Vineyard East Worship

So time is moving forward, as it tends to do. It’s now 2010 (yikes, whenever I hear Prince’s 1999, I have to pinch myself that already happened over a decade ago!). And while the world around us still loves classic formulas for music, art & expression, it’s also embracing new styles, the young who are experimenting with it, the process by which they’re working out expression and (almost secondarily) the final result.

The iPad DJ video from @ranajune is case in point. Gimmicky? Without question. But allowing access to creative expression to a whole bunch of bored kids (or unemployed or really dedicated older people) in your town? At least in theory.

To what degree are you (worship & creative leaders) harnessing & encouraging that kind of energy into your church communities? I know I’m barely scratching the surface.

Please don’t hear me saying the tried & true “classics” are tired and that we should all buy iPads & play dubstep music in church next week.  I love the classic Vineyard-esque worship. Part of me would be fine sitting in a living room with my Taylor for the rest of time singing Draw Me Close (seriously).

BUT the other part of me knows that there’s more going on out there… more expression that God is perhaps drawing out of the people who party next to my church on Saturday night… a “voice” that calls to people. I hear it in Marc Ford‘s guitar work on Chris Lizotte’s Signal Hill Revival (from Vineyard Music last year). He just brought “juice”, “mustard”, whatever you want to call it from his soul & transformed it into worship.

Now, in terms of skill or passion, I’m not even comparing the absurd iPad DJ vid to the guitar & creative mastery of Marc Ford, but what I am saying is that we need to open the doors & figure out how to let the influences around us help shape our worship expression whether it be silly kids with iPads or creative geniuses in our midst. It’s not enough any more to just play a nice set of 5 songs that the people already in church will be comfortable with… at least not if we’re going to be able to lead those outside toward meeting with God.

So… go buy all your teenagers iPads & have them figure out how they would lead worship Sunday morning (or Thurs afternoon) for their not religious friends.