3 QUESTIONS, 3 RESPONSES ABOUT THE FUTURE OF WORSHIP

Last night, I was honored to have been invited by Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary (Atlanta, GA) to participate in a closed Zoom call of church musicians, scholars, and practitioners of Black sacred music and worship to address the question: WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF WORSHIP? I wanted to share three (3) of the questions posed by Seminary President Paul Timothy Roberts, Dr. Ouida Harding, and Dr. Warren Cooper, Co-Conveners/Hosts, and my responses to those questions.

WHERE HAS WORSHIP BEEN?

- disconnected/stripped/siloed from the community for which it was intended 

- held prisoner by consumerism and a self-centered cultural ideology 

- locked in our bones, awaiting permission to be freed. 

-wherever its leaders have led and are leading us

WHERE IS WORSHIP HEADED?

- to non-conventional (digital) worship spaces where anxious communities await  

- back to the blurred lines of the "sacred and secular," which was a key component of the ancient African worldview. 

- backward and forward at the same time (Sankofa)

WHAT WILL WE NEED?

- Better ways of doing music and worship conferences that include models of follow-up and pods of community discussions/collaboration/implementation before, during, and after. Our churches and communities around our churches should feel the ripple effects of our having attended a conference. 

- leaders who are not allergic to collaboration and globalization

- theologically and biblically informed worship leaders who value the stewardship of God’s story IN COMMUNITY as the primary purpose of music and the sacred arts 

- churches and faith communities to be more discerning about who gets to plan and lead its worship. 

How might you have responded to these questions? Please feel free to share your insight in the comments.