Moving Beyond Hillsong
I play drums at church, where we play a lot of Hillsong material. I needed to look up what the drummer for Hillsong was doing on a song so I went into Youtube and thought I had stumbled into a Keith Urban concert, with an Australian heart throb crooning away under a spotlight (I got made fun of yesterday for thinking that Hillsong was from England and not Australia—shows how often I follow the Christian Contemporary scene: absolutely never). The drummer was in the shadows playing away and I could kind of get the gist of the rhythm. But I do have to say I was shocked by the rock n’ roll marketing and set design for a worship concert, that most paradoxical of paradoxes. Worship is life performed before the Other, which is God. A concert is a performance before people, a display like an art gallery or a novel. In worship an audience gives something. In a concert the audience receives something. The only thing that an audience gives over during a concert is cash for tickets and beer.
Alright, I’m done knocking on Hillsong and all the other spotlight enshrouded pervayours of worship entertainment. I want to start moving beyond Hillsong. I am tired of dwelling in critique of CCM and instead want to forge the path ahead into the great unknown, which for most local churches, is an unruly thicket.
I am not going to boycott Hillsong. The music is good. The lyrics are the best and most un-"Jesus is my Boyfriend" you can get in the "worship music" genre these days. The lyrics are often quotes from Scripture and are not "I" and "me" focused. Hillsong’s music does not encourage passivity and idleness in worship (their concerts are another story). Yet, the problem still exists, and it is our responsibility to fix it.
We need to start by using the foundation of our local church’s musical culture–be it Hillsong, David Crowder, or John Wesley–and begin to think creatively about the purpose of worship music for the local church. The purpose is not to re-create the event which is a Hillsong concert, because the whole concert paradigm is completely inadequate and useless for worship. The whole dichotomy of the concert must be reversed in order to be worship (wouldn’t it be nice if Hillsong only played free concerts?). The audience must give over more than money in order to worship in song, just as we do with the rest of our lives. So too must the musicians give of themselves with no desire for return save for the adoration of God.
The local church must do two things to break down the concert mentality of the church and empower worship that is beyond the concert: worship that is an outpouring of the community. One is to empower the musicians to not be re-creators of radio hits but creators of the local church’s music. We must find ways to break the cycle of hear radio hit, download chords, re-create song. Otherwise, we should just get rid of local musicians altogether and just play soundtracks during the service.[1] Technology has really changed the way musicians bring music into the church from creation and orchestration to re-creation and copying. Second, the audience must no longer be called an audience but a congregation: they are with the musicians in worship, not before the musicians in worship as in a concert. This will call for various stage changes, arrangements, and technology decisions to break down the wall between musician and audience to form a congregation. Most importantly though, this requires that we teach our church members how to be active in worship and not to be passive and idle concert goers during worship in song (or sermons, or communion, or offering…).
The time for critique is gone. Hillsong is not to blame. They are filling a need that has been expressed by the evangelical church repeatedly. We are the ones that created them to fill our need. We need to learn that we can do better than that, that the Spirit does not just move Hillsong or David Crowder to make great songs. We need to learn that the local church is full of creators who can create their own material for worship or explore ways to change, tweak, reshape, and re-form music from the greater church culture and re-imagine it for the local congregation.
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[1] I think it’s interesting to note that what most of us who have been playing music in churches as a progression in authentic music has been a sham. I used to think that in the old days when a musician at church would sing or play in church with a soundtrack accompanying them that it was second rate compared to a full live band. Yet the soundtrack often gave the backing for a musician to add their own flare and creativity to a musical piece. We thought we had progressed by having full bands in worship services, but instead of becoming more creative we just copied the song, mimicked it in church, and eliminated all improvisation.
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I use to be in the same shoes as you.
Then i saw hillsong in concert then spent time meeting with the team.
They are amazing, inside and out.
Their heart are in the absolute right place. They have incredible depth to their team.
But i don’t feel like getting into a debate, that is not all that helpful for the kingdom.
but let me challenge you.
You said, “The lyrics are the best and most un-”Jesus is my Boyfriend” you can get in the “worship music” genre these days. ”
That is so untrue, not only do all of their songs have to be reviewed and accepted by muiltiple pastors on their staff.
