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- Scott
- Atlanta, GA
- Married to the best woman on the planet. Father of three lovely daughters. Worship leader, song writer and marriage blogger by calling. Passionate about exalting the name of Jesus through worship and strong marriages. Electrical Engineer by education and experience, currently a global product manager.
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The Advent of Your Marriage - Advent reminds you to expect great things in your marriage, but also to look for your spouse and for God to deliver in unexpected ways. Contrary to popul...8 years ago
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Worship Diet Part 2 - General Song Category
I’ve seen a few different models for the categorization of worship songs, from the simple “praise or worship” model, to elaborate topic-based systems, to the “outer courts, inner courts, holy of holies” model popularized by John Wimber.
I have settled on a basic four-category system that seems to be a reasonable compromise between simplicity and usefulness:
Of course, any given song may touch on more than one of these aspects, and some songs may not fit neatly into one of these, but overall I think these categories are sufficient for the purposes of ensuring a balanced worship diet.
Now, consider what happens when our worship diet leans too heavily on one category to the neglect of the others:
I think it’s perfectly valid for there to be seasons in the life of a body where one category gets more emphasis than others. But overall, it’s important to have a well-rounded repertoire that includes a significant number of songs from all categories.
Do you agree with my categories? Do you have others that you think should be added? Is my balanced diet argument true? Chime in!
I have settled on a basic four-category system that seems to be a reasonable compromise between simplicity and usefulness:
- Invocation (or Invitation) – these are songs that might also be referred to as “call to worship” songs or “songs of ascent.” These songs invite people to worship and/or invoke the presence of the Lord among His people. Examples: “Come Now is the Time,” “Holy Moment,” “Praise Awaits You,” and “Arise.”
- Celebration/Proclamation – these songs celebrate the goodness and faithfulness of God. They include often-jubilant songs of thanksgiving and high praise. Examples: “Forever,” “Happy Day,” and “The Lord Reigns.”
- Majesty – these songs extol the nature and virtues of our mighty and wondrous God, his power, his holiness, his vastness, and his altogether otherness. These songs are all about him. Examples: “King of Glory,” “Agnus Dei,” and “Holy is Our King,”
- Intimacy – these are songs of personal devotion and surrender in response to the deep and abiding love of God. They typically, though not necessarily, tend to be slower and more meditative in nature. Examples: “You Won’t Relent,” “How Deep the Father’s Love,” and “Amazing Love.”
Of course, any given song may touch on more than one of these aspects, and some songs may not fit neatly into one of these, but overall I think these categories are sufficient for the purposes of ensuring a balanced worship diet.
Now, consider what happens when our worship diet leans too heavily on one category to the neglect of the others:
- Invocation – too much of this kind of song is like continually issuing an invitation to meet someone but never actually meeting up.
- Proclamation – too much of this kind of song causes the worship to eventually feel over-hyped and plastic.
- Majesty – too much of this kind of song makes God seem distant, untouchable, even aloof.
- Intimacy – too much of this kind of song reduces God to being our “buddy” and can cause the worship to seem feeble.
I think it’s perfectly valid for there to be seasons in the life of a body where one category gets more emphasis than others. But overall, it’s important to have a well-rounded repertoire that includes a significant number of songs from all categories.
Do you agree with my categories? Do you have others that you think should be added? Is my balanced diet argument true? Chime in!
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1 comments:
Scott,
Have just found and browsed your blog. Excellent thoughts. Am an occasional worship leader and songwriter.
Based on life experiences the past 2 years and Michael Card's excellent book "A Sacred Sorrow", let me suggest another category: lament, as in honestly relating to God our own fallenness as well as the difficulties of life in a fallen world.
It is noteworthy that Psalms devotes a significant part of the book to this, but we in the modern American church have failed to, and as such rarely "weep with those who weep". A few years back I felt almost guilty setting Psalm 143 to music, but it was providential for others at the time and I have since found it resonating with me as well. It's not a place to dwell without reason (and one rarely chooses to experience the reasons that prompt it), but we need to address this head on lest we ignore those for whom lament is the only authentic heart outpouring available. (And once one begins to realize it's "OK", one begins to see it in many places in Scripture, as well as places in Scripture where it woul d be a reasonable first response. But more on that at some later date )
I will pass along the links to your blog - it has some excellent content that people can profit from.
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