“Worship stands at the center of congregational life (1) when there is an expectation of encounter with God in worship, (2) when preparation for worship is taken seriously by worship leaders and worshipers, (3) when the programatic life of the congregation supports worship participation for people in all circumstances of life, and (4) when reflection on the worship is pervasive throughout congregational life.”
– Jane Rogers Vann, Gathered Before God
Photo courtesy Troy Harvey, from Sojourn East campus.
I think statements like that are well intentioned but only help to further the epidemic of misunderstanding when it comes to what worship is. As Harold Best observed in his book Unceasing Worship, in speaking about corporate gatherings of the church, “Within these, specific activities take place: fellowship, praise, instruction, and edification. In no place in the epistles are these gatherings described specifically as worship times, nor is worship mentioned as a singular, all-encompassing act, much less a reason for gathering.”
With all respect to Ms. Vann, the words worship and praise music are not interchangeable, but the use of the word in her statement along with the picture attached to it sure do give the impression that when she uses the word “worship” she is talking about corporate praise through music and songs.
Sojourn is a highly regarded community in terms of their gift for creating modern and relevant praise music for the church to sing. Music ministers like myself are being discipled by your good works for sure. Please choose to be a leader in the area of edifying the church about what worship is and is not.
Good points Joshua, and thanks for the kind words. We’ve done a lot of education about this, including teaching from “Unceasing Worship,” and also hosting Harold Best for public lectures (which we’ve podcasted) and private discussions with key leaders. He’s become a good friend to Sojourn Music over the last several years.
Having said that, I think he would find plenty to agree about with the full context of Vann’s points here (although he certainly enjoys healthy discussion and debate). Of course when excerpting a short quote from a book, as in this blog post, it can be easy for the reader to draw conclusions that you don’t mean for them to draw, particularly if they’re not as familiar with your total body of work.
While “worship” is more than “music,” music is certainly a way in which we worship. Everything we do in the gathered assembly — fellowship, praise, instruction and edification — is an act of worship. Moreover, unlike our continuous, 7-day-a-week outpouring of worship, this is our focused time as the church gathered.
The four points Vann makes are relevant here (and we would stress that these are four considerations for everything in the Sojourn Gathered meeting time, rather than just music: the readings, sermon, passing of the peace, communion, offering and benediction).
Pingback: QOTW: Worship: The Center of Congregational Life