Last week our church sent out an email listing all of the discipleship opportunities for adults in our congregation during the fall season. The email contained different classes, Bible studies, and home groups that people could join. It's quite common to associate discipleship with settings where an individual can learn something about Jesus or grow in their knowledge of the Bible, settings like those listed in the email. The reason we naturally associate those opportunities with discipleship is because the Greek word for disciple (mathetes) literally means learner.

But what if our understanding of the nature of discipleship is too narrow? Sometimes we compartmentalize certain spiritual activities. Meaning, we associate discipleship with a classroom setting and worship with a musical environment - a context where we are singing songs. But I wonder if we need to think more broadly about those two things. 

Most people can easily grasp the idea that worship is more than just singing songs. Worship encompasses a lifestyle of pursuing Jesus in many ways, discipleship being one of them. Therefore, it makes sense to say that engaging in the process of discipleship is an act of worship. But what if we were to flip that and say engaging in worship is an act of discipleship. (And when referring to worship here, I am thinking specifically about singing songs.) 

What I'm saying is, what if we viewed congregational singing as discipleship? Would it change the way we engage?

Here's what I mean. About six years ago, I was at a leadership conference, and each session began with a time of singing. It usually consisted of three or four songs and lasted about fifteen minutes. A different worship leader led each session, but there was one who stood out from the rest. 

During this session, the leader began by coaching us through a simple process of reorienting our minds and our hearts away from distraction and toward contemplation of Jesus. He did this by inviting us to embrace the stillness of the moment, to focus on our breathing, and to ask the Spirit to fill us. Then, we sang for a little bit and staying in that mindset, he led us to posture our bodies in a way that would help us to further engage with the Lord. He didn't tell us how, but gave us the freedom to do what felt natural. Next, he shared some Scriptures, and then we sang some more. After that, he led us in a time of sharing what was on our heart with the Lord, and then we sang another song. Throughout the different songs we sang, not only did he share the Scriptures, but also taught them in simple, bite sized ways. Lastly, in the same manner he slowly and gently led us into the moment, he also led us out of it. 

I had never experienced anything like it before. Typically, times of congregational singing consist of singing song number one, then, song number two, followed by song number three. But this was one continual moment of being led into the presence of God. When it was over, my first thought was, "I think I was just discipled." 

My definition of discipleship (which I got from Dallas Willard) is - being with Jesus, in order to learn from Jesus, so that we can be/live like Jesus. Notice the first part of that definition, being with Jesus. What the worship leader did during that session was help us be attuned to and aware of Jesus' presence in our midst. 

Now, I realize that much of what I experienced that day was due to the way the worship leader led us. And maybe you’re thinking, "That's great, Bryan, but the worship leaders at my church don't do that." What that experience gave me was a vision for a way that I can lead myself into and through worship. It helped me see that singing songs at church has a greater purpose than merely filling fifteen to twenty minutes of a sixty-minute service. It showed me that singing has a unique ability to bring us into the presence of God and to nurture our love and longing for the Lord. 

What if you were to think about worship as discipleship? How would that change the way you engage during the music portion of your service?