Saturday, April 23, 2005
High School Worship Training ‘05
This past week, Calvin College’s Worship Apprentices and CICW hosted the second annual conference on High School Worship Training. Over 100 high school student worship leaders from around the country came to Calvin for the event.
At pizza dinner Monday night, I sat with the worship team from Lynden Christian HS in Lynden, Washington.
Chaplain Ben deRegt told me that while LCS students have historically been Christian Reformed, in recent years the school has seen the breadth of its student body—and its chapel planning team—expand to include Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals, and worshipers in house churches, among others. He said the diversity of worship styles has also grown, but that the “expression of our adoration of God is what defines everything.” Rather than become generic, worship is “enriched” by incorporating features from students’ different backgrounds, he said. Meanwhile, there are certain hymns and songs that resonate with all students: “Amazing Grace,” “Shout to the Lord,” “Be Thou My Vision,” “Come Thou Fount,” “In Christ Alone,” and the relatively new “God of Wonders.”
Attenders and hosts of this conference appreciated the chance to talk and learn about high school worship, which is often neglected in the discussion of worship renewal. One of the ideas that came up in the morning sessions was a possible high school worship sourcebook, with prayers, songs, and sample services for chapel use. Another theme that emerged during the two-day conference was the need for worship to speak to students’ suffering, doubt, and depression, rather than rely too heavily on upbeat singing and speaking to engage the student body.
Update: Read a report on this conference from the Worship Apprentices, or read a report from last year’s conference.