The Centrality Of God In Worship

W O R S H I P F I T F O R A K I N G

W H AT ’ S M U S I C G O T T O D O W I T H I T ?

L E A D I N G G O D - C E N T E R E D W O R S H I P

G O O D S O N G H U N T I N G

S O N G W R I T I N G A N D T H E P U R S U I T O F G O D

P L U S : T H E S A V I N G G R A C E O F S O N G B A S E 2 0 0 0

A D E E P E R L O O K

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As a kid I loved those “Spot the difference” puzzles where you hadto find changes to a picture. Some changes were easy to noticewhile others were more difficult. Similarly, the Worship ResourceCenter has changed in several ways, to simplify and improve onwhat we already provide to you. Let me guide you through thechanges.

First of all, let me draw your attention to the most obvious change.Inside Worship magazine has changed its look! It will now be fullcolor with inspiring and practical articles, plus interviews andmuch more.

In the past we have had two subscription programs, one calledWorship Resource Center and the other called Vineyard Music Club.Worship Resource Center provided you with new songs on a CD orcassette, songbook and our Inside Worship magazine. VineyardMusic Club provided you with a CD or cassette only.

We have merged the clubs together and have renamed them ClubVineyard and Club Vineyard Basic. Club Vineyard will be verymuch the same as Worship Resource Center was, providing you withgreat new music, a songbook and our Inside Worship magazine,except with more added value. Club Vineyard Basic is for thosedesiring to receive additional copies of the music for their worshipteams, or just wishing to receive only the music.

Also, in an effort to provide you with our current top releases fromaround the world, Club Vineyard will not be limited to the TouchingThe Father’s Heart® series. While you will still be receiving newsongs with each release from the church for the church, they nowwill be chosen from our best new releases internationally.

Our mission is to touch all people in this world, of every tongue,every tribe and every nation. As we reach out to them, we have theincredible honor of being blessed by new worship songs that havebeen birthed in their different nations, and sharing them with you.

Therefore, as a Club Vineyard subscriber, you will have access to thebest that Vineyard Music has to offer from around the world! Youwill benefit from a wide range of additional worship resources notavailable to non-Club Vineyard members, while saving money andreceiving them ahead of retail.

We hope you will enjoy the new, enhanced Club Vineyard, and asalways, your feedback is greatly appreciated.

May God bless you through the music!

Chris WhitelockInternational Development Coordinator

P.S. If you are already a subscriber to one of our clubs, don’t worry,your subscription will continue just under the new name of ClubVineyard.

Volume 44 | Summer 2001

PublisherVineyard Music International

EditorJoe Randeen

Guest EditorBrent Helming

Copy EditorDarren Varieur

CartoonMarc Rivera

Art DirectorMarkus Frehner

Inside Worshipc/o Vineyard MusicP.O. Box 68025Anaheim, CA 92817-0825

(714) 777-7733(800) 852-VINEFax: (714) 777-8119

E-mailinsideworship@vmg.com

© 2001 Vineyard MusicAll Rights Reserved

Different, But Still The Same

ContentsWorship Fit For A King by Don Williams, Ph.D.A reflection on worshiping God fromthe Psalms.

What’s Music Got To Do With It? by Marty KaiserFinding a balanced approach todealing with issues such as: musicalstyle, volume, congregationalparticipation and lyrical content.

Leading God-Centered Worship by Robert HartmanInforming people about God andinviting them into His presence.

Good Song Hunting by Debbie WichmanKeys to finding great songs for kids’worship.

Let The Kids Sing Out! An Interview with worship leader/producer Casey Corum discussingVineyard Music’s upcoming kids’worship CD.

The Saving Grace Of SongBase by Scott UnderwoodA product review of the newSongBase 2000.

Songwriting And The Pursuit Of God by Randy McCoyDiscovering the connection betweenour life in God and the craft of songwriting.

The current explosion in the commercialization of worshipmusic presents the worship leading community with incredi-ble opportunities as well as with some definite challenges.Never before has the door been so wide open for the expansionof the arts and music as related to the activity of worship. Yet,never before has the need been greater for us to keep focused onGod and His fame as the true object of our worship.

So, I invite you to be encouraged by the refreshing insights andreminders in this issue concerning the Centrality Of God InWorship.

These articles will challenge us as worship leaders to lead God-centered worship that is fit for a King as well as help us under-stand how to balance the issues of musicality with right atti-tudes of the heart. Also, Scott Underwood shares an inside viewof the SongBase 2000 computer software for worship leaders.

Finally, you’ve probably either noticed or heard about a fewexciting changes happening with Vineyard Music, so don’t missthe enlightening letter from Vineyard Music’s InternationalDevelopment Coordinator, Chris Whitelock.

