In this second chapter, Dawn hits on a much more vital question than she did in chapter one. Don't get me wrong; knowing what kind of music is appropriate is important. It's just that most of us who actually worship when we go to church already know that music is immaterial. That's why Dawn's opening statement to chapter two is so poignant: "The greatest danger of choosing where or at which type of service we worship according to our musical taste is that we forget that worship is for God" (19).
The rest of this very short chapter offers much of the same sentiment. Worship is for God. I like that a great deal because of how often our daily worship and our weekly worship gatherings miss that point. We're good at making worship about God or from God (as in a mandate), but we don't direct our worship activities in God's direction as often as we might. Dawn's helpful analysis shows how inevitable it is for worship to be directed away from God if we ignore our cultural (even church cultural) narcissism (20) and deny our capitalist approach to church, in which we do what we can to secure our fair share of the "market" (22). Clearly, planning, choosing, and evaluating worship with ourselves at the center is folly. (That's so much easier to say than actively to avoid!) It is equally true, though, that we need not to concern ourselves with recruitment and retention in church membership when we worship God. Worship is not about getting people to sit in our pews, nor is it about making sure people don't leave. Worship is our responsibility; it is something that we do. If someone chooses not to worship and to make church about themselves or their tastes, then they have missed the boat. That is no reason for us to become musical caterers instead of worship leaders.
That being said, I see two cautions in my mind's eye after these few pages:
1) Dawn applauds Willow Creek Church for their evangelistic Sunday events and midweek worship events, while wrapping the knuckles of churches who try to emulate that. She's smart for calling out the rest of us churches who are trying more to duplicate Willow than to engage our God. Her stress that worship is not the same thing as evangelism, though correct, can lead many of us not even to consider visitors or people who do not believe when we plan our group worship events. Not to consider unbelieving people and/or visitors simply will not work. God should never be replaced as the object of our worshipful affection, but ignoring visitors and/or unbelieving people only sets church bodies apart as elitist, erudite bodies who are unconcerned with identifying with people around them. Such insular thinking is why many, many people want nothing to do with churches and Christians. Planning worship events with visitors in mind, never apologizing for why we gather, but, rather, lifting Christ even higher in our praise is perfectly appropriate. (Note: planning with visitors in mind, though wise, must be done cautiously. Planning with visitors in mind is great until those visitors become regular attenders who now assume that everything will always be done according to their tastes. Fine line, isn't it?)
2) I think it's wise to remind one another consistently that worship is for God. We must tell each other regularly, "It's not about you." I feel a little scared that Dawn's once-and-for-all, matter-of-fact chapter states a plain truth and assumes we get it. Trust me, after 12 years in regular music ministry/worship leadership, we need this reminder at least once per week. Even when we get it, we still battle evaluating group worship events (Sundays, particularly) through the filters of our preferences and tastes. We may never be able to rid ourselves of personal biases, but we can become open-hearted and open-minded. And we should. It is a great idea to take Dawn's clear, brief chapter and assess ourselves regularly about who our worship is really for.
LE
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