So, you have gone on retreat, or to camp, and you have had an amazing experience of God, and now you want to share that with your local congregation! Awesome! That is exactly what God wants us to do with our passion and our gifts: Share them with others. However, sharing the gift of music is not as easy as it seems, and is not always received the way you intend it. To help avoid some of the pitfalls of sharing your music in Church, here are seven helpful hints by someone who is not musically trained, but has been a camp counselor, youth minister, priest in the Church, and school chaplain. I have seen this done well, and done not-so-well.
1. Camp songs are hard to learn in Chapel:
Because you learned these songs after singing them dozens of times on retreat or around the campfire, they seem very easy to sing. But actually, they are much harder for most people to learn than traditional hymns. This is because there usually is no sheet music, and the rhythmic pattern for many camp songs is not as predictable as hymns are. So, if you don't find the congregation automatically singing along like they did at camp, it may be because it is hard for them to learn and follow. Keep this in mind as you read the following:
2. Rhythm and Voice lead:
Many people think guitars lead Camp music. That is not actually true. We sing along with other voices, and the guitar only works to accent or accompany what the voice does. This, in turn, depends on actually keeping rhythm and staying on-tempo while singing. Thus, it is essential for voices to be strong, confident, and easily heard as they sing in rhythm. All the other instruments- guitar, bass, piano, etc.- are there to accent the main action of singing the song. The instruments serve the sung lyrics, not the other way around.
3. Project/Print correct lyrics:
One person should make sure that the lyrics are presented exactly as they will be sung. Whether this is projected or in a song book, the congregation will easily loose focus if the words on page/screen do not actually match what is being sung. Proofread lyrics, and make sure whoever is projecting or printing them has the right copy.
4. Practice the way you will lead:
Many times at camp or retreat, a talented song leader who has sung these songs a thousand times will casually take stage and lead worship. This often leads to the mis-perception that this is an easy thing to do, and thus people get too casual and assume it will just "come together" when they perform. It actually doesn't work this way. And when things fall apart in front of the congregation, it is quite embarrassing. Thus, you need to have one person who will make sure that rehearsal is called, and each song should be rehearsed until it sounds like you want it to sound when you are leading worship. Also, if you need amplification, make sure you contact the audio-visual people far in advance of your worship time to make sure everything is prepared and sound-checked.
5. Lead songs, don't perform them:
This is a more advanced skill. When you first get started leading worship, performing and leading are the same thing. As you get better at doing it, you will notice the difference between performing and leading. Performance says "Look at me and my talent!" Leading says "Worship God through what we are doing together!" Performance usually includes using vocal skills or instrumental skills that most people cannot match while singing along with you. Leading means using just enough skill to empower others to worship in song.
6. Teach the songs while leading them:
This is perhaps the most advanced skill, and goes along with number 5 above. As you get better and better at leading worship, you will learn to sense when the congregation is not "getting it". At that time, it is proper to teach the song by call and response, or repetition, to help the congregation get the feel for the song.
7. Avoid "Romantic God" Songs:
You have had a very powerful, passionate experience of the Love of God at Camp. And that is awesome. And you want to share it. And that is awesome too. However, at Camp some of the powerful, passionate Love songs that are sung to God may make people in the congregation uncomfortable because they have not shared your experience. In fact, some of these "Romantic God" songs may actually make people feel awkward because of their "suggestive" lyrics. To quote some actual lyrics from recent worship songs: If you are not familiar with these songs, think of what it might sound like to sing lyrics about being "on our knees", "in the secret place", waiting on "something beautiful to touch me", because "I want to touch you, I want to see your face, I want to know you more". Furthermore, many of these songs never actually mention God, Jesus, or Spirit by name, so they could literally be sung to one's boyfriend or girlfriend without changing any words. Thus, when choosing Camp songs to share with the congregation, it is best to stick with songs that explicitly mention God, Jesus, or the Spirit, and which also focus us on how God works in our lives, rather than just focusing on our experiences and feelings about God.
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