Worship Leader/Songwriter Michael Frye wrote, “(Jesus) Be TheCentre.” My prayer is that these articles will encourage you inmaking those lyrics a greater reality in your life.

Brent HelmingGuest Editor

Letter From the Editor

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God is King. In the Bible, whenever thewindows of heaven open, He is reign-ing over His universe. Isaiah sees theLord on a throne, high and lifted up;His train fills the temple (God’s houseor palace on earth). The Seraphs, Hisshining angelic retainers, worship:“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord Almighty;the whole earth is full of His glory.”Isaiah is staggered: “Woe to me.” His rea-son? Unclean man, unclean people.How does he know it? “My eyes haveseen the King, the Lord Almighty”(Isaiah 6:1-5).

Micaiah reveals the Lord “… sittingon His throne with all the host of heavenstanding around Him on His right andon His left” (I Kings 22:19). Ezekiel’s

heavenly vision includes a throne witha burning, divine figure on it. When hesees it, he falls face down. (Ezekiel 1:26-28) For Daniel, God sits on a fierythrone, giving an everlasting kingdomto the Son of Man. (Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14)In the New Testament, John is trans-ported into heaven before the Creator’sthrone where angels worship.(Revelation 4:1-11) So it goes.

What is true for the Bible in generalis true for the Psalms in particular.Here, in the Bible’s prayer book, weencounter worship to the King, fit forthe King. This includes high praise, fer-vent petition, temple celebration, boldwitness, sane wisdom, calls to warfare,intimate abandonment, breaking andhealing hearts, prophetic drive, secure

hope. God’s people form and areformed from this kind of praise andprayer. As the revelation of God as Kingcomes down, worship goes up. This isthe heart of Psalms.

Vision Of The KingIn the psalms, God is proclaimed King:“The Lord is the great God, the greatKing above all gods” (Psalm 95:3). Hesits on His throne: “The Lord reigns, letthe nations tremble; He sits enthroned”(Psalm 99:1). His garments are regal:“The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty;the Lord is robed in majesty and is armedwith strength” (Psalm 93:1). A footstoolstands below His throne: “Exalt theLord our God and worship at His foot-stool; He is holy” (Psalm 99:5). He holdsa scepter in His hand: “Your throne, OGod, will last for ever and ever; a scepterof justice will be the scepter of Your king-dom” (Psalm 45:6). He is surroundedwith heavenly retainers: “He sitsenthroned between the cherubim, let theearth shake” (Psalm 99:1). He is wor-shiped by a sea of angels: Praise theLord, you His angels ... Praise the Lord,all His heavenly host” (Psalm 103:20-21).

Vision Of OurselvesAs Calvin says, to know God is to knowourselves. Humanity is revealed in thePsalms in the very act of worship. Wediscover hearts abandoned to God,overwhelmed by sin, struggling underconviction and guilt, gripped with fear,raging toward enemies, filled withdoubt, delighting in the Presence, long-ing for home, suffering with weakness-es, sick and disabled, waiting for death,

hoping for life. We sit alone in thenight watches. We lie on beds of pain.We anticipate the morning battle. Weexperience abandonment, deception,gossip and slander. We meditate uponGod’s law. We climb Zion with joy andgladness. We learn the new song of sal-vation. We see the blessing of our chil-dren. We know that God rules thenations. We feel His shepherd’s heart.We plead His covenant promises. Welong for the Messiah to triumph. Werest our case in Him.

O Worship The KingHow then do we learn to worship thisSovereign from the Psalms? First, wecome before Him and make our act ofsubmission.

In Hebrew, the word “worship”[shakah] means to fall down or bowdown: “Come, let us bow down in wor-ship, let us kneel before the Lord ourMaker; for He is our God” (Psalm 95:6).To fall down is to surrender, to give up,becoming physically lower than theKing. It is humbling. We are helpless, atthe Sovereign’s mercy. This is whereworship begins. It destroys our narcis-sism: “What’s in it for me?” Worship isnot getting; it is giving. We give ourlives over to God. To withhold is torevolt. To surrender is to worship: “Thesacrifices of God are a broken spirit; abroken and contrite heart, O God, Youwill not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

The Christian life begins with wor-ship (submission) and confession:“Jesus is Lord [and I’m not]” (Romans10:9. Paul says to offer our bodies as liv-ing sacrifices: “… this is our spiritual actof worship” (Romans 12:1). It is holistic,

Worship is not getting; it is giving.We give our lives over to God.

B Y D O N W I L L I A M S , P H . D .

(The following is adapted from Dr.Williams’ article in the January 2001issue of Equipped Magazine. Used bypermission.)

