MUSC 3713 Workshop/ Worship Music

Dr Melissa Davis
Patience Chigumira #340374
22 November 2017

ASSIGNMENT #4
Worship Philosophies.
The Eighth Great Awakening, 1980-2000 (The Praise and Worship Movement)

Arguably the single biggest alteration in the life of the average evangelical congregation

within the last 30 years or so has been the sweeping change in the music that is played on

Sunday morning. Where organ and piano, formal choirs, and vocal soloists and groups

once held sway over a slowly-changing canon of hymnody and gospel songs, a flood of

guitars and "praise choruses" suddenly came rushing in during the 1980s. An irresistible,

grassroots, pop-culture-driven force met the immovable object of tradition and sentiment,

and the ensuing years saw no shortage of conflict and controversy as a result.

The philosophy of this awakening is characterized by a greater emphasis on singing to

the Lord and expressing personal love of God and country. Worship services are often

driven by special events lie worship conventions. A plethora of mega church can be

found in every major city, housing a very elaborate worship band and team. Revival in

unprecedented numbers is also experienced in the major cities such as Florida, Toronto,

Canada, London, England and various parts of the globe. With each revival comes a

wave of new music and exciting worship innovations. Christian artists are included in the

regular worship services; congregations participate in singing Scripture and enjoy lengthy

song services. Strategic personalities such as, Andra Crouch, Amy Grant and Alvin

Slaughter, to name a few, are some songwriters that have added to the landscape of praise

and worship music. There is a greater emphasis on worship as the focal point of the home

and church. Worship and Praise is established as a specific genre of music and churches

begin to offer different worship services based on specific musical styles: contemporary

worship, blended worship, and traditional worship.

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2000 Through Today (The NEXT Great Worship Awakening)

We are currently adopting more of a seeker service style of worship in our churches

today as we are in a time of greater expression of personal experience. The information

age has had a phenomenal effect on the way worship is delivered to the congregation.

Since 2000, there is a greater connection between the Church and the secular community,

so much so that secular and sacred music influences for the Evangelical Church are

virtually indistinguishable. Worship services are more often driven by popular music

genres and dynamic personality and this is largely due to the fact that the seeker service

approach builds on a basic assumption: un-churched people have dropped out of church

or have stayed away because of traditional liturgy and music. Seeker churches create

instead an alternative environment in which to hear the gospel by using styles of music

and communication that the seekers already know. By setting aside traditional styles of

liturgy and music, pastors and service planners hope to appeal to seekers through creative

communication mediadrama and the visual arts, but above all music and nontraditional

preaching. With the advent of advanced recording technology, local churches are

becoming centers for publishing and recording with the Internet becoming the delivery

conduit for their music. The buildings do not look like typical church structures. The

atmosphere inside is informal and casual. According to Martin, he adds, The plan of a

service of worship now offered should not leave the impression that such is fixed in the

sense of unalterable rigidity requiring punctilious following1

Why have we evolved/changed philosophies since that period?

1 Martin, Ralph P. The Worship of God : Some Theological, Pastoral, and Practical Reflections

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I believe the evolution of cultures as well as a different word view has greatly influenced

this shift. The gospel still has to be spread to all and due to the fact that the secular word

has overtaken our liturgies, the church community is trying to reach out to peoples hearts

by competing for this attention on a level that they understand. Seeker-sensitive services

try to incorporate elements of the seeker-focused approach, such as creative

communication and appreciation of the seekers state of mind, within such a short period

of time. Many people no longer find time or allocate time on their Sundays to go and

fellowship with others. So such service often makes extensive use of contemporary

worship music, the visual arts, drama, interviews, and video to the congregation engaged.

The seeker service embraces an emotional approach, making an appeal to the heart as

well as to the head, primarily through personal testimony, drama, and music. Clear and

practical themes predominate from beginning to end of each service. I believe that

unbelievers understand little theology, but they do understand some psychology.2Yet by

adopting the language and thought-world of popular psychology uncritically, the seeker

church tries to balance theological tradition for temporary human trends and opinion.

Making the gospel relevant becomes an evangelical strategy and then programs to

discipleship are made available to those who want to walk more closely with God. As

Kauflin says Lets not ignore non-Christians when we gather to worship God. But lets

not allow them to dictate our direction, methods, and values either. Those have all been

determined and modeled by the risen savior who now invites us to celebrate as a family

and to invite others to join in on the feast.3

2 Martin, Ralph P. The Worship of God : Some Theological, Pastoral, and Practical Reflections
3 Kauflin, Bob. Worship Matters : Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kauflin, Bob. Worship Matters : Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God.

Wheaton, Ill., Crossway Books, 2008.

Martin, Ralph P. The Worship of God : Some Theological, Pastoral, and Practical

Reflections. Grand Rapids, Mich., W.B. Eerdmans Pub, 1982.

Redman, Robb. The Great Worship Awakening : Singing a New Song in the Postmodern

Church. 1st ed. ed., San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass, 2002.