Looking for some feedback on the experience of corporate worship.
When you come into a gathering of Jesus-followers, what is it that you are hoping to experience?
The other question is, when non-church-attenders show up, what do you think they are hoping to experience?
Is it true, do most people today want upbeat, contemporary, soft rock music?
Would some people want heavy rock, or country, or indie style, or jazz?
Or maybe even ancient, gregorian chants, hymns?
Or no music at all, maybe poetry or art or rhythmic drums?
Or silence?
All of these are means to an end, right?
To encountering God, to meeting Jesus, to experiencing the Spirit?
Maybe I am asking the wrong questions, maybe I am missing the point.
What do you think?
When I come to a worship service I want to be called, drawn, away from myself towards God. Sometimes this takes less than a minute sometimes it takes a while becasue I am lost in myself.
The type of music does not matter
What does matter is if the people leading the music are in a right relationship with God. Is it about honoring Him or is it about playing the music in the ‘right’ way?
I like many hymns, and also much contemporary music. I like hearing the piano by itself.
Some music I dislike, like most organ music, but, that does not matter, other people like it and if it is being played to God that is what is important.
Dance, poetry or art can be all done in acts of worship and can reveal God to us… Again it is the attitude,not the thing.
Always there should be some way for us to respond to the message. A silent prayer afterward, a joint reciting of a praying asking God to help us do the thing we have just learned, an opportunity to come forward for prayer, some way for us to do something in responce,not just walk away and plan to think about it later and then forget….
I think that everything in a worship service should be understandable to new comers/none believers.
Don’t recite creeds or prayers without having the words easily visible to all.
Explain when to stand or sit or how to respond in a liturgy.
Explain briefly that visitors don’t need to contribute to the offering.
there are many things to say….