Preventing
and Managing
Worship Wars
by Hugh Ballou
Introduction
America’s churches are populated with people eager and willing.
America’s churches are staffed with those possessing vision and ready
to work. What are people eager for? What is the vision we
work toward? Are the expectations of each contingent
compatible? Are the needs of church congregations and their
leaders in alignment? The evidence is that these elements do not
always align, in fact, there are many occasions when the two form
“sides” are take aim at one another. Why?
Worship Wars is the overwhelming evidence that these two do not connect
in any substantial way. In fact, the actions of church leaders
lead to conflict in the most sacred and most unifying act we share –
worship! Worship should build community, increase our faith and
transform believers equipping them for Christian service. How do
we miss the mark in the most important act that Christians are called
to do?
Let’s see how we address these feared worship wars.
Situation Analysis
Parts of the Problem
Worshippers treat worship
as a consumer commodity. They “shop” for a church. They
respond to each part of worship as a purchase choice. If every
item is not entertaining and comforting, them it should be replaced
with something that pleases. The “baggage” from the “former
church” where everything was correct, also impacts feelings without
regard to knowledge about theological and historical perspectives for
each part of the worship service. This is the set-up for having
worship wars.
Change is inevitable. Worship is renewal. Worship is
constant. Tradition is meaningful. The tension is found in
many places. Creative tension exists between that which changes
and that, which does not change. We change. God is
constant. Tension exists between form and freedom. Tension
exists. Tension in music is a creative tool that leads to
resolution. Tension in worship can also lead us to a worthy
place. Not only to conflict.
Clergy and music directors (worship leaders, directors of worship) are
charged with planning and implementing worship services in local
churches. They are and should be the highly trained and skilled
leaders who know how to do this. The problem arises not in the
design of worship or the style of the music or in the language of the
liturgy, but in the congregation’s connection to worship. By this
I mean that the person in the pew is not connected with the worship
service in any substantial way. They are possibly connected in
ways that the leaders do not know and do not understand. In some
instances, the leaders also do not care. For the sake of this
article, I will focus on the spiritual leader who wants to understand
how to connect with a congregation and does care that they are a
connected part of the worshipping community in that church.
Worship leaders attend scholarly workshops and conferences where they
learn about the theories surrounding worship trends and worship
styles. Church consultants and know-it-all gurus teach heady
theories that sometimes end up with conflict hurt feelings on all sides
and major loss of income and membership. A theory given to a
congregation to solve the declining attendance at worship is not
adopted by all, meets resistance, causes conflict, builds contingents
that fight each other and simply does not meet any goal of unifying a
congregation or building synergy and consensus within any groups,
sub-groups or the congregation at large.
Mad church members form
informal and formal complaint groups to maintain control over “their”
church and to prevent the destruction of “their” traditions.
There very actions accomplish the result that they have verbally
identified as their goal to prevent. Their actions speak
loudly. Their words lie. They do not know any better
way. Worship wars are inevitable!
Thus parts of the problem are as follows:
1. Church leaders not
willing or equipped to lead
2.
Church members not willing or equipped to follow
3. Not
having a unified vision for worship
4.
“Uneducated” expectations by the congregation about worship
So, what is the
problem? Skilled, dedicated leaders who lead willing participants
(church members and visitors) cannot get a chance or are not given a
chance to bring about synergy and consensus that brings energy and
unity to worship. It is leadership failure? Sometimes it
is. Is it congregational control issues? Sometimes it
is. I do not offer solutions; I offer strategies that, over time,
will build understanding and community so that the most important work
of the church can be undertaken. Allowing worship wars is not one
of the options.
Potential
Solutions
Leadership:
On the issue of church leaders not willing or equipped to lead, there
are many options and many choices for the church professional.
Appointed and elected leaders want to manage and do not understand the
difference in management and leadership. Leaders manage things
and systems – they lead people. When people are managed, they
resent it and rebellion begins. Leaders understand that
leadership is a skill earned through time, earned through building
relationships, and is given, not taken. Leaders know when to when
to listen and when to talk. Leaders look for the win/win in every
situation. Leaders know that educated congregation members
strengthen the community. Leaders do not avoid conflict, are not
duplicitous and passive, but assertive and affirming. Leaders
step up to bat when it is their turn.
Potential steps for leaders are numerous. Here are some to
consider:
•
Write clear goals for ministry and share those goals with church
leaders and staff
•
Start small groups for worship study – begin with church leaders and
staff, then branch out with those participants leading other groups
•
Establish a system for two-way communication with church members
(church is not a business, so conducting a consumer survey is not
two-way communication)
•
Write articles for the Sunday bulletin and church newsletter about
worship tradition
•
Empower project teams to plan and implement small worship projects for
special times during the year
•
Always affirm those who contribute to the worship experience in any –
not to stroke egos, but to assure them that they are doing worthy work
as a part of “The Body of Christ.”
