Cultivating Blended Worship
By Jonathan Henderson
Best Practices for Adventist Worship (BP): A stylistically inclusive approach to worship—often called “blended worship”—is frequently recommended but infrequently seen in practice. I don't know that it is the ideal in every setting, but because we're a diverse church, it's wonderful when people can worship together and appreciate one another's various worship languages. You are able to incorporate a variety of worship music styles into the worship at Vallejo Drive Seventh-day Adventist Church. At a typical Sabbath morning worship gathering, what is the range of musical expression? And how did you incorporate it effectively?
Jonathan Henderson (JH): We have a very traditional church. When I arrived, they were just starting to open the door for contemporary worship music, which created a divide in the church. Many of its members wanted contemporary music to have its own service, similar to the separate youth and young adult contemporary service they had previously. The former pastor wanted to see this music included in the main service. Historically, the challenge at Vallejo Drive Church has been its professional-level choir, which has existed for many years. They hire about ten singers to hold down the sections and include very experienced singers from the congregation who can sight-read music. Most of the music is learned on Sabbath morning; they start rehearsing at 9:15 or 9:30 a.m. and are ready for the service within an hour. The quality is incredibly high. However, when the church began to incorporate praise music, it was not approached in the same professional manner. Initially, it was not professionally led and rehearsed, leading to a sound that, at times, felt cobbled together.
When I arrived, my first mission was to hire a professional to lead the praise team. We already had someone helping out, but I wanted to free him up to give his full, undivided attention to the music. He's great, holding a doctorate in organ performance from USC and skilled in jazz, gospel, and contemporary music. He writes everything out. One of my good friends, a drummer, told me he’d never seen sheet music for drums before and that it really pushed him to improve. My challenge with the praise team was to make it sound as good as the choir, as many people would probably enjoy it more if it were on par. That became the goal—to bring the level of excellence up to where the choir is. It may not be fair, but that's how we can win the hearts of some of the folks in the pews. Many would say, “Oh, but that's not church. It's about spirit.” But people don't realize that in the Old Testament, many of the Levites were full-time professional musicians.
In addition to ensuring the quality is on par with the choir, we also ensure that the contemporary music we choose is easy to follow. Every Sabbath, we start with a prelude, then a choral introit, followed by an opening hymn led by a chorister and the organ. The praise team is up there, but they're not using their mics at this point. They're still participating, but their voices are not leading the congregation. This gives us a unique sound. After a greeting time, we go into our praise team songs, ranging from uptempo to slow, eventually leading into prayer. These songs remain participatory and easy to sing.
BP: That's really helpful. You said a couple of things that we often overlook in our attempts at blended worship. Many people believe they can't relate to a certain style of music, but in reality, they can't relate to a poor form of that music. People have different preferences, but we're not even giving worshipers a chance to expand their appreciation for diverse expressions of worship if they're not experiencing effective representations of genres. The other dimension we overlook is the appropriate liturgical function of music. If it's a corporate worship piece, but people can’t sing it, it may be beautiful to listen to, but it's not serving its function. So, music that's not adequately prepared or music that's not appropriately used is not going to resonate liturgically. And it actually has nothing to do with the style. It has to do with musical quality and the liturgical function.
JH: An additional challenge is created by streaming worship online. I have a couple who don’t come to the church anymore. They haven't attended in person since COVID. But one of the reasons they've mentioned is that they don't like the contemporary music, although they see that it's improving. I told them, “You're judging it by what you hear online. I bet that if you were there in person, it would be a different experience for you. Right now, you're listening to isolated voices; you're unable to pick up the room's ambiance.” Talking about professionalism, we actually need professional people on our live stream, you know, mixing audio that is for the live stream, and not just for the house because those are two different mixes.
BP: This is a growing edge for almost every church that streams online. It is almost impossible for it to sound as good online as it does in person, even with professionals.
JH: But we still want what they have in their headphones to help them feel the music. Good music isn’t just understood but felt. I've been to some symphonies where I didn't know what the music was about, but I was moved to tears. Worship should be an emotional experience. When Jesus’ followers walked with Him after His resurrection, they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us?” It was an emotional experience. They were not having only a cerebral experience. So, we have to be strategic in putting together our services—the music, the sound system, making sure that audio is evenly distributed throughout the worship space so there are no dead spots.
BP: Intentionality in everything matters. Even in a church where only hymns are sung, accompanied by a single pianist, that pianist probably took years of lessons. That type of preparation would improve the effectiveness of all genres of music. We would all relate more readily to diverse expressions if we experienced them at a professional level. This might not be possible for all churches, but we can at least recognize that our investment in people and preparation matters for every style.
If someone is just starting on a journey incorporating a new style of music into a service, what is one piece of advice you would give them?
JH: One effective strategy I’ve used is to blend songs together. You can combine a familiar hymn with the chorus of a praise song as a bridge. This practice helps worshipers know that these songs are “on the same team,” serving the same purpose and working in tandem.
There is a fascinating and important statement by Ellen White. She writes,
“Another matter which should receive attention, both at our camp meetings and elsewhere, is that of singing. A minister should not give out hymns to be sung, until it has first been ascertained that they are familiar to those who sing. A proper person should be appointed to take charge of this exercise, and it should be his duty to see that such hymns are selected as can be sung with the spirit and with the understanding also. Singing is a part of the worship of God, but in the bungling manner in which it is often conducted, it is no credit to the truth, and no honor to God. There should be system and order in this as well as every other part of the Lord's work. Organize a company of the best singers, whose voices can lead the congregation, and then let all who will, unite with them. Those who sing should make an effort to sing in harmony; they should devote some time to practice, that they may employ this talent to the glory of God.”
—EGW, Review & Herald, July 24, 1883
She is basically recommending a well-organized praise team that would lead the congregation into a true worship experience. She noticed there was room for growth and improvement, musically speaking, and even talked about adding more instruments. She writes,
“In our camp meeting services, there should be singing and instrumental music. Musical instruments were used in religious services in ancient times. The worshipers praised God upon the harp and cymbal, and music should have its place in our services. It will add to the interest.”
—EGW, Testimonies Volume 6, p. 62
And I understand why she makes this recommendation. Everywhere I've been, I've been blessed to see tremendous growth, and that has never been without good music. When music is elevated along with the spoken word, it's a dynamic duo. So, if we want to see transformation in our worship services, we have to put the same amount of energy into music as we do into the spoken word. We must remember that Sabbath morning is sometimes our only opportunity to capture people’s hearts. There is something about people in a concentrated group that helps magnify what I believe God does. We can and should worship God daily in quiet on our own, but we also need those moments when we can hear the “amen,” the shouting, the laughter, and the tears of fellow worshipers. That's why whatever we put together should be excellent to the degree it’s possible—whether in a large or small congregation.
BP: Yes. And we need a better metric than asking worshipers, “Did you like it?'“ We should ask whether people were participating, whether they were engaged, and whether an encounter with God transformed lives.
JH: Right. And I've told members of my church family that if you don't like a particular song, look around and see who does and pray, “Lord, thank You that this music is reaching them.” It’s incredible, for example, to see the joy in grandparents' eyes as they watch their grandchildren praising Jesus. We can be blessed not only by God but by our family members’ and our neighbor’s worship experiences. That blessing is what will sustain diverse, inclusive worship.