WorshipFit For A King

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incarnational and intentional. Whenwe lay our body down before God, Hehas us.

Second, God taught Israel never to comeempty handed. Just as heads of statehonor each other with gifts, so we bringour gifts to God. We bring the gift ofourselves. We bring the gift of ourpraise. We sing to Him; we shout to Him(a ringing cry of victory): “Shout for joyto the Lord, all the earth. Worship theLord with gladness; come before Himwith joyful songs” (Psalm 100:1-2). Wehonor and extol Him as the object of ourworship. This expresses loving Himwith all our heart. We tell of His great-ness, His goodness and His faithfulness.We marvel over His character and Hisworks. Here worship turns into witness.

We remember God’s mighty deeds.We recall His miracles, His deliverancefrom Egypt, His rescue from the handsof the enemy, His forgiving our sins,His healings and His triumph overdeath. As we proclaim His mightydeeds, the nations listen. They come tofear and honor the one true God: “Singto the Lord, praise His name; proclaimHis salvation day after day. Declare Hisglory among the nations, His marvelousdeeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:2-3).

As we worship, we also bring ourgifts, our sacrifices, our tithes and ourofferings. We pay our vows. These areacts of obedience. They maintain thetemple and its priesthood. They are alsoacts of love and devotion as we giveGod His due: “Sacrifice thank offeringsto God, fulfill your vows to the MostHigh” (Psalm 50:14).

Third, worship includes petition.Dallas Willard says that requests arethe heart of prayer. We bring them tothe Great King. We come boldly. Wecome as sons and daughters.

As we petition, we come on ourbehalf, and also on the behalf of others.We represent those who do not knowthe King. In their idolatry and unbeliefthey cannot come themselves. We layout our requests, knowing that God’sface is turned toward us. He is anxiousto receive them and to answer them forour good and His glory.

Fit For A KingCentral to biblical faith is not only thatGod is King, but that He has His king-dom, His reign and rule. In theVineyard we are especially tuned in tothe message of Jesus, that the Kingdomis at hand, within reach. We know thatGod has decisively intervened in HisSon to reclaim this planet from thecounterfeit kingdom of Satan. Jesus’healings and deliverances roll back theenemy’s advances.

Spiritual warfare courses through thePsalms. David’s cries for victory andvengeance denote not only a win overhis enemies, but also a win over theiridols by Yahweh. These psalms pointbeyond themselves to the time of ful-fillment. They join the messianictheme which is a central part Israel’sworship. The Warrior-King Himselfwill rise up, overthrow His enemies,identify with us in His suffering, andrestore His people fully, bringing thenations to Zion and vindicating

Himself. Like the fall of Jericho, it isthrough worship that this assault onthe idols and their darkness is launchedand sustained.

Worship draws us into God’s presence,His Spirit moves among us and Hispower is released in us. Worship is aweapon of warfare because worshipfulfills the first commandment (“noother gods”), refocuses us upon the liv-ing God and gives us a taste of our ulti-mate destiny: to delight in him in thepromised kingdom fully come. There,as C. S. Lewis writes in The Weight ofGlory, we will be with Christ, we will belike Christ, we will be glorified withHim (receiving beauty and praise), we

will be feasted and entertained and wewill exercise His authority over therenewed heavens and earth.

I add one thing more: we will also beelevated in ecstasy, worshipingthrough our perfected and transformedbodies. There God will be all in all andwe will be complete in Him, knowingfully as we are known, knowing thelove of Christ which surpasses knowl-edge, being filled with the fullness ofGod.

As we worship through the Psalms, welearn more and more of what that allmight mean and be for us. The heavensopen, revelation comes down and ourworship goes up – fit for the King.

D O N W I L L I A M S , P h . D .

Dr. Don Williams is the senior pastor of CoastVineyard in La Jolla, CA. He is also a popular con-ference speaker and the author of “Signs,Wonders & the Kingdom of God” and “Jesus &Addition”.

To withhold is to revolt. To surrender is to worship.

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Certainly a good question, and one thatI’ve found myself wrestling with earlyon in leadership. What part does musicplay? What is our goal? How do we finda balance between the One we worshipand those we are leading in worship?Over the years I’ve learned a few thingsthat have allowed me some freedom inthis area.

If broken down to its most basicform, our job description as worshipleaders is two-fold. Our first priority isthat God is worshiped. This begins withour own response before God as weworship Him with all that is within us.Second, we are to lead the people to dothe same. In light of the above askedquestion, let’s examine what partmusic, style, rhythm and volume playin accomplishing the first half of ourjob description: God being worshiped.

More Than MusicWhen we gather in a corporate setting,whether large or small, we set out toexalt our God. We do this in manyways; prayer, the reading of His word,giving, etc. Music (volume, style,rhythm) just happens to be one of thevehicles we use to accomplish the goalof exalting God.