But i challenge you to dissect their songs and you will be amazed.
I do this with our worship team once a month.
Their songs are deeply rooted in scripture.
Incredibly and poetically wrote.
And are written in spirit and in truth.
Try hosanna for instance.
Hosanna | Hillsong United
LYRICS:
I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes
Yeeeah
I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing
Hosanna, Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We’re on our knees
We’re on our knees
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity
MEANING:
King of Glory: Jesus, the personal manifestation of the glory of God.
Coming on: Second Coming Matthew 24:30, Revelation 1:7.
Fire: Same fire Sodom. Not w/ water.
The whole: Earth shook when Christ died and will again when he returns.
Love and mercy: Love Agape. 1 Peter 4:8. Picture of Mercy: Matt 18:23-35.
What were commanded to do all throughout Psalms.
Hosanna: Hebrew: yasha ‘na. meaning Rescue Us, save now, Root: Yasha: Deliver. An exhortation of deliverance.
Gen: 70 to 80 years.
Rising: Gods will, his kingdom.
Selfless Faith: Mark 9:35
Rising up to serve.
A revival on the horizon. Joel 2:28-32. All men: men, women, all status.
Pray and Seek: Jeremiah 29:13.
We’re on: Humbled Surrendered to God.
In preparation:
Prayer and Intimacy
Prayer
What breaks: Sin, Luke Warm Rev 3:16, disobedience, Death Rom 6:23, Sheep w/o shepherd Matthew 9:36, Neglecting the Least: Matthew 9:36.
Everything: Advancing the Kingdom. Matt 6:10.
As I go: all things of the world will pass away but the kingdom is eternal!
These guys are amazing.
Think of all the churches they have resourced in the kingdom.
You can nit pick anything.
But heck when we get to heaven we will probably realize that i was wrong and so were you.
But until we see God face to face i think we can all agree on the fact that they are doing an incredible work for the kingdom!
Thanks for your time.
Bobby, thanks for the detailed comment. I think you might have mis-read the quote from my post. I wrote that Hillsong’s lyrics are the best in contemporary worship today. In other words, I agree with you.
Hey, I wasn’t sure if I should leave a comment because I don’t want to sound like I’m debating. I decided to share with you my heart and passion as a worship leader and hope that you don’t see my comments as negative toward you. Everyone has a right to their own oppinion.
I do agree with your passion about not having a concert in church. A concert is a time to show off your own abilities and make yourself known and if anyone chooses to us church to do this, they need to see the real picture. It’s not about them. God is the real star of this show we call our life and he needs to be in the spotlight.
However, in absolutely no way would I say Hillsong is a concert. And honestly how can anyone say they put on a concert unless stating they are putting on a concert for their Savior and King. You must know their heart to know if they are putting on a show for you or for God.
And at the same time it’s up to the attender to choose whether they are their to be entertained or to encounter a real, genuine, short glimpse of their eternity where they will sing praise to God endlessly forever.
In all actuality it’s not about what this guy did or what that girl did during their worship time, but about you and how you were able to connect with God. I went to see Hillsong in Birmingham, Al last year and I’ll tell you first hand that God covered me that night and allowed me to see Him in a way I never had before. Joel, Jad, JD, Jill, and the rest of the band allow God to use them to get across His message to a generation in a way that has changed lives.
I thank you for writing your blog and I understand that you want to see His church rise up to the potential it has without having to copy what everyone else is doing. Just know that different things work for different people. Hillsong might not be right for some but is for others. I feel that the heart of Hillsong is pure and that we can only pray for the leaders of our churches around the world to stand strong in Christ and live only for Him.
Thanks for listening to me.
In Christ,
Bret
i guess my question is, do you lead worship? i have been a worship leader for some time now, and I am telling you that we do not copy and mimick songs…these churches like hillsong have the means to hire musicians. their whole band and leaders are musicians, people that have been schooled in one way or another in music. a lot of them also compose. as a musician, i have been playing church music for all my life but i am not a composer or am i trained to compose music.
