I’ve come to a conclusion. I don’t mind “performance” based church services.
But, in saying that, I must admit that I haven’t defined the term “performance” in this context. And I doubt many people do.
This is something that has been on my mind for a long time. And even though I say I’ve come to a conclusion, I doubt I really have. But, let me digress a bit…
I’m intrigued by people who remark after coming out of “performance” based services that they felt the service was a performance. Like a concert. That all eyes are focused on the stage and what’s going on there. And it was difficult to “really worship”. Hmmm. Really?
Aren’t all church services performance based to some degree? Perhaps the better position would be, “I just don’t care for the music” or “I’m not a fan of movers (intelligent, well, lights that move and change colors and have gobos (patterns) in them).” Or, “The music was just too loud.”
Those are things that are a little more definable. But, “performance”?
I attended a wedding at a church this past weekend at a very traditional church. Very bright sanctuary. Stained glass. Pews. The whole bit. And guess where the focus was… ON STAGE! What makes that environment any less “performance” based than the “theater” style that’s dark with completely artificial light? I imagined a Sunday service in that facility with the pastor up front, all eyes focused on him, doing a performance.
Maybe the argument should rather be, “I prefer music that’s not really good, good enough to sing to and not totally distract, but not that good where it sounds too good.” Because, we all know, that “too good” just becomes a “performance”. Why choose excellence in a worship service? Isn’t that just putting the focus on ourselves rather than on God?
My limited understanding of scripture is that the priests of old had to execute the service absolutely perfect, a perfect performance, out of fear of death. I think we’ve gotten a little weak where we feel that “inclusion” supercedes excellence. It’s more important that everyone feels included than we actually strive for excellence.
So, maybe this is more about excellence than performance.
If someone has mastered the fine art of performance and put it to good use, even if they aren’t completely “authentic”, can they still lead others in authentic worship?
A little story…
A long time ago in a far off place, I was in a band, traveling through Western Canada and, for whatever reason, having a bad day. I usually absolutely LOVED the travel, the setup and tear down and the performance in between. But this day, not so much. I wanted it to just be over. But, I learned the art of performing from my pal Russ and “put on a happy face” and did the gig.
After the gig, I tried to keep to myself, not wanting any social contact of any kind. Unfortunately :), God had other plans. A man named Marvin came up to me and I felt compelled (obligated more like) to strike up a conversation with him. One thing led to another and, well, I had the privilege of helping lead him to Christ that night. Hmmm. Did performance matter that night? You bet! The last I heard, Marvin was a strong leader in the church. Many had been praying for him. God used me to reap that evening. Amen.
Through a conversation I recently had it was determined that the people on stage in a given church service definitely affect the way the congregation/audience feels and ultimately responds. So, if we “perform” in a way that’s pleasing to God and draws people in, then how can performance be “bad”? Even if not absolutely “authentic”? And in even using that term, who gets to determine what’s honestly and absolutely authentic anyway?
Though the conclusion has been “set”, I’m still trying to figure some of this out. More to come…
