Why A Praise Team?

The current dilemma
-Because we aren't getting people's attention, two-thirds of the Churches of Christ are declining or reaching a plateau with attendance. This is largely due to the fact that many churches are not addressing the 21st century culture in the assembly.
-Over 80% become Christians before age 20 and 75% between age 9-14. If we aren't reaching the youth, we aren't reaching the world.
-The world is watching satellite tv, communicating via e-mail and gathering information from the internet. Many churches are still using language and images from the turn of the 20th century. This can not compete with popular media, which freely uses images and techniques that completely outdo it.
-We need to recognize that this generation does not understand much of the language many churches insist on using.
-We must be flexible enough to communicate and unchanging message to a changing culture.

Some of the resistance issues I have heard have been the following:
-It's nothing but entertainment (with the assumption that anything associated with entertainment is corrupt. The motivation to entertain is subject to suspicion because of the performers need for self-gratification.)
-They're making a spectacle of themselves (anyone who draws attention to themselves during worship makes a spectacle, by making spontaneous expressions of worship like standing alone during a song, clapping or raising one's hands. This is deemed in violation of Jesus' command to pray in secret in Matt 6:6)

Three Goals for a Praise Team
1. The members demeanor and spirit lead the newer and older Christian spiritually by visually displaying heart felt emotions as they interpret the lyrics of worship songs.

2. The members lead the congregation musically. It is not an attempt to replace congregational singing, it is to enhance it. By providing musical leadership of all four parts, the average singer can pick out a part that is most comfortable and follow a praise team member. Teaching new songs and musically leading older ones is a valuable service to the congregation.

3. The members lead visually. A large group of worshippers requires coordination and leadership. Although a single worship leader is still required to begin the songs, visual leadership is more than keeping time by waving one's hand. The facial encouragement, and direction of the worship leader are all visually oriented aspects of leadership. All members of the praise team are leading somebody at sometime, and the group as a whole leads visually all the time. The visual impact a group of joyful and energetic singer can make on a church is significant.

Taking these goals into consideration, a Praise Team required to sit down front would be handicapped in their ability to lead spiritually, musically, and most certainly visually.

How to use those whom God has called?
"He gives to each one just as He determines" 1 Cor 12:11. Some people love to sing but have no heart for God, and some people have a heart for God and love to sing but are not called to lead worship in song. Excellence in presentation is always the goal, but the ability to worship authentically and with zeal is most important. Three criteria for all Praise Team members are the love of worship (heart for God), passion to lead others into worship (heart for leadership), and musical ability (ability to blend). Worship is about God, and a Praise Team should be about helping people draw closer to God, not about us!

*Some of this information came from the Zoe worship conference at Fresno Church of Christ, February 2003