Applause In Worship

by Brian Casey

January 1994

One noticeable aspect of the current thinking on this matter is the integrity of self-examination--from "both sides" of the issue.

Many of us are interested in progress in body life--whether worship-related or not. And it is sometimes difficult to separate those changes which are truly beneficial from those changes which may add spark and sparkle but may detract from the ultimate goal. This issue is a difficult one for many to deal with--partially because of the impact of culture and heritage as we seek God's will, moving forward.

I've referred to Worship Leader magazine before, and you may be aware that its editorial viewpoints and positions are to the left of those of most, if not all, of the readership of this newsletter. Randall Bradley, though, in the October/November 1993 WL, positions himself somewhat on the conservative side. Here are some of his thoughts:

Applause in worship can easily present a false sense of excitement, whereas excitement in worship must be spiritually generated.

• Applause tends to bring attention to the messenger instead of the message . . . When applauding [an assembly or worship act], . . . one must decide, "Am I applauding the message . . . or the gifts of the presenter(s)?"

Andy T. Ritchie III notes the following:

• . . . the whole problem is in understanding that worship isn't a performance. Worship is a response of every worshipper to what God is and has done for us. The argument [for applause, etc. -BC] comes from people who are used to being entertained . . . not people used to humbling themselves before Almighty God.

Even for us who are not accustomed to frequent worshipful presentations, I believe the above statements are of value. Bradley continues:

• If congregations do indeed applaud the message, why is it that slow, meditative presentations receive rounding ovations less often?

  The connotation of applause, when offered following acts of worship, is most often secular and has been borrowed by the church in an effort to create a theater mentality where the congregation cheers on the performers who do the worship, instead of allowing the congregation to do their own worship for the singular audience in worship--the ALMIGHTY GOD!

I'll interject here that personally, I am not against applause in the context of an assembly. I've applauded before; I expect to again. But beyond the motions and the sounds of clapping, it should be pointed out that at least in my experience, there has been appropriate applause and inappropriate applause. We should be intentional and discriminating--not all moments call for the same type of response. Bradley has another good point along these lines:

• Church leaders must not overlook the response of silence in worship. Some acts of worship are too profound for verbal expression. It seems that our culture is so obsessed with chitchat that we feel compelled to comment on everything--unfortunately, we bring this mentality with us to worship.

Some believe clapping has its place in the worship/assembly context; some believe otherwise. Whichever side you find yourself on, please consider that there is more than one appropriate, worshipful response to the awe-inspiring activities that should comprise our worship. Bradley concludes his article with another good thought, which I'll also offer as a final reflection here.

• Worship leaders need to help congregations to develop other appropriate responses, too. [They] must model sensitivity in worship that goes beyond a singular, rote response to all acts of worship. We must thereby continually seek fresh ways to restore worship to the congregation.