Do you see any problems with compartmentalizing every age group into a worship environment designed ONLY for them? Benefits?

Can children and teens “sit through” and participate in family oriented worship?

Are we asking too much of them to learn from and participate in generational worship?

Is Generational Worship something that we should pursue during our weekend gatherings or is it something we should promote and teach for people to pursue during the week with their OWN FAMILIES? Or is it something we should try and blend into both?

Please feel free to respond with answers, insight, and questions of your own. This post is not meant to be antagonistic, but I truly desire to learn more about WHY we have such segmented times of worship every weekend.

* By Family Worship I mean environments that creates opportunities for families to worship together. And in a larger more general sense environments that creates opportunities for worship to happen with more than one generation present. And I’m not only referring to musical worship.

He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

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Last day (over 3 years serving at HOJ) of official “on staff” worshiping with this great crew!

1) Today Is The Day (Brewster, Baloche): Key Bb. Standard arrangement. Tweaked the bridge a little bit to give it an almost Sugar Ray meets retro beatles vibe. I liked it.

2) Blessed Be Your Name (Redman): Key G. Cortni rocked this one today, she’s one of our newer lead vocals, and does an amazing job on this song!

3) I Know Who I Am (Houghton, Tomlin): Key A. Ros led this one and was great as usual. I jumped it on the lead vocal for the bridge. This is such a great song with great lyrics.

Part of Sunday Setlists.

The band was awesome today, the singers (all 6 of them!) were on, and there was just a great energy in the room.

1) Shackles (Mary Mary): Key Em. You’ve seen this one on our setlist quite a bit. It doesn’t seem to get old when we do this. We do “freshen” it up every few months by adding different elements here and there. This version has an added sing-rappy bridge tag in it that we also end with.

Shackles on Vimeo.

2) Revelation Song (Riddle): Key C. Mixed this one up (again) and came away with a pretty decent rocked version.

Revelation Song on Vimeo.

3) One Way Crazy Train Remix (Houston): Key F#m. We did this one a few weeks back. Everyone loved it, so we did it again.

One Way on Vimeo.

Part of Sunday Setlists.

Dear Worship Leader Person,

My friend, the churchy person, said I should write you a letter to talk to you about “worship” so here I am, writing you a letter.

I don’t really know where to start since I’m kind of new to this whole church thing. Oh, back in the day, I went to VBS during the summers and there were a few times in college I went to church to impress a date, but other than that I’m kind of lost here.

I know I’m supposed to join in and sing, it looks kind of like a concert, but it’s kind of weird that nobody else is really singing along. At least, not like at that one Hootie concert I went to a few years ago where everybody TRIED to sing along. Oh, but there is that one woman up front who seems to raise her hands and close her eyes during every song. It’s kind of weird, but kind of cool at the same time, because it looks like she knows all the songs.

Anyways, I just thought I’d share a few things from an outsider’s point of view, that might help you out with folks like me.

I’m not really into this “worship” stuff. I mean, I’m pretty sure there’s a God somewhere, but I haven’t really nailed the details down yet. It’s kind of awkward for me those first few minutes of the music. Not sure what to do.

I will say this though, when you explain what’s going on before a song or after a song it kind of helps a little. I mean, a BRIEF explanation, because I think that everybody will agree when you go to a concert, it stinks when the lead singer talks to much. Just sing for goodness sake! But at the same time, it really helped out last Sunday when you said that raising our hands was a sign, like a gesture to God that meant we give our lives to Him. I’m not there yet, but I appreciate your effort to help me see.

Another thing, why does it seem that just anybody can get a microphone and sing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for giving people opportunities, but that one chick, can she even carry a tune? I’ve been to a lot of shows in my life, and I’ve seen some pretty bad singers, but if this is supposed to be worship to God, wouldn’t you want the band to be the best? Just a thought.

I was a little weirded out when I noticed that the keyboard player was so familiar to me. Took a few minutes to place him, but chuckled to myself when I realized it was last Thursday night at the local club. I think it’s cool that members of your team hang out with regular people, and even get drunk. Well, I’m not sure if that’s cool or not, I don’t know much about church, but from what I’ve heard most churches would have kicked this guy off the team. So that makes you cool in my book. That is what you’re going for right?

About this “worship” thing. I don’t get it. I’m not impressed by you closing your eyes and zoning out. I’m not impressed by all this talk about getting closer to God and being like Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit. I don’t even know what that means.

I mean, sure I want you to do what you do, but at the same time, I feel like I’m standing outside somebody’s window watching their family eat dinner. It’s kind of awkward.