However, the “music” is not theworship. Music, in and of itself, is noth-ing if not offered from the right heartand attitude. Is God more blessed whenour worship is done with music thanworship through acts of kindness? IsHe pleased more when worship is donewith music than through spoken wordsof praise? The answer is no. It is the actof worship, giving our all to the Onewho loves us, that is important.

This needs to be accomplished

through every part of our lives. Music isjust one medium that we happen touse. Too often I’ve found myself look-ing for the style, song or rhythm thatwill capture God’s heart. However, thetruth is what captures God’s heart is myheart. Whatever style we choose is farless pleasing to Him than our sincereexpression of love through the song. Istress again, music is not worship. Wecan use music to worship, but themelody, instrumentation and sound arenothing without one’s heart behindthem.

More Than StyleMusical styles have changed drasticallythroughout history. If it was the style ofa song that blessed God, we would haveto ask this question: For every timethere has been a change that affectedthe sound of worship music, was Godno longer glorified? Was there a periodof time that He had to adjust to a “newsound”? Did it take time before the newstyle was a fragrant aroma to Him?

Of course not! Musical styles, how-

ever packaged, are just that. A package.The true expression lies within how itis used. If the rhythm or style is what’spleasing, we have reduced our King to a“Top 40” God, who sits upon His thronewaiting for His favorite songs to besung, not caring who or how the songsare presented before Him. Just so longas He hears His favorite tunes.

On the contrary, God sits upon Histhrone waiting for a heart to approachHim in worship with sincerity andlove. If this is done wrapped in thepackage of music, wonderful. Ifthrough prayer, fantastic. Giving, great.However the means, the importance ofworship lies in our personal response

and heart attitude before Him. Is musicimportant in our worship? Absolutely!We are even told to use musical instru-ments in our worship. However, theemphasis is not on the sound of music,it is on what the music represents andexpresses.

So what does this mean to you andme as leaders of worship? Hopefully itallows a bit of freedom. In reply to theinitial question, if all else is strippedaway, the musical elements of a songreally don’t matter as it applies to thefirst part of our job description, Godbeing worshiped. Use whatever style,volume or rhythm you like. Assumingthat lyrics are biblically sound and yourheart is being offered to God as a sin-cere expression, He will be wellpleased.

This brings us to the secondhalf of our job description as wor-ship leaders, leading the people. Asalready stated, if God is not truly wor-shiped, then all is for loss.But it is here, in the leadingof people, that musical

style comes into play. As worship leaders, we are being

used to lead. That means the peopleneed to be able to follow where we areleading. If we do something that thepeople cannot follow or relate to, we’vefailed in the second half of our jobdescription. Do we need to take intoaccount culture, musical style, volumeand rhythm when leading others? Mostdefinitely; they assist us in leading thepeople.

Who Are You Leading?Back to my friend’s question. On issueslike music, style, volume, congrega-tional participation and lyrical content,

B Y M A R T Y K A I S E R

What’s Got To Do With It?MusicA few weeks ago a young worship leader who was contem-

plating some of the mechanics of leading worship asked, “On

issues like music, style, volume, congregational participa-

tion, lyrical content, where is the radical middle that will

bless God, be a true expression of our hearts and culture,

while inviting the people to join us in worship?”

Music, in and of itself, is nothing if not offered from the right heart and attitude.

where is the radical mid-dle that will bless God, be a

true expression of our hearts and cul-ture, while inviting people to join us inworship? We’ve discussed that Godbeing blessed is not dependent on thetype of song used, so I would ask thissimple question. Who are we leading?Young, old, new believers, seasonedbelievers, conservatives, etc.?

Identifying “who” we are leadingwill, in part, determine the style used.Remember, God is exulted with alltypes of music. Pounding drums, a cap-pella, jazz and country are all accept-able as long as our hearts are for Him.

Determining StyleSo what style can the people grasp holdof and relate to? What would best serveand lead the congregation or smallgroup? The answer to these questionswill change over time. In some church-es, it may change from one service toanother.

We recently had one of our youthbands lead worship for a Sunday nightservice. They are a decent band andwell equipped to lead worship for anadult crowd. However, they saw this asa good time to introduce the “style” ofworship that works well with their agegroup.

As you might guess, from a worship

standpoint it did not go over too well.Musically the band was fine. However,their song selection, style, volume andso on was not what the majority of thepeople related to. Thus, the people hada hard time following. Was the musicbad, off base, lacking in content?Definitely not! The style just didn’t fitthe people they were trying to lead. Theend result, the second half of their jobdescription (leading the people) wasnot accomplished.

