Praise Team Trend

Hi Joe Ed,

 

Remember me? Dottie and I attended your school for, I believe, 3 years. We enjoyed the school and miss not attending.  I hope things are going well for you and for the school.

 

The purpose of this note is to ask for your reaction.

 

Recently Dottie and I attended the church where our son and his family attend, Campus Church in Norcross, GA. They are on the campus of Greater Atlanta Christian Schools, where our grandchildren are in the 6th and 8th grades. The church has the standard traditional and contemporary services. The primary difference between the two services are the selection of songs, the Praise Team and random hand-raisings and a clap or two. 

 

The school has recently completed the construction of The Forum which is large enough to hold the entire school and staff etc (3,500 or so). They also play basketball in the Forum. For services they put chairs out on the court add a stage and sound system. People sit in the chairs on the court or in the theater seats surrounding the court. Great facilities. 

 

This week their praise team's amplification was turned up much like the organ in the Catholic churches. So loud you cannot hear yourself think. It got me to thinking about the original purpose of the Praise Team. So, when I returned home, I read what you said about the praise team in the Worship Development course materials.

 

I found a little research shows that the purpose of the Praise Team has changed from its inception.

 

·        The purpose of the Praise Team Ministry is to charge and set the atmosphere of each service with the presence of the Lord, through praise and worship in song, so that it makes giving and receiving the Word of God easy.

 

·          The purpose of the Praise Team is to lead the congregation to praise God together during the worship service.

 

·          The purpose of the Praise Team is to engage the hearts of people who sit in the sanctuary and to lead them into a time where they can connect and communicate with God. 

 

·          The sole purpose of the Praise Team is to lead the congregation into the presence of God.

 

·          The purpose of the Praise Team at Florence Christian Church is to provide music and musical leadership for the 9:45 worship celebration each Sunday

 

·          The purpose of the Praise Team is to provide worship leadership to our worship services.

 

·          The purpose of the Praise Team is to praise and worship God through song.

 

·          The purpose of the Praise Team is to lead God's people into meaningful and Spirit-filled praise and worship during the Contemporary Service

 

·          The primary purpose of any praise team is to give glory to our Lord, the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

 

As the church has been affected and changed by 40 years of unsupervised Youth Ministers in seems to me that we are on the verge of changes brought on by unsupervised Worship Leaders and am wondering if you have views on the subject.  

 
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Thank you for your time,

John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Website: http://www.greenbriersolutions.com  
Blog: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/

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