How do we create a healthy balance between structure and spontaneity in worship?
Although the foundation for a worship set is practicing a specific list of songs with the band, there are tender moments in the service that we simply can’t plan for in advance.
These moments are sometimes silent, sometimes musical, usually spontaneous, and often emerge as part of the collaborative movements of worship in a fellowship.
Some spontaneity in your worship sets will encourage the community to engage in unique and fresh ways in the midst of a service. However, it can be difficult to flow as a band without ground rules that help us do it well together.
How to Balance Structure & Spontaneity in Worship
Here are some tips on creating that ideal balance between structure and spontaneity, and how to lead your band through spontaneous moments.
Consider the bones and the body.
Our bones are the rigid super-structure of our bodies. The bones contain us so we don’t fall apart.
They order our muscles and systems, administrate our movement, and direct the vital life flow systems within the body. The structure – the bones – are flexible to some degree, but not as flexible as the rest of the body itself.
This is an analogy for how we can view those spontaneous moments in worship.
There are people who fulfill bone roles in our band, and people who fulfill more flexible body roles.
Bone roles can lock down a sound and keeping a steady foundation of groove for the spontaneity happening in a worship set.
The drummer and the bass player, and sometime a keyboard or rhythm guitar, fulfill bone roles, keeping a repeating vamp happening while other instruments play over top. More flexible body roles, on the other hand, can be guitars, keys, and voices.
They can flex their muscles, create unique motion, and experiment with new things.
We need both bones and body in spontaneous worship. Make a plan for the bone roles, and, 90-100% of the time, stick with the plan.
Then, in your band rehearsals, map out where the fluidity – the free- form and spontaneous moments – may come in.
Prepare for spontaneity.
Instead of just “hoping” spontaneous moments go the way you want them to, you can to prepare your band for the spontaneity.
Point out which chorus you think might need some room to breathe and be repeated instrumentally.
Give the band a heads up that you’ll be repeating 4-8 specific bars of music in a loop (called a vamp) if you say the word, until you give them the cue to move on.
Also tell your fellow worship leaders in rehearsal when you think the fireworks might occur, or when you want to experiment musically.
If you communicate well with your team in rehearsal about these possible moments, instead of just flying by the seat of your pants, over time your team is going to grow in their ability to anticipate those moments – and be more effective as a worship leading force.