I believe that God put these people in this world to create this music and stir the hearts of the people for God so that even people that do not have the training to compose will be challenged to because of the beauty of the music provided that has inspired them. i know this is what it means for me.
so, before you start saying that people need to create their own music instead of mimicking others, you should talk to a couple of musicians…
the last thing i want to say is that, music is a way that we can grab people to look towards God, it has to start somewhere…because the reason we worship and play music is for us and others to become closer to God.
Sorry to be blunt, but did you read the entire post? In the first sentence I say that I play the drum set in church. I’ve played with worship teams in four churches. That being said, I obviously have talked to more than a couple of musicians, me being a musician myself, since I picked up a French Horn in 5th grade.
Ok I definately see you point but i must confess as a drummer in a church hillsong is definately a plus i think more people listen to this style of music and can relate in a congeration for new converts to the same old ritual people that need to have had the old rugged cross song over and over….I think there is and always should be a move in worship that lets the people being the part of the worship its not nesessary the song but where it leads….for instance does the song lead to conviction of the heart..does it lead to one being saved..its good to have every once in a while..to change it up…and by the way you had to look up how to play a song it takes talent to mimick another player..as a musicain thats where most people start they hear something good in a song and say man i wish i could do that..and it takes practice (Hillsongs drummer) rolf wam fjell has the most amazing sound the hi hat doing 1/8 notes constantaly and gives it his best its good to have people changing it up and i know we have become placent in abality to create and add our own songs… its a hard nut to crack..ever try and have to make your own song with a band it takes a lot of time and a leader a composer a writer good musicians its a lot of work…so kudos to writing new songs and making it. Hey sometimes it is good just to sing without music just hymnns…so mix it up create some songs and play some really hard stuff like Hillsong
I think its awesome the church needed a boost in that direction
Hillsong has amazing talent and it shows..they desere the credit due
its good to have people talking hey did you hear about Hillsong there songs are off the hook and so is the local church that writes its own worship songs as long as it is worship and jesus knows if you want to be a rockstar or your just glad to be able to have the best instruments avaliable, your hands clapping to give him the praise…
I have a hard time understanding why people think big, loud and exciting is bad? Way too often, an honest sacrifice is painted as showy, or insincere just because it’s on a large scale.
Take Solomon’s temple for example. It was the largest and most extensive display of wealth ever compiled, and it was built for God. Palaces were constructed using only the finest resources, the best architects, and the best servants, and all of this was done for the glory of the king. The only difference between Solomon’s temple and Kingdom Palaces is where the glory is placed.
The same principal applies if you go to a concert. Thousands of dollars are spent on building stages and sets, setting up lights, hiring the people who are skilled enough to run all of the things you’ve set up. Then there is the time spent practicing and making sure you’re prepared. The amount of effort expended in putting on a concert is incredible! If you’re at a Keith Urban concert, the glory is placed on him. If you’re at a Hillsong event, the glory is given to God.
Some people see a huge production and say it’s inappropriate, it’s too flashy, its centered on me. I see a huge production and say yes, God is awesome and deserves screaming and jumping and clapping; loud noises, flashing lights and hours upon hours of prep.
It’s very easy to mistake a musician jumping and dancing around on stage as basking in the spot light. Granted there are some who harbor the glory and don’t give it to God, and I think that, coupled with our prejudices regarding secular concerts tends to cloud our vision regarding Hillsong type worship services.
Most churches have accountability systems in place that are on the watch for pride in worship leaders and their teams. Being a worship leader, is one of the hardest ministry positions to be in, since it one of the more ‘flashy’ ministries. Pastors fall into that category as well and take great pains and spend a lot of time in prayer when appointing worship leaders. So when you see the Hillsong leaders jumping around, you’re not just seeing very talented musicians, you’re seeing powerful men and women of God who are in continual self evaluation and being pulled and challenged from each other, very unlike Keith Urban.
I completely disagree with your thesis. I think that the worship concert model should be encouraged at churches where it fits their vision and abilities. I don’t like that people go to concerts and have an awesome time and worship like never before then come home and say “that’s inappropriate for the local church.” If the local church can execute and deliver such a model I say “Praise the Lord!”