At APU we had chapel three times a week. There were several locations that you could go to chapel. Each place would start out with a different style of music and then the speaker. If you were not at the location of the speaker then you would see video of the speaker. The music was always live at each location. I tried out different locations as time went on. After my freshman year one of the leaders changed and thus the style.
By senior year I found my self going to one chapel location only because of the music leader. This leader, Brian, was very calm, relaxed and flexible with the worship. There was one thing that he would say that helped me. It was along the lines of: "Stand if you want, sit if you want, just listen if thats better, just do what helps you connect with God best." It was through that that I was released from the pressure to raise my hands, stand up, or any other cliche. I would then not think about the music, but about God and do what my heart was asking for that day. Brian did his job. He got out of the way and served as a bridge to connect people to God.
There was another chapel that I avoided at all cost. The leader there would start off worship with "Everyone please stand." Coming from a Catholic back ground you would think this would not bother me but it did. It infuriated me. I looked around and saw people in wheel chairs! What are they supposed to do? That started me and the worship leader off on the wrong foot. What made things worse was the feeling I would get as he would seem to love the lime light. I know it can be awkward on stage, not knowing what to do with your body, but in his case everything seemed to be in the same tone as the opening statement. Everyone stand to honor us. Do what we do. This is about the stage and not about being a bridge. I talked to a few people and found I was not alone in this sentiment.
Since leaving APU I have found this performance side in worship much more often. I saw many individuals in at Mary, Queen of Peace who ended up worshiping the singers and not God. After Mass or trips they would not focus on how they connected with God, but the musician. The worship leader had failed their job in that individuals case. They had not connected others to God, but to themselves.
I bring this all up because where I am at right now "performance" seems to be a large part of the congregation. They want to see the children's choir "preform". They want to have music preformed for them so they can listen. The music can be very beautiful, but I can not help but wonder if they are helping lead people to worship God or to the choir. Now there is not just one person doing or leading this. From my understanding it has developed as a culture in the church. Point in case is that they have a history of paying outside people to come in and preform for them instead of relying on the gifts God gave them.
As I was talking to a friend the other day she pointed out that some people end up connecting with God better through just listening. This is very true. The question though is where is that line where it becomes more of a show than worship? I have found that participation is what leads me into worship. When I am disconnected, or not allowed to participate, then it almost becomes static on the line with me to God.
In youth ministry classes one of the main focuses was for it to not be about "you" the youth leader. We are to represent Christ in their lives. There is a delicate balance for us to relate to the kids, but to make sure that it is not about us but about leading them to God. This can mean sometimes being unpopular or the bad guy. For worship leaders how does this look? They have the same responsibility to lead others to Christ. I think the gauge for me as well as a worship leader is in the statements the church makes. You can hear it and see it in their tone if you are helping them to grow or helping them to honor and revere you.
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