My philosophy of church music is that it should take whatever form is best conducive to helping the congregation praise God. The church musician is there to use experience and a firm understanding of worship in all its varied styles and forms to heighten the congregation's worship experience, through quality music that is open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I shun legalism in any worship style. I long to see Christians worshipping God with their honest hearts. I"m not concerned with appeasing people's desires, because worship is for God's benefit. I recognize that people can get caught up in the religiosity of church, and lose sight of who they are worshipping. Humility is a key virtue for any church leaders, as pride can easily corrupt a church. .
Worship can take many forms; singing, dancing, speaking, solemn reflection. Worship should take many forms; our God is infinite; why limit ourselves in practice or medium? Let's be creative in worshipping Him. Creativity in worship brings freshness to old ways. The Psalmist is the best example of a heart on fire for God, desiring to purely worship Him with all his heart. He worshipped with shouting and dancing, strings, trumpet, timbrel, lute, cymbals, and every instrument under heaven, with face touching the ground in homage to the creator of the universe. Now we can worship Christ revealed, with as much variety as the Psalmist, if not more. The Lord desires us to worship Him from the sincerity of our hearts with an intensity and devotion that He deserves. .
Humans have a tendency to over-organize, and with too much organization, there is the threat of becoming stagnant; just going through the motions. Yet, the same can be true for having no structure. A balance needs to be found, that allows for the free working of the Holy Spirit, and the spiritual gifts the Spirit gives to the people who glorify God through their worship.