So, use a style that will bring thepeople before God, whatever that maybe. This may take us down many roads.The good news is this. We’re free totravel those roads. Knowing that if ourheart’s response is genuine before God,the music is theologically sound andthe people can participate and followwhere we’re leading them, God will bepleased, whatever the sound may be.

M A R T Y K A I S E R

Marty is the worship pastor at Vineyard NorthPhoenix where he has served on staff for the pastseven years. He and his wife Shelia have threechildren and live in Peoria, AZ.

get the

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This book of helpful

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Helming comes from great

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24 PRACTICAL TIPS TO

LEAD EFFECTIVE AND

DYNAMIC WORSHIP

Hot Tips for Worship Leaders

by Brent Helming

8I N S I D E W O R S H I P 0 2 / 0 0

I recently listened to a preacherinstructing other preachers on how todeliver God-centered sermons. Thespeaker pointed out that of the manythings that people would like to hear ina sermon, and the many things that wethink they should hear, a sermon isreally achieving its purpose only whenit is centered on the person and work ofGod.

While listening to this, it struck methat this is also true of our worship. Ourworship songs and worship eventsshould have only one objective andaim: God Himself. As Carol Wimberhas said, “Worship is not a vehicle towarm up the congregation for thepreacher, or to soften the people up forthe offering. Worship comes from Jesusand goes back to Jesus from us.Everything He gives to us, but worshipbelongs to Him.”

As worship leaders we have aresponsibility to lead worship in a waythat allows it to retain this God-cen-teredness. The way we lead canenhance or inhibit worship from stay-ing properly focused on God. Worshipcentered on anything less will (orshould) leave us and the people we leadfeeling short-changed.

What Is God-Centered Worship?I view God-centered worship as wor-ship that informs the people aboutGod, inclines them toward God andinvites the presence of God. In otherwords, God-centered worship deepensour understanding of God, opens ourhearts toward God and is filled with thetangible presence of God.

This definition was illustrated bymy introduction to this kind of wor-ship at a Sunday service at JohnWimber’s Yorba Linda Calvary Chapelin 1979. The fact is, I don’t rememberanything about the service except theworship. It wasn’t the “music,” becausethough I was already a musician at thetime I didn’t spend much time watch-ing John and his band. I was watchingthe people worship in a way I’d neverseen before! The people were commu-nicating with God in an open, personaland relational way. They were invitingGod to come meet them, and the songlyrics were all about God and this rela-tionship they had with Him.

The idea of leading this kind of wor-ship sounds good on paper, but whenyou stand at your next worship eventready to lead your group or congrega-tion in worship what will you do? How

will you actually lead worship so that itretains its proper focus? Will you justdo what comes naturally and hope itworks? Fortunately, there are practicalsteps you can take to insure that wor-ship stays God-centered. What followsare a few tips to help you improve yourability to lead God-centered worship.

Know Your IntentionsLeading God-centered worship beginswith our intent as worship leaders. Ifour primary motivation for standingup and leading is anything other thanto bless God then we’ve immediatelylost the battle for God-centered wor-ship. I don’t mean to say that only thosewith the purest of motivations are ableto lead worship. After all, “There is not arighteous man on earth who does what isright and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

We will always have a mixture ofmotivations that include self-focusedones like wanting to “look good,” butwe are the ones who choose whichmotivations will drive and control us.One very practical step you can takethat will help you look past distractingmotivations is to quiet yourself for amoment before worship and recall all

B Y R O B E R T H A R T M A N

Leading God-Centered Worship

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that God has done for you. Perhaps Hehas healed your body, salvaged a rela-tionship or rescued you from an addic-tion. As you remember the work of Godin your life you will find your focusshifting to Him and your motivation tobless Him will increase.

Informing The People About GodGod-centered worship deepens ourunderstanding of God. In fact, Sundaymorning worship sometimes preachesa more memorable, effective and pow-erful sermon than the words of thepreacher. In an almost effortless way,people connect at an emotional andexperiential level with the topic of asong. Music deposits a message withincredible staying power. So what mes-

sages about God are we depositing inthe hearts of the people we lead?

One way to answer this question isto review your last several weeks ofworship sets. Look over your songselections and ask yourself what youhave been teaching the people. Didyour song selections accurately informthe people of the timeless truths of theperson and nature of God? His right-eousness, mercy, justice, grace, powerand love?

Also, did the songs inform the peo-ple at their point of need? For example,if your congregation is in a time ofrepentance did your song selectionscorrectly inform them about whatrepentance is?

Hearts Inclined Toward GodGod-centered worship inclines peopletoward God. By this I mean more thanthat they simply think about God. Imean that they are open-heartedlycommunicating with Him during wor-ship.

