Tuesday, February 21, 2012

An Open Letter to Praise Bands

James Smith offers a humble yet helpful "open letter to praise bands" in this post.

As he says near the end, "Please consider these points carefully and recognize what I am not saying. This isn't just some plea for 'traditional' worship and a critique of 'contemporary' worship. Don't mistake this as a defense of pipe organs and a critique of guitars and drums (or banjos and mandolins). My concern isn't with style, but with form: What are we trying to do when we 'lead worship?'"

His three main points are as follows:
  1. If we, the congregation, can't hear ourselves, it's not worship.
  2. If we, the congregation, can't sing along, it's not worship.
  3. If you, the praise band, are the center of attention, it's not worship.
The whole letter is worth reading.