heart of the music also. It pains me that most modern worship songs have no sense of 'Soul'. They are the means to an end (transmitting a good lyric to God) rather than an end in itself (music that connects an individual spirit with His Spirit).
In my mind, as already said, it is a balance, but one that demands we greatly pursue both, rather than compromise on either.
I think the worshiper(i.e. not the one either leading or playing an instrument) has the responsibility to desire to connect with God, enter his presence,express their love and wait for Gods response to them. One of the problems with worship albums is that they appear to be made for background music to be put on when ironing or blogging (etc) and no i don't have one on now!! Jason Upton does it for me as i can't do anything but engage in worship with him when I listen to albums like 'Faith' It strikes me that a song heard live impacts different than a song heard on C.D.I know v. little about song writing but wonder if some songs are written for albums rather than for 'live' worship does this make any sense? Pete
I think this is an interesting debate, and one which most people will have different views on. For me, the last few times Jonny has lead in CFC especially at 3rd service, the balance of creativity and leading the congregation has been absolutely spot on.
The creativity and sound of the band helped me connect with God, but at the same time I was in no way distracted by it. When I watch the DVD's of the passion conference it is always obvious that creativity and integrity are going hand in hand and this is definitely something I always associate with Jonny and whatever band he plays with.
Some people will always find it hard to relate to certain types of music, but as long as the heart of the worship team is right, and they are constantly striving to lead people into the throne room of God then that's what matters. Sometimes a loud band can help me meet with god, and sometimes a man with his soilitary guitar can do the same.
Anyway. Thats my thoughts
So encouraging to hear that last comment. Go the man on his solitary guitar!!
Johnny, excited for your new album. I think as worship leaders we need to press through to more creative territory, yet teach people what we're doing in the process. A lot of people couldn't care less how creative we are as long as we're singing their favorite songs. Too consumer. Let's bring them along in our creative expressions and give them a voice.
Great work.
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