At a recent Sunday morning wor-ship service I played the final song andsensed that there was something moreto do. Instead of immediately closingthe worship I led the people in a prayer

thanking God for all the good he hasbrought to our lives. I then asked thepeople to remain silent and allow Godto remind them of specific things Hehas done for them and then I closed byencouraging them to quietly thankHim.

In doing this, I was very conscious-ly following the direction of the HolySpirit to guide the hearts of the peopleinto direct, worshipful interaction withGod. After the worship service oneyoung woman thanked me for leadingworship in this way. She broke intotears as she explained to me how goodGod had been to her. In the midst ofworship her heart had been directedtoward God and then opened to Him.For her, the worship experience had

centered on God in a very real way.We should continually ask our-

selves if the people we are leading inworship are experiencing this open-hearted interaction with God. How canyou tell? Open your eyes occasionallywhile you are leading so you canobserve people and see if the connec-tion is being made. Listen for reports,like the one that I described, of com-munion with God during worship. Ifyou discover that genuine opennesstoward God is not occurring in worshipthen think and pray about how you canfix that. This may mean teaching thepeople how to communicate with Godin worship, being more careful tochoose songs that invite people to com-mune with God or becoming a moreactive listener to the Holy Spirit as youlead worship.

Inviting The Presence Of GodThough I am addressing this issue last, Ibelieve that inviting and experiencingthe real presence of God is at the core ofworship. After all, the loving, adoringlanguage of our songs is spoken to areal Person who actually hears what wesay, so it should not surprise us whenHe “shows up” to receive our worship.

In fact, think of worship as an invita-tion to God, not just a set of statementsabout Him.

When I speak of God’s presence inthis way I am speaking of more thanjust the knowledge that He is presenteverywhere all the time. I am talkingabout the presence of God that issensed and experienced in our hearts,minds and bodies. It’s something likethe difference between your friendbeing “present” across the room or“present” right next to you where youcan feel his breath and physically sensehis nearness in “your space.”

It is an amazing thing to see howworship deepens when God is notice-ably present, to sense that we are touch-ing the heart of God and to see people

healed or delivered as a result of Godsimply being present in all His good-ness.

So how can we work toward lead-ing worship that invites God to join us?The answer is simple: “dial down”(relax) and be a worshiper as you lead.When you worship Him you will findthat He will meet you, and as He meetsyou others will be drawn in as you lead.

Now, I know from personal experi-ence that while leading worship, partic-ularly if you lead a band, there are amultitude of things to juggle at once.However, the one thing you can’t sacri-fice is the worship you give to God. Theworship leaders I know who are mosteffective are the ones who have learnedto lead without giving up their ownability to worship.

R O B E R T H A R T M A N N

Robert Hartman has been involved in pastoralministry and church planting since the early daysof the Vineyard. He’s also spent many years play-ing, writing and leading worship. Robert currentlyresides in San Marcos, CA with his wife Susie andtheir three children.

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Choosing Songs For

D E B B I E W I C H M A N

Debbie is the director of Vineyard Seed Co., thechildren’s ministry of The Vineyard Church of FortCollins, Colorado. She has been involved in chil-dren’s ministry and leading kids’ worship for over10 years.

Are you a worship leader “hunting” forthat perfect song which will make itpossible for children to experience trueworship? If so, be aware that children’sworship is a different species of animal!Although it has the same goals as adultworship, children’s worship soundsand looks DIFFERENT! Children’s wor-ship leaders need to keep these differ-ences in minds as they select appropri-ate music.

Children’s worship sounds differentbecause children need worship songsthat express their feelings toward God,and their understanding of Him. Songsthat are appropriate and meaningful forchildren should literally mean whatthey say (avoid symbolism), and be easyto sing, follow and remember.

Much adult worship music uses alot of symbolism. Children simply can-not understand symbolism until theyare in the fifth or sixth grade. When achild sings about a river, for example,he or she envisions a literal flowingbody of water. Any spiritual connota-tion is lost. I have childhood memoriesof singing about “sinners plungedbeneath the flood” and thinking itsounded like a terrifying experience!

A few adult songs have easy to fol-low tempos, literal language and sug-gest motions that help communicatethe meaning. It’s great when we findthose! However, most often our bestchoice is music written especially froma child’s point of view.

Discovering music that will expresschildren’s feelings toward God takes alot of research! It’s necessary to explorea variety of sources. Children’s worshipleaders need to build an extensivemusical library. When you discover asimple song with an engaging tempo,literal lyrics that can be illustrated withmotions, and which tends to stick inyour mind, you just might have foundyourself a children’s worship song!

Keep this rule in mind: Choose musicchildren will love to sing over musicyou find interesting.

