"The WOW Factor" in Worship

“The WOW Factor” is the current buzz term. From television shows, to books, to music, to service providers (Spectrum, the new Time Warner has become a WOW!). WOW is in! Any way you can dish it up, people want a WOW experience. How does WOW factor in to church, specifically, music used in worship? I am sure we have all attended a worship service or two, where we have left feeling less than enthusiastic about the experience.

When planning worship, do we consider the impact our planning will have on the worshippers or, are we more concerned with how each song, and Bible passage relate to each other – what responsive readings and responses will enrich the worship experience – is the instrumental music germane to the theme, etc? All are important aspects of worship.

Giving worshippers various opportunities to experience God, either through music, the spoken word, responsive readings, etc., is vital to the worship experience. In our “me” oriented society, it seems to always be about us. Is worship about us? Some seem to think so. Given this paradox, how do we allow worshippers to experience God in worship that is not about them? To do this, our services need to incorporate some kind of WOW factor.

Why do we have to WOW them? The answer is quite simple. God WOW’d us when He sent “His only begotten Son…” on our behalf. That was the greatest WOW experience ever. Therefore, it goes without saying, the idea of bringing worshippers to a point where they will be WOW’d by God is an important part of worship.

Being WOW’d in worship, as the world was WOW’d some two-thousand-years ago, allows worshippers to experience God in a vibrant way. Why can’t music be the way in which people are WOW’d by God? There are many ways we can assist and incorporate worshippers in experiencing the WOW of God. Following are a few ways we can bring “The WOW Factor” to worship, through:

·         a finely tuned anthem, incorporating extreme dynamics, and tempos.

·         an exciting hymn in which the organist or pianist brings life to the text through registration changes.

·         a chorus or praise song, that elevates the Word of God in a meditative way, i.e. during the distribution of Eucharist, following a sermon, etc. 

·         a piano and organ duet on a well known theme, hymn, or chant.

·         a jazz guitarist improving on a beloved sacred melody.

·         a child introducing “Jesus Loves Me,” followed by all singing.

·         the singing of a beautiful chant from an alternate place in the worship space.

·         a brass ensemble joining the choir and congregation during the singing of “The Hallelujah Chorus.”

There are probably hundreds, if not thousands of ways we can bring “The WOW Factor” to the music used in worship. I invite you to employ any of these, or create and share with others how you have experienced or ideas that can bring “The WOW Factor” to worship, through music.