Avoiding manipulation in sung worship
Ben Slee
I define ‘manipulation’ in congregational worship as: causing people to have an emotional response apart from the root of the truth and the fruit of long-term change.
God has designed music to move us emotionally. What a gift! The error of manipulation comes when the emotional power of music replaces the truth, so that what stirs us is not the glory of God in Christ, but the vibe.
music
A bigger view of Jesus
Ben Slee
In July, I had the privilege of attending the Worship God conference run by Sovereign Grace Music in Louisville, Kentucky.
We dwelt upon how our union with Christ shapes our Christian lives and our congregational worship. It was a blessed time of faithful preaching and rich times of singing. Two things in particular stood out to me:
music
Do not lose heart
Ben Slee
It’s a hard time to lead sung worship in church right now. Congregational singing – the heart of our ministry – has been stripped away, and we’re left with what feels like an empty shell. The tangible, audible signs that God’s word is in fact dwelling in people richly have vanished. Like many around me, I’ve been fighting to not lose heart.
However, in ways we can’t always see, the Lord is still at work, bearing eternal fruit. And He wants to encourage us in this difficult season through the words of the apostle Paul: do not lose heart.
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‘Lift up your hands’: it is Biblical, you know…
Ben Slee
Many of us have had the joy of gathering together as church for the first time in months. It is so good to be together, as it’s supposed to be!
Well – almost as it’s supposed to be. As I write, congregational singing is still banned, with no end yet in sight. It certainly feels as if one of the most edifying elements in our gatherings – one of the richest foretastes of heaven – has vanished.
music
Shaping your team’s culture
Ben Slee
What are the key attitudes and values that shape the culture of your church music team?
You might not feel like much of a team because there are only few of you, or (in this current season, at least) there is no music team as such! But whether we’re many or few, each of us contributes to how the music is led in our churches; it’s vital to be on the same page.
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Gospel-shaped services
Ben Slee
The shape of your Sunday service is forming the way people in your church relate to God – not just in the moment, but through the week.
That puts real significance on how we plan and lead services – whether we’re music leaders, service leaders or pastors. We’re going to explore how to give our services a gospel shape, and how we can help people to see connections as we lead services – for the spiritual formation of our churches.
music
Watts all this about feelings?
Ben Slee
Isaac Watts is a hero of mine. Not only was he a great hymn-writer, but a model pastor and one of the sharpest theological thinkers of his day. One particular area of his think-ing seems especially relevant for today, not least for our singing. It concerns the place of our feelings (or ‘affections’) in the Christian life.
I was struck by this some time ago whilst reading Graham Beynon’s excellent book Isaac Watts – His Life and Thought. Beynon observes how, in Watt’s day, being rational and intellectual was king. Christians placed strong emphasis upon knowledge over-and-above feelings in matters of faith. Expressing any feelings and experiences of God put you in danger of being labelled an ‘enthusiast’ (not a nice term back then: you did not want to be one of them). Watts sought to (in his own words) ‘vindicate the passionate believer’ by showing our need to both think deeply and feel deeply about the truth of the gospel.
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Leading like a shepherd
Ben Slee
Think ahead to this coming Sunday. Picture yourself stood in front of those you regular-ly lead in singing. Looking around at the faces, you’ll soon become aware of the deep and diverse spiritual needs in the room.
There are those brimming with whole-hearted devotion next to those who are spiritually dry, relieved to have made it to the oasis of fellowship with God and His people. Standing with them are still others who would rather be anywhere else in the world. Some feel too sinful to approach a holy God; others don’t think He’s there at all. Some are just hurting: aware of those who should be here and aren’t, or just weighed down with the scars and hurts of this life. Many are distracted: anxious about every-thing from Sunday lunch to failing finances and devastating diagnoses. All are sinners, like you and me. And all of us need to be shepherded with God’s word.