If children’s worship also looks dif-ferent from adult worship, what shouldwe expect to see? Children involved inauthentic worship will probably not bestanding still, hands lifted up, eyesclosed, with tears running down theirfaces. To a child, crying is equated withsadness, so why would they cry whenthey’re in the presence of an exciting,loving God? And if they’re in the pres-ence of an EXCITING God, why wouldthey be standing still?

Children engaged in worship willbe enthusiastic, responding to a senseof God’s presence with shining, excitedfaces. They may twirl, jump, dance orbounce. However, authentic children’sworship will NOT be disorderly or wild,because the children will be totallyfocused on God’s presence rather thanon poking and pushing each other.

Most of all, children’s worshipmusic should be fun! Keep in mind thedifferences between children’s andadult’s worship music for a fun, mean-ingful kids’ worship time.

Good Song Hunting:

B Y D E B B I E W I C H M A N

Children’s

11

Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from an interviewwith producer/worship leader Casey Corum about the newkids’ worship album that Vineyard Music USA recorded inApril at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Boise, ID.

Inside Worship (IW): Tell me some of the specifics about thisrecording.

Casey: On the first weekend in April we recorded the initialtracks during four separate live sessions. The cool thing wasthat the congregation was almost entirely made up of kidsand their parents. We estimate that we had 300 –400 kids par-ticipate.

IW: Who led the worship?

Casey: We had Dave Chumchal from Vineyard Toledo, CindyRethmeier from the Anaheim Vineyard and “Ranger” BudRedberry and me from here in Boise.

IW: What makes this kids’ project so unique?

Casey: One of the big goals of this project was to documentwhat currently is happening in kids’ worship. We wanted to

capture songs that have been birthed outof and are being used primarily in thecontext of kids’ worship. As a result, thesongs for this project were gathered fromkids’ programs in churches from aroundthe US.

IW: So what are the songs like?

Casey: We had a lot of great songs comein for this project and they run the stylistic gamut.Everything from surf rock to reggae to blues to ska to countryto hip-hop and more find a place on this project.

Our hope is that the songs would be a resource to church-es across the body of Christ and help inspire those who arecurrently leading kids’ worship to begin to press into theLord and write songs for their own specific kids’ ministry.

It would be great to see kids begin to own worship theway we do as adults. Hopefully through projects like this onewe can begin to help kids find their own voice in worshipthrough songs they can call their own.

IW: When is this project due to hit the streets?

Casey: This kids’ project is slated to be released in October2001 and a companion video, which was filmed during therecording, is due out at the same time.

Let The Kids

WorshipSing Out!

12I N S I D E W O R S H I P 0 2 / 0 0

Years ago when I started leading wor-ship, I would stand over a copier mak-ing extra copies of songs, cut them to fiton the copier glass, then shrink themuntil I got all the songs to fit on a page.This was always a time-consuming and,not to mention, messy process. Soundfamiliar?

To complicate things further, the“copier ritual” took place only after Ihad finished my Saturday night task ofgoing through my notebook of songsand deciding on the songs for the nextday’s service. Sometimes this didn’t hap-pen until Sunday morning, which thenleft no time to make copies for my bandmates. Does this still sound familiar?

If your situation is in any wayfamiliar to mine then you know thatleaving the coordination of the wor-

ship set until Saturday night went overreal big with the family. I would usual-ly become preoccupied by noon onSaturday and remained that way untilthe Sunday’s worship time was over.STILL sound familiar? With all theextra time spent, both mentally andphysically preparing just for the songlist and making copies, something hadto change. Then came SongBase.

I can now sit down at my computerand, starting from scratch, put a set listtogether, print copies for the overheadpeople, along with single-page chordcharts (anywhere from one song/pageto six or seven songs/page) for eachband member and include lyric chartsfor the singers (anywhere from one tonine songs/page). All this used to takeme hours. I can now accomplish every-thing in 10 to 15 minutes. Seriously!

The time saved has been enormous.With a database of over 2,600 songs(containing every Vineyard song everrecorded to date along with other clas-sic worship songs), I can quickly scrollthrough songs by title, author, theme orkey to find the songs that will best fit. I

can also enter in new songs and chordthem in less time than it takes to enterthem in a Word document. SongBasecan even include actual pictures ofchords to each song if I desire.

Other really nice features includethe ability to draw my own chords tosongs (yes, they are different than thesong books sometimes!) and the abilityto instantly transpose any song to anykey with a click of a button (in myopinion, the best added feature of theprogram!). With the MP3 files that areincluded in the latest version, I can play20 second excerpts from many of thesongs in the database. This is a greathelp when I’ve forgotten a melody to anoldie (very cool)!