•
Develop a peer mentoring/discussion group with local professionals to
brainstorm leadership issues relevant to your community
•
Keep a journal and read it – you will learn be encouraged by your
experiences
In short, leaders should
lead. Read books on Servant Leadership and Transformational
Leadership. Note the spiritual significance to those styles of
leadership. Share your spiritual journey with your peer group,
your staff and your congregation. Celebrate God’s work in and
within your church.
By the way, leaders are
also informed. Be sure that you are leading a worship service
that is true to your community of faith and is sacred, not secular in
content.
Church Members:
Let’s assume for this
article that every congregation is made up of willing, dedicated
members ready to serve when asked. There are also those who want
to control everybody and everything to their pleasure. They have
no power anywhere else and the church give it to them. For
volunteer teams working in worship related areas, develop a rotation of
duties that is self-sustaining. A regular rotation keeps regular
routines fresh while giving many a chance to serve. However, so
not ask anyone to serve without giving them the proper tools to do the
job. Educate, educate, and educate them. Some time at the
front end will eliminate a lot of time later on and produce more
results than doing everything alone.
When beginning a new
service or project, recruit a project team to evaluate, brainstorm,
strategize and implement the plan. Be specific on the parameters
for decisions as well as their level of decision authority. Plan
the meeting and stay with your plan. See Meetings,
Meetings, Meetings: Effective Time
Use, Building Consensus for facilitation
strategies. Remember process builds community, and trust as well as
synergy and
consensus.
Antagonists remain in the
church. They are there to keep leaders sharp and humble.
However, do not let them have their way. They will hold the
church hostage and then “The Body of Christ” is damaged. A cancer
needs a host cell to multiply. Keep “The Body of Christ” healthy
by not letting those toxic personalities take hold and win
disciples. This infection can take over and be more difficult to
cure than to prevent.
Building a “Unified Vision
for Worship:
Define what is means to
you to have a unified vision for worship. Consensus does not mean
that everyone agrees. Disagreement and conflict are not
necessarily weapons. They are also creative tools. Creating
a “safe” environment for discussion, disagreement, debate and
brainstorming with study groups and project teams. Let each group
know of their level of decision-making authority, if any, otherwise let
then know that the only have authority to recommend. Be clear –
up front. Model the Biblical mandate to “Speak the truth in love”
and it will set a higher standard of expectation. Worship wars
erupt when worshippers do not feel that they have been heard.
Not everyone will agree
on every part of worship. If 20 people meet to discuss worship
and each person want to change just one thing – then the whole service
is different and nobody is satisfied. Educate everyone on reasons
for every act of worship included in your order of worship.
Educate everyone on the reasons for every part of the Liturgical Year
and its significance to their worship and spiritual journey. Help
worshippers understand – after taking time to understand them!
Ministry is about relationships. Ministry is building and
maintaining relationships. People do not care how much you know
until they know how much you care.
“Uneducated” Expectations
by the Congregation:
This subject has been
dealt with in the sections above, however, do not assume that anyone in
the pew understand any part of worship. People who have been
life-long church attendees and seem to understand what’s happening in
worship are sometimes clueless. Help them by holding classes with
required reading assignments. Guide the discussion and mold the
sessions to move the group to a place of understanding. Let these
sessions be the guide for moving worship services into a new format or
new order of worship and for introducing a new worship service
style. Do not move too fast. Do not move without preparing
the congregation for change. Do not move into areas of conflict
without building a support system and a broad base of understanding for
the reasoning and strategy for any upcoming change.
Summary
The church is constantly
in a state of change. Strive for evolutionary change, not
revolutionary upheaval. Change that the congregation is a part of
designing and a part of implementing is change that empowers and
fulfills. God calls us to Christian service. Other forces
divert us into conflict so that we do not focus on being “The Body of
Christ.” The road is hard. The journey is long. The
task is never complete. The most important accomplishments cannot
be measured in traditional or tangible ways.
Educate your self,
clarify your vision, plan your strategy and do not give up before the
plan has a chance to work. Pray for God’s strength and guidance
as well as for wisdom. Remember these words from scripture: “As
your days, so shall your strength be.” (Deuteronomy 33:25b)
I pray that worship with
your congregation is a spiritual journey that renews, transforms and
equips all believers for Christian service. Grace and peace to
you.
Come, let us reason together.
Isaiah 1:17-18
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