This past weekend I enjoyed hanging out at the nation’s largest free Christian music festival, LifeLight, which is now held about 20 minutes outside of Sioux Falls where I live. It was fantastic. I watched some great performers, caught up with some old friends, and had a great time with my family.
One of my main takeaways and “I wonder if”‘s from the festival is reflected in a phrase I wrote in the first paragraph: “I watched some great performers.”
I have to be honest with everyone reading that I really struggled with something during the shows, especially during David Crowder Band and as well during Kari Jobe leading worship at the community worship service Sunday morning.
I struggled with a debate I know has gone on (and probably will go on) for ages: is there a difference between worship “artists” and worship “leaders?”
Different Preparations; Dramatically Different Results
To be completely transparent, I was reluctant to see the David Crowder Band. While I love their musical style and their incredible talent, some of their content is just a little too generic for me. However, I knew they were fantastic musicians and definitely wanted to see them perform. There’s problem number one for me with my struggle: I went to see David Crowder Band perform, I didn’t go so they could help me worship God. Yes, I knew that they would be singing songs of worship and I knew that their focus is one of worship, and I prayed that God would allow me to worship Him, even while watching these guys perform, but my primary motive for going was to watch them perform.
On the other hand, I went Sunday morning completely prepared and expecting to worship, and not to watch Kari Jobe perform. I had finished leading worship and being taught under my pastor’s teaching at my home congregation and was ready to head out to worship together with a vast body of believers from multiple different denominations and cultures, which is one of the highlights of LifeLight for me every year.
Ironically, however, was the resulting attitude that happened in me between the two events. Although I went with the express purpose of watching the David Crowder band perform, they (or I should say God, through them) led me into a deep worship experience, despite the songs not having quite as much depth as I’d like. While they had fun and definitely showed their skill and were definitely “performing,” something about David’s demeanor helped me worship. Despite his funky beard, glasses, and baseball cap, he was amazingly undistracting somehow, and I was drawn to God easily and quickly through the songs.
Again, on the other hand, while prepared to worship on Sunday morning, I was completely distracted by Kari Jobe’s “performance.” She was specifically tasked with leading worship, but the song choices, the extra-long musical interludes that gave her a chance to exercise her vocal talent, and the repetition in the songs caused me to have a much harder time worshiping God, even though I had prepared myself for it.
The Great Debate: Performance or Worship
Let me make this perfectly clear before I go forward as well: this is not a criticism of Kari Jobe by any means. I know for certain that she was worshiping God and felt that she was using the best methods possible to lead the congregation in worship. However, I just didn’t feel like it worked, mainly because hers felt more like a performance to me and less like leading worship. And, as I said before, ironically, David Crowder Band felt more like worship and less like a performance, even though they definitely had a “set” they were going through.
So, all this to say, where is the balance and how does it work or not work? I talked to so many people who said, “Oh yeah, I really want to go see David Crowder Band because they’re so cool,” or “I really want to see Lincoln Brewster because he’s such a great guitar player and I love his songs so much.” I didn’t hear “I’m so excited to go let God work through my heart as I worship God by being led by….fill-in-the-blank.”
And quite frankly, when I went to bands who aren’t labeled as “worship artists” I had absolutely no trouble enjoying them because I was specifically there to watch them play and enjoy their skill level. In fact, participating in the House of Heroes show during their song “Field of Daggers” was extremely worshipful to me, but House of Heroes is not anywhere close to being labeled as a “worship artist.” While I went to David Crowder Band and listened to Kari Jobe, it was hard to not keep going back and forth in my mind from “I’m worshiping” to “I’m enjoying the skill of the band.” Is it okay to do both?
Would You Offer some Perspective?
I believe with all my heart that we should “play skillfully” and yet lead in a way that is distraction-free and relevant to the congregation we’re leading. But where is the line between being a worship leader and a worship artist? Or is there one? Or should the term “worship artist” ever be used? Again, no criticisms intended, just some heartfelt questions and struggles that I’d love some perspective on.
(fantastic David Crowder photo by Nathan Hoogshagen)
