"Un-Hurried Worship" (Worship at Encounter)

Psalm 46:8  “Be still and know that I am God.” 

“Unhurried Worship” is a term we use to describe the musical worship time at our mid-week Encounter gathering.  Encounter is an extension of our Healing Prayer Ministries at Reynolda Church.  When we gather for Encounter we know that we are gathering to experience the Presence of the Spirit of Jesus.  This expectant attitude leads to powerful times of worship and deep relational blessings from the Holy Spirit. 

When planning for Encounter services we always leave space and time for the Holy Spirit to minister in the midst of musical worship.  We will let go of the song arrangement and leave space for spontaneous Spirit inspired lyrics and melodies to emerge.  We have been blessed many times by the Spirit leading us through an entire evening of Spirit inspired spontaneous songs.  As we worship in an “un-hurried” manner we leave room for scripture reading, prophetic singing, and calls for healing prayer all in the midst of giving glory to God through song.  It’s a true blessing to let God control the liturgy of a service.

That being said, we do plan.  If it weren’t for planning we would not have the comfort level it takes to let go and let the Spirit take control.  We plan for six songs each evening.  Three that are more praise focused to help those gathered sing of the blessings God pours out on his people.  Then we have a short teaching time that guides us toward a passionate time of prayer ministry in the midst of worship.  During this ministry time we lead songs that are more worship centric, focused on the attributes of God.  As we move through these songs we will often linger in instrumental improvisation that supports the work of the Spirit and does not distract.  At all times we try to be very aware of what God is doing in this gathering and we will open our hearts and liturgy to let Him speak, heal, and minister to His Church. 

I feel it is vital to experience God in an un-hurried worship environment.  Worship in about giving worth to our Creator, Savior, and Restorer.  We are blessed to spend meaningful time with Him.  Let’s not rush it, be it in our personal or congregational times of worship.  Why don’t we “be still and know that he is God?”

Establishing Your Ryhthm

Establishing a rhythm.  When it comes to making music it is step number one.  My musical journey started with the drums.  I am extremely thankful that my first experience as a musician started behind a drum set.  Laying a foundation that the other members of the band can create harmony and melody on top of has helped me understand the importance of creating a rhythm in my spiritual life.

A few days ago I downloaded a couple of looping apps to my iPad.*  As I've been exploring this "new" means of making music, in many ways, I have gone back to my roots.  For me to create with drum machines, loop stations, and synthesizers is a bit weird being that my main instruments over the past 20+ have been acoustic guitar, mandolin, and banjo.  Using this new technology to create has forced me to think about the building blocks of music.  Everything starts with rhythm.  Creating a pattern is essential.  Once a pattern is established we are placed on a path and set in motion.  Now that we have begun the musical journey we can add elements into the mix that add texture and atmosphere.  After all, what good is a journey without being able to see and experience the sights along the way?

I have recently started a FaceBook page for ReynoldaWorship that my colleagues and I will be managing.  One of the first things I wanted to do with the page was to start a foundational rhythm.  So I started posting quotes from the morning and evening Psalms from the Common Lectionary.  I wanted to share a rhythm based on the foundation of worship, rooted in the book of Psalms from God's Word.  From this rhythmic foundation we will begin creating a symphony of inspirational material to share with the Reynolda Church community and others who come across our little corner of the internet.  

Establish your rhythm in partnership with the living God and see what beautiful music He will make with your life.

*check out the Novation Launchpad and Key Station free apps for iPad in the AppStore.
Novation launchpad app

How to Use the Five-String Banjo in Worship

I was blessed to have an article published in the latest edition of Vineyard Music's "Inside Worship"magazine.  The magazine focused on integrating instruments.  For more info on "Inside Worship" go to www.vineyardmusic.com Here is my article on the five-string banjo:

HOW TO USE 

THE FIVE-STRING BANJO

IN WORSHIP

dylan mckeeman

     The five-string banjo has its roots on the African continent. It came to North America on slave ships and settled first on the plantations of the South East United States. As runaway slaves sought safe harbor in the Appalachian Mountains, the banjo began to be found ac- companying Appalachian folk music and then in other American roots music forms.

     I want to focus on the five-string banjo and its use in worship because of the unique qualities the five-string set up can bring to the worship soundscape. I use banjo on any- thing from African/American spirituals to modern worship anthems. The banjo can add an element of down home and nostalgia to your sound, but it doesn’t necessarily ‘folk up’ all of your arrangements. The timbre and rhythmic quality of the banjo adds an element of drive. It is important for the banjo player to sync up with the hi-hat rhythm pattern and become very nimble in the right hand. Arpeggios, or ‘rolls’ as banjo players refer to them, are the foundation of a good banjo part. It is more important to be locked- in rhythmically than it is to be blazing fast.

