Worship Teams on Stage: Part 2

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art 2:  A worship team standing on stage is an inter-generational event.

“One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.” – Psalm 145:4

“…we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done.” – Psalm 78:4b

Many of the Psalms paint this grand picture: a powerful vision of unity among believers, both young and old. In this vision, cooperation and love and encouragement are all shared between these generations. Grandparents tell stories that inspire the children to live faithful, godly lives. Parents are inspired by their children’s passion when they speak of what God has done for them. Beautiful ideal, isn’t it? No worship wars, no church splits, just people of all ages uplifting each other and sharing Jesus. The very idea of a multi-generational group sharing in faith and worship seems too good to be true.

It’s funny that, in so many churches, the vision of worship is a divisive one.

Not so for the Psalms. It’s unifying.

Now, let’s switch back to Part 2 of the discussion at hand: standing praise teams.

I believe that the standing praise team is one way to see this vision of the Psalms come to life. When people see several generations on a praise team singing together in worship to God- it’s an awe-inspiring sight to see. A young generation raises their voices to the LORD, crying out “Be Thou My Vision”. In turn, an older generation lifts their hands in prayer and worship to sing “Let God Arise”. It’s not so much about the song style or even how current the song is.  It’s not so much about how poetic the lyrics are or how old it is.  It is more about each other: mutually giving and receiving to the benefit of the other age group.

Inter-generational worship: what an encouraging and beautiful thing to participate in!

This picture goes against the ideals of our society. We are a niche culture that specializes in catering to specific tastes. Too often, these extremely individualized tastes drive us away from each other. TV channels and radio stations all direct their services to a specific market or age bracket. And though I still love my Grande No Fat No Whip Caramel Macchiato, I realize that there is plenty of room for people who simply need a medium coffee.

Now, I realize that not every church has musically gifted people in every generation- that’s OK.  Use who God has given you! The point is: God wants to bring us together…. that we can truly become the body of Christ. If the church is truly a “counter cultural” movement, then what can be more counter cultural than seeing various generations standing together for a common goal, let alone singing together? The standing praise team is an upfront and visual reminder that God calls us to be that “one generation commending God’s work to another.”

Standing praise teams give women an avenue into public ministry in the church.

Hand in hand with the Psalms’ inter-generational vision is a second, but just as powerful, vision. The praise team on the stage is not just made up of young and old, but of men and women.

^“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” – Galatians 3:28-29

The standing praise team gives us a snapshot of this ideal vision from Paul. It gives a public venue for women to actively participate in a worship assembly. I won’t get into all the theology and defense for women in ministry here. (That is for another blog by some other scholar!) What I will say is that I believe we need to see and hear from our women. They are an equal, but stifled, voice in our churches.

For churches that have little or no outlet for women in public ministry, they can take first steps with a praise team! There are many women whose gifting is music and they should be encouraged to use their gifts to bless the church. Whether it is holding down the alto part, singing solos, or even doing a dramatic reading, a standing praise team is one small step to make the change.

With the variety of backgrounds, ages, and sexes on stage, we find a whole new host of opportunities to connect with people in our worship assemblies.

As much as hate to admit it, someone may not connect with me while I am leading on stage. But they may with someone else. I venture a guess that with several people on stage they would find a person that they DO connect with.  Have you ever been encouraged by seeing our teens in the youth group leading worship? Have you ever been surprised to hear that one shy girl has a voice like that? Whoa! Have you ever made eye contact with someone who is older in years, and they return your eye contact with a smile?  It’s uplifting, isn’t it? It puts a smile on your face. You want to sing a bit louder in those moments. There is something that you can’t teach- you can’t really even put your finger on it. It’s this realization that you are a part of something bigger and more powerful than you noticed before. It’s in those moments that you experience the “thin spaces” in our world, where the lines between heaven and earth are a little blurry.

I believe that it’s in those times we catch a glimpse- just a peek- into the kingdom of God. The curtain is peeled back for a second and we see worship the way God’s sees it. One group of people commending and singing God’s work to another. That other group responds by commending and singing God’s work back to them. Unity found in diversity.

There is just something powerful about the Body of Christ, isn’t there?