For those in a church with videocapabilities, SongBase includes some-thing called the Video PresenteR that,among other things, allows you tochoose the next slide while the currentone is being displayed. It also allowsyou to choose from over 100 differentbackgrounds that are pretty cool.Another very useful feature is the CCLIreport that provides all the info regard-ing your play list that CCLI requires its

The Saving Grace Of

Product Review B Y S C O T T U N D E R W O O D

Simply put, SongBase for Worship Leaders by DASAN

Research Corporation is a must for anyone planning set lists

for any type of worship leading occasion. I’ve been using var-

ious versions of this program for five years now and the time

I save, the records I keep and the peace of mind I now have is

immeasurable. Really!

SongBa

13

S C O T T U N D E R W O O D

Until recently Scott was director of worship devel-opment for Vineyard Music USA. He is stillinvolved with leading worship at his home churchin San Luis Obsipo, CA but has recently returnedto the classroom to resume teaching.

members to complete usually everytwo years (you ARE a member, right?).

As with every computer programaround there are a few minor glitches.Chords on some songs aren’t alignedover the right words. However, you areable to modify any song within thedatabase, so this is easily corrected. Ialso found that when I tried to use thescroll button on my mouse while in the‘Albums’ tab, the program began toautomatically scroll through everyalbum in a continuous loop. I was notable to get out the loop without usingControl+Alt+Del, thus ending the pro-gram completely.

Next to the Holy Spirit in me, my guitarand my pre-amp (in that order),SongBase is the next ‘must’ tool.

Editors Note: SongBase is not a VineyardMusic product nor does Vineyard Musicprovide customer service of any kind forthis program. Please direct all inquiriesto the DASAN Research Corporation, 1-800-717-7833, www.songbase.com, orsales@songbase.com

se 2000

Is your song vision rooted in

Scripture rather than just personal

experience?

Does your song contain elements of

timeless truth?

Does the song advance the worshiper’s

understanding of who God is?

Are you writing about a standard

interpretation or a “unique” inter-

pretation of Scripture? Be sure to get

feedback from someone with more

theological training than you (like your

pastor) in order to determine whether

your song is in or out of bounds.

Do other people worship when

they sing your song? The songs we write

and sing are not opportunities to push a

personal spiritual agenda. They are

meant to capture the heart cries of the

majority of the body of Christ.

Worship Songwriter’s Bookshelf– The Craft of Lyric Writing

by Shelia Davis– Systematic Theology

by Wayne Grudem– Strong’s Concordance– Experiencing God

by William Blackaby– Songwriter’s rhyming dictionary

✘B Y I N S I D E W O R S H I P

14I N S I D E W O R S H I P 0 2 / 0 0

Over the years I’ve come to realize thatserious songwriting is much like ourChristian walk. They both are a process.We don’t become prolific songwritersin a day just as we don’t become Christ-like overnight. The similarity is thatboth need the fermentation of time.

However, the connection betweenour Christian walk and songwritingdoesn’t end there. One of the results ofGod’s maturing process in us is that ourfocus on Him becomes clearer.Likewise, as we continue to mature assongwriters the focus or theme of oursongs also becomes more clear. Thisobservation is more than a technicalparallel. When we are having troubleseeing Jesus in our life, people will havetrouble seeing Jesus in our songs.

The simple truth is that the closerwe draw to God the more Christ-cen-tered our lyrics will become. This isimportant for us as worship songwrit-ers because our goal should be to writesongs that lead people into the Throneroom of God.

To do this our songs need to be well-crafted, congregational in nature andtheologically correct. The only way toaccomplish this goal is with a commit-ment to grow in God while pursuingthe craft of songwriting. This way asJesus becomes the central person in ourlives, He will then become the centralfocus of our songs.

Let me again emphasize that this isa process. I’ve been writing songs foralmost 22 years and I’m still growing asa songwriter. It’s a never-ending processjust as being a disciple of Jesus is a nev-er-ending process. I’ve been walkingwith the Lord for 22 years and I’ve yetto arrive.

As I’ve examined my songwritingover the years, the connection betweenmy commitment to pursuing God andthe Christ-centeredness of my songs isundeniable. In fact, I can not fathombeing able to accomplish what God hascalled me to be, as songwriter and as aworship leader, if I were not committedto pursuing excellence in my Christian

B Y R A N D Y M c C OY

Songwriting And The A Worship Leader /

Songwriter’s

Checklist

Pursuit Of God

R A N D Y M c C O Y

Randy is a songwriter, worship leader and is onstaff as a pastor at VCF of Kansas City North. Heand his wife Jana live in Kansas City, Missouri withtheir 4 children.

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walk and in the craft of writing songs.Author and worship leader Ron

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