Here’s what I’m impressed by. Before the band got cranked up, you were talking with me. I don’t know any one here, but you took the time to say hey and introduce yourself. You didn’t even talk about music or anything. In fact, at first I didn’t even know you were the lead singer! Then, when you got your guitar and started singing, I was like, “Wow, that’s the guy I was just talking to before hand.”

I’m also impressed by a great band. I’m not gonna lie, when you first kicked it off, it seemed a little loose. I don’t know how to describe it. Like the band wasn’t on the same page. I appreciate that your doing your best, but it seems like that flute player just doesn’t know what they’re doing.

I’m also impressed when I can see the words on that cool screen thing. I don’t know ANY of these songs you’re singing and it helps if the words on screen match what I’m hearing. I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, but somebody needs to take a chill pill with all the moving stuff behind the words. I almost threw up trying to follow along to that one song, what was it, oh yeah, One Way. I’m all for stuff on-screen looking cool, but what I really want is to just be able to read it and follow along.

I was also wondering why your band doesn’t seem to enjoy what they’re doing. Most of them are looking down at those music stands you see at high school band concerts. Don’t they even know the music? It would be cool if they got into it a little more. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a rock show where the band was reading their music off of stands.

I’m kind of piecing the puzzle together here, and I’m beginning to understand that you’re using this music to somehow talk to God, so it kind of confuses me that the music was so boring. I mean, you’re trying to sing to God right? Maybe if it was a little louder He could hear it! I was waiting for that old guy on guitar to start shredding, but he never did. That would have been cool.

At this point, I want to be impressed by the music. I don’t know what worship is. Maybe your band could watch some live shows and get some pointers?

And maybe next week, you could smash a guitar on stage or something, or maybe at the very least, just try to move around a little.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to me before service,

Un Churchy Person

Dear Worship Leader Person,

I am a churchy person. I’m what you would call a Believer, Christ-follower, Christian. I’ve been in church for a while. I know most of the ins and outs of this thing we call faith.

I mean, I know that I grow when I read and study Scripture, when I pray, and when I hang out with others who know God. I know that I get stronger when I serve others.

I know that we get together to sing to and about God and call it worship. I know that worship is supposed to be about my heart. But most of the time it’s really about the music. In fact, I’m pretty comfortable using the word “worship” to talk about the music time. Even when I don’t worship during the music.

I love it when you challenge me, though. Not by little mini-sermons between songs, or by awkward sung prayers that don’t make much sense. I am inspired by your passion, by your heart for worship. The music is cool, the arrangements of songs are nice, but it’s really the look on your face when I know that you are in the zone. That place of connection with God.

When I see you out and about and it really LOOKS like you’re walking with Jesus. I’m inspired by that. Oh sure, I like to sing along with the latest modern worship chart toppers on Sundays, but man, oh man, I am INSPIRED by your worship on Mondays through Saturdays.

Problem is, I don’t know how to tell you this. So, I just say, “Worship was great this morning.” Hoping, that you’ll thank me, of course, and then somehow hold me accountable. Ask me about my week. Anything. Show me you care about something more than just the music, even though technically, that’s what we “hired” you to do at our church.

I’m not worried so much about being impressed by the music. I want to be INSPIRED by your worship.

Thanks,

Churchy Person

P.S. My friend Un Churchy Person is writing you a letter too.

Since we’re moving in a few weeks, this is the last time I got to drum at HOJ. Tear.

I’m no Lester Estelle, Jr. or Will Denton, but I have fun and overall I’m holding it down!

I Am Not Forgotten from Jimmy Linville on Vimeo.

Jesus Is The Best Thing from Jimmy Linville on Vimeo.

I Am Free from Jimmy Linville on Vimeo.

Thanks to Mr. Jimmy for the vids!

I was on drums today. It rocked. I love playing with this team!

Part of Sunday Setlists. Come and share yours!

I’m all for leveraging any and every form of technology we can to expose people to truth and NPO is doing a great job at that. There are many who believe that this is just wasted effort because they can’t grasp the impact that this might have as a gateway for someone to enter into local church family. I see it as a starting point, a doorway.

This isn’t the main course, but an appetizer of sorts.

And depending on the season of life someone is in, this might be the ONLY faith family that they can plug into. Deployed. Away from home. Moving to a new town. Etc.

Check out the upcoming series, Losing Your Religion at NPCC. They’ll be inaugurating NPO (northpointonline.tv) with this series. Follow the project on the NPO blog.

Promo: “Losing Your Religion” from North Point Media on Vimeo.