     I’m assuming that most of those considering using the banjo in a worship setting are tran- sitioning from guitar. If you think of the banjo in terms of a double drop D guitar without the A and E (D) strings, and a cool little drone G string, your mind and fingers will open up to the instrument and its potential to add new textures to your worship experience.

     As bands like Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers bring the banjo back to the forefront of popular music, I encourage you not to use the five-string banjo to seem relevant – but to bring the story of the banjo into the redemptive story that is being told through our worship music. That’s why I play it as I lead African/American Spirituals. Playing the banjo helps tell the story of the redemption of the slave, and in turn, points to the larger story of redemption through Jesus our Advocate.

The Fine Art of Listening

I know that God is Love because God listens.  

A great musician is a great listener.  I know that things are working when I'm playing with an ensemble of musicians and I can hear every note being played.  When everyone knows that every note counts, the level of musicianship leaps.  In the midst of worship leading this often comes in intimate times of worship.  I've experienced it most often in a funeral service or in times when the Holy Spirit is ministering to folks in the congregation.  

In this video, Stefon Harris shows us the importance of listening and how a community can gather around someone who has made a "mistake" and utilize it to create a more beautiful story. 

http://www.ted.com/talks/stefon_harris_there_are_no_mistakes_on_the_bandstand.html

In Romans 8:28, Paul explores this same idea:  "And we knew that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." ESV.  

Stefon and the others on that bandstand are called to the same purpose.  To create improvisational music that challenges and engages the listener.  Our purpose as worship leaders and followers of Christ is to assist the worshiping community in the glorification of the Resurrected Christ.  We will make mistakes.  Will we ignore them?  Will we point them out and then do nothing with them, shaming the mistake maker? Or, will we come along side, love and guide the maker of the mistake and create a more beautiful story?  

leadworship conference

I was extremely blessed to attend the Leadworship Conference this past weekend.  Worship leader and songwriter Paul Baloche hosts these conferences all around the US and Canada each year. It's very exciting to have a conference of this caliber only a couple of miles from home.  About 500 folks involved in worship ministry from across North Carolina have gathered here in Winston-Salem to get solid hands on training in the art of worship leading.

A couple of things I gleaned from the experience...

-When you walk out on the platform to lead you are walking into a room with your family.  There's so and so who's had a great week because of this... There's Mrs. Such and Such who's been struggling with that... so have a conversation with them. Lovingly talk to them as we enter into the presence of the Lord.  We are here to celebrate resurrection but sometimes we need to transition from the weariness of the week into the eternal celebration of worship.

-From the songwriting workshop:  Take notes during the sermon.  Look and listen for the sermon hook.  It can often times be a great lyrical hook with a little bit of poetic tweaking.  Listen to the prayers of others.  As the Spirit moves people to pray they may say something that your entire congregation may need to sing during times of worship.  Become of a student of great melody.  Listen to Disney songs.  (I know this may seem cheesy but they hire some of the best melody writers since Lennon/McCartney.)

I'm looking forward to implementing the things I learned at the conference and can't wait to hear what emerges from the rest of us that went.

What I'm Reading

"God's Singers" by Dave Williamson.

I'm thrilled to be reading Dave Williamson's book "God's Singers" as we are launching a worship choir here at Reynolda Church.  Williamson does a great job of encouraging worship leaders and worship pastors to explore the use of a worship choir in the context of modern worship.  He states that the choir "is" the worship leader.  Not a group of singers that slogs through most of the service and then comes alive when they sing the anthem that they have been working on for the last few weeks.  A worship leading choir engages the congregation in worship.  It acts as a mirror image to the worshiping congregation.  Worship leaders have a blessed view of the congregation during worship.  We get to see the Holy Spirit work His way through the congregation person by person.  When we have a large group of worshipers leading, the congregation gets to see the Holy Spirit working through worshipers in all different sorts of ways.  

At Reynolda we will be utilizing our worship choir once a month and during special services throughout the year.  I'm excited to lead along side a choir that is fully engaged in the celebration of resurrection.  

 

My prayer is that the new Reynolda Worship Choir will be a huge blessing to the worshiping congregation of Reynolda Church.  

Here is a video of Dave Williamson discussing "God's Singers."