Thoughts on Youth Worship in Music
My desire is to have the kids engaged in worship at all costs. We have no reason to expect any less response than what we might see on, say, the last night of camp. How does the last night at camp happen? In part, I think the realization that a fun week is coming to an end leaves kids emotionally vulnerable, and more often than not this corresponds with an openness to the Divine touch. Additionally, both the speaker and worship leader want to close with a bang, so they add something to their normal routine. Hearts collide, tears are shed, and hands are raised. So with Ignite.
By no means am I asking for emotional manipulation. But I certainly would expect any worship leader to be sensitive and responsive to two factors:
1. The heart of God.
2. The hearts of the worshipers.
Such awareness should result in balance. I think a worship leader should be equally concerned about both lethargy and hysteria on the part of the congregation. Both are extreme emotional responses, and both are good indications of imbalance. The leader’s subsequent direction needn’t necessarily be dramatic, but it should definitely be purposeful.
So – how does this translate into action? Three broad suggestions:
1. Song Selection. Make sure that the majority of the audience will be familiar with the majority of the songs to be played. Don’t open or close with an unfamiliar song, and if called upon for impromptu worship, avoid unfamiliar songs entirely. A leader cannot expect to be followed if he has not met his followers where they are. (To help the band with this, we must supply them with the entire catalog of songs common to the attending youth groups.)
2. Performance. Keep the focus entirely on The Lord God. Dispense with the needless stage banter and solos – this is not a concert or standup routine. Most of these worshipers are not yet spiritually mature enough to maintain their focus, so their attention can easily be swayed be a careless leader. Once the leader has met the audience where they are, it is his duty to continually point them in the right direction.
3. Approach. Don’t rely too heavily on a formula. There is no Scripture that says the setlist must open and/or close with a fast song, or that there must be at least three slow songs in the key of G. Be prepared to throw out the book altogether. If the first song has got God’s people on their knees, don’t be afraid to stick with it for a while. So what if we end up preempting the lesson? So what if we don’t get to do the skit? The leader expects the unexpected and is ready to respond.
