BCMC JOURNAL 2003
Moving
My Mind to Where My Heart and Music Had to Go
By Kelly Stephenson
Report
Summary prepared by Tim Logan and edited by Jere Adams
Note:
Kelly was a featured presenter for the 2003 SBCMusic Conference in Shreveport.
The following is a synopsis of his Breakout Session.
Kelly
Stephenson, Pastor for Worship at The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham,
Alabama, spoke to the 2003 Baptist Church Music Conference after leading a time
of contemporary worship with his praise band and singers. The purpose of this
exercise and the session that followed was to demonstrate a migration of thought
and philosophy which Stephenson has experienced in recent years.
Stephenson, while seminary educated and quite experienced in leading
traditional worship styles, found himself "restless in spirit" while serving as
minister of music at another church. "I had the big choirs, did tremendous
music, but wanted our church to have a worship experience," he states. Soon
after, he was called to the Church at Brook Hills. It was a start-up
congregation with no building, no singers, no instruments, and no equipment. He
saw it as a challenge, but also as an opportunity to build from the ground up
with pastor Rick Ousley, who wanted the church's worship to have a "contemporary
feel."
Two
things were required, according to Stephenson: a change in his personal worship
philosophy, and a change in his view of God's view of worship style. First, he
realized that he had to approach music as a "functional art, to be judged as to
whether it is fulfilling its function—does this connect with our congregation?"
He quoted Donald Hustad (Jubilate 22, p. 24), "Good church music glorifies God
and edifies human beings in the context of the ministries of the church; music
speaks the language of the people."
His
second paradigm shift occurred in his assessment of God's view of worship: "God
has no favorite style," he said, "and prefers no one type of music over another.
Music becomes spiritual food when it is perceived and assimilated as spiritual
expression. My comfort zones are no indication of what God likes." He suggested
that church leadership ask, "What [musical] language does my church speak?"
Broaching the subject of emotions in worship, Stephenson stated, "God made us
emotional beings and wants emotion to be a part of worship; not to do so steals
the heart out of worship. He poured emotion into us purposefully at creation."
Further, he encouraged leaders to teach about emotion and to be models, saying,
"it's not just ‘all right,' it is good to be emotional." Again quoting Donald Hustad (Jubilate II, p. 121), "My Judgment is that few evangelicals are in
serious danger of too strong emotion in worship; we could well plan more intense
emotional experiences, using all our resources of speech, music, and drama, as
well as visual symbolism, so long as they are all associated with coherent
religious truth."
Quoting
his pastor, Rick Ousley, Stephenson said, "Worship should not be out of control,
but it should be out of coma." "You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37, Holman CSB). He
proffered that churches should give people freedom to express themselves before
God. "Often we have been guilty of trading chains of sin for chains of
religion," he said. "Young people want to have an experience in worship. People
gravitate to experience. People who had contact with Jesus had an experience."
The
change in Stephenson's approach to worship was not an easy one. "I had to go
‘back to school,'" he said. "I had to relearn and unlearn some things. I had to
be willing to break the "rules" that I had learned in school, such as those
relating to rehearsal styles and vocal tonal styles.
Kelly
said he also had to re-evaluate some of his work habits, moving away from some
"tendencies that harm," such as laziness, pride, fear of failure and of change,
and a "too business-like approach" to ministry. He emphasized the great value in
working as a team with the people God places in our churches, learning from them
as we help shape them for ministry, and encouraged us to "quit labeling the
unknown as wrong." He stressed that we should go outside our familiar circles to
learn—attend conferences, visit other churches, and speak to other worship
leaders of various ages.
He
concluded by reminding us of what God said to the prophet about David's older
brother when Samuel assumed Eliab was the one: "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do
not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord
does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart'" (1Sam:16:6-7, NIV). I had to remember that God
called me while I was unprepared for salvation. He doesn't need my talent. I
didn't sing like ‘them;' I didn't even speak like ‘them'" He stated that, as
trained musicians, we were miles ahead because of our schooling and experience,
while "knowing you will never be the ‘coolest' musician in your church. God knew
where you would be placed, and what your needs would be."
Tim Logan is Editor of the Journal and Minister of Music, Beech St. First Baptist
Church, Texarkana, Arkansas.
Jere Adams is Editor of BCMC Publications,
Nashville, TN 37234-0160
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