Worship Teams - Glenn Conjurske

Worship Teams

by Glenn Conjurske

We hear a good deal about “worship teams” in these days. I have never seen or heard one, but I have inquired of those who have, and to the best of my understanding these are small groups of people who lead the congregational singing in the churches, usually with microphones and amplifiers, and usually singing modern music, not from the hymn book. There were no call for such a thing if the old hymns were used, which are all printed in the hymn books, and it would seem that one of the primary purposes of these worship teams is to introduce a new kind of music, and so to cast out the old hymns. They are without doubt a modern thing, and not modern merely in date, but in spirit and form also. And as is usual with most everything modern, they are far astray from the way of the Lord.

In the first place, they proceed upon a fundamentally false notion of what worship is. No one who knows anything of the Scriptures could dream of wanting such a thing as a “worship team.” The first mention of worship in the Bible is in Genesis 22:5. When Abraham is about to ascend the mountain to sacrifice his son, he says to his servants, “I and the lad will go yonder and worship.” ‘Tis hard to tell what Abraham might have done with a “worship team” on such an occasion.

Again, when Abraham’s servant went in search of a bride for Isaac, and met Rebekah at the well, he “bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord.” (Gen. 24:26). We wonder what use he could have had for a “worship team.”

When Job had received blow after blow in the reports of the destruction of all that he had, “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped.” (Job 1:20). Yet it seems to me that to have thrust a “worship team” upon him would have been the very height of impertinence.

When Joshua met the captain of the Lord’s host, he “fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.” (Joshua 5:14-15). But what did Joshua want with a “worship team”? It seems to me that nearly everything about these worship teams stands in stark contrast to the worship of Joshua on this occasion, as well as to Bible worship in general. Abraham’s servant “bowed down his head” and worshipped. Job “fell down upon the ground” and worshipped. Joshua “fell on his face to the earth” and worshipped, and put off his shoes too. When Israel in Egypt heard that the Lord had sent them deliverance, “then they bowed their heads and worshipped.” (Ex. 4:31). When Moses made known the passover to Israel, “the people bowed the head and worshipped.” (Ex. 12:27). Has anyone ever seen a “worship team” on its face before the Lord, putting off its shoes for the holy ground?

The very idea of a worship team proceeds upon a false notion of what worship is. From the few examples which we have quoted above it will plainly appear that worship is often an individual thing. It will appear too that it is often a very solemn thing. It will appear in the third place that it has little to do with singing. Was Job singing when he worshipped the Lord? Was Joshua singing when he fell on his face and put off his shoes before the captain of the Lord’s host? Was Abraham singing when he ascended the mount to offer up his son? We would not deny that singing is sometimes part of worship, but we utterly deny that the light and frivolous choruses which are led by these worship teams are any way suited to it.

Glenn Conjurske