Introduction

9/3/2012

If you've ever...

felt like the worship at your church was floating in space, lacking direction and movement;
wondered how to make contemporary worship more "Lutheran" (or more theologically sound, whatever your tradition);
wondered how to find good new worship songs appropriate for your congregation;
struggled to find a good modern/contemporary worship song to fit a certain theme or service element;

than this website is for you.

Here you will find several resources that I pray you will find helpful:

Blog: Over the next weeks and months I will be sharing a practical theology of contemporary worship, proposing an order of worship that uses the treasures of our liturgical heritage to ground our worship in biblical faithfulness. We will explore options for planning and arranging a service, how to evaluate and choose songs for corporate worship, and perhaps talk about arranging songs and leading a worship band.
Song Lists: At the request of pastors and worship leaders, I have compiled song lists arranged by composer, title, theme, and service element. Each song has been evaluated theologically according to criteria I will soon present in this space. Intended to be used like the sections or indexes of a hymnal, my hope is that these lists will introduce you and your congregation to songs that will become new favorites. Though they include a variety of styles, the lists focus heavily on music that has come out in the last 15 or so years, or since the start of what has been called the "modern worship" movement.
Resources: A quick list of useful tools for worship planning, as well as links to other articles and discussions happening around the internet.
Reviews: Mixed in with blog posts will be some reviews of current worship albums and trends that demand our attention.

This site/blog is also an experiment. One of my goals is to see whether the information presented here would make a useful print resource to be published and made widely available. Posts on this blog may eventually look like chapters of a book, with a few album reviews mixed in.

You are invited to participate! This is not intended to be a monologue. I hope the thoughts I share cause you to reflect and respond based on your own experience. This is a vitally important discussion for the church as our worship is continually evaluated and renewed. Thanks for joining me!

4 Comments

Michael Steffen link

9/4/2012 05:19:45 am

Matt, this sounds interesting. I am interested to see what content you post.

I've been thinking a lot lately about worship formats, and feel conflicted as to whether the services should be more traditional or less so. I grew up with the traditional liturgies and hymns, and think many of them are more powerful than the current ones. I often miss many of the traditional rituals.

At the same time, I was thinking that the audience/stage style of worship that nearly every church employs (where congregants sit in pews, while officiants lead worship from the front) does not involve the congregation enough. It is too easy to think you are watching a show, and then leave and not feel the effects on your life. I wonder whether services should be less formal and more interactive. There is a verse somewhere in the New Testament that encourages Christians gathered together to share any insights, messages, etc. with the group. I sometimes wish I could go up and give a sermon, rather than the pastors.

What is your ideal worship service? What is lacking in current worship services? (perhaps you will answer these questions on the blog)

Matthew Anderson link

9/4/2012 05:02:57 pm

Hey Michael,
Thanks for the comment. The first part of your comment actually leads into tomorrow's post, about what traditional liturgy can teach us about worship. But I'll share a few reactions here to the rest of your thoughts.

The verse you're referring to might be Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching." This might become more and more relevant in our interactive media/social networking culture!

You bring up a good point about the audience/stage format. It's interesting how through the ages church architecture has tried to find ways to combat this: church in the round, choir loft in the back, congregation facing one another, etc. But the reality is, when you get a large group of people together and want to maintain some semblance of order, someone (or ones) need to lead the proceedings. One obvious solution is smaller gatherings, where less formality is required! Small groups and house churches are a couple ways faith communities have dealt with this issue.

When it comes to congregational participation, I've seen traditional worship that invites participation, and I've seen traditional worship that does not do this well. Same goes for more "contemporary" styles. I think what matters more than musical/liturgical style is the "feel" or "atmosphere" created by both the leaders and the proceedings. This is of course quite subjective - what feels "stuffy" to you or me might be just what invites someone else to participate! But hopefully you've had the experience of walking away from a worship service saying, "Wow, I found it very easy to participate today." If so, I doubt that was by accident.

You are certainly right that all too often it is easy to leave a worship service wondering what effect it was supposed to have on your life. Hopefully some of the discussion here will move us in the right direction.

Gail Klemm

5/25/2013 10:24:36 am

I discovered your blog a week ago, looking for an email address - enjoying it very much; also, the article you mentioned. Looking forward to sharing the worship experience through music and the word with you and Becky. See you tomorrow...

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2/4/2017 01:11:11 am

So far, this site is the best on worship. I am glad to read some of your worships and God's words. Worship is a major part of a human behavior. It is consist of a behavior, repetitive by nature, and it must be a social activity that benefits the community. Thank you for this helpful tips. I will surely invite my friends to read your site.

Welcome!

My name is Matthew Anderson I am a pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Victorville, CA, and a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary. I've also done some post-graduate work at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. I have been leading worship in various contexts for over a decade. More...

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