In my thirty-three years as a pastor’s daughter, ten as a pastor’s wife, I’ve observed hundreds of worship services. I love the church and get excited about corporate worship. So as I’ve studied performing arts for over a decade and been involved in acting, writing, and directing for the stage, I couldn’t help noticing that some basic lessons of theater might help the worship hour I love.
Of course, there are differences between actors and worship leaders. The world of stage performing calls attention to itself. In the church, we are in the business of glorifying God, calling attention to him. We use the same tools that actors use-voice, movement, timing, progression of thought-but we are more than mere attention getters. We have the Holy Spirit to empower us. When we sing or speak in our own power, we are guilty of being mere entertainers and making our congregation an audience. But if we speak for God and through God, he will be glorified, and the congregation can participate, better able to express their thoughts and feelings to God.
Having said that, though, pastors are the artistic overseers of worship. They must be creative, combining the elements of mood, sound, timing, and energy to create an atmosphere where worship can happen. The aim is to capture the attention and hopefully the imagination, to turn people’s minds to God.
To communicate effectively in preaching or worship, it is important to understand not only spoken language but unspoken language as well. The actor knows that every gesture and posture communicates something to his audience. This unspoken language is a part of every sermon, every conversation, and every worship service. The preacher should learn to make his body say the same thing his mouth is saying. When he becomes aware of the significance of body language, he can read the body language of those to whom he speaks.
In worship planning, we are competing with the slick, the beautiful, the enticing presentations our people are used to in advertising, television, and the theater. They cannot be expected to be totally absorbed in worship if what we offer is dull or mediocre. The service can and should come off like a well-rehearsed play. That doesn’t mean it lacks warmth or spontaneity; it means that all the people must work together to contribute to the whole project. The pastor is usually the one who must get them together, unite them, and give them a vision of what can happen in the service.
As pastors and other worship leaders develop the sensitivity of the artist, services will have more unity, more potential effect. Consider the lessons from these specific situations:
* * *
The majestic call to worship is over. The congregation is ready and anxious for something to happen. The pastor waits for everyone to be seated and then walks slowly to the pulpit. He looks over the congregation, indicating that there must be silence before he speaks. Softly clearing his throat, he begins his announcements. People’s eyes wander.
What has happened? He did not take stage. When an actor takes stage, he establishes the focus of the audience on himself by bringing sound and movement to the same point.
In order to take stage, the pastor should have matched the energy of the call to worship by coming briskly to the pulpit and speaking immediately. His whole body is involved in taking stage, not just his voice. Body language must match oral language in energy and feeling. If this doesn’t happen, the service lags, and people lose concentration.
* * *
The pastor is leading the congregation in prayer. Suddenly the door near the front opens and in walks a staff member who takes a seat as if nothing has happened. But plenty has happened! The concentration the pastor worked so hard to build is broken. Not everyone prays with eyes tightly shut. Movement and even the slightest noise will distract. Those who were praying along with the pastor are now thinking about something else.
What has happened? The staff member has just thrown focus, a term used in the theater but which is just as appropriate in the church. It is one of the biggest problems in church services.
Movement is the strongest, most attention-getting form of communication. No matter what else is happening-singing, speaking, or silent reflection-movement will pull eyes away. If a lady in the choir looks through her purse for a stick of gum, if the song leader thumbs through the hymnal in the middle of the sermon, if someone gets up and leaves, the eyes of the congregation naturally focus on the movement.
What can be done about this? You obviously can’t prevent all distracting movement, but you can make sure the people on the platform are working with you and not against you. They can be trained to think before they move. Necessary movement can be done during transitions-not in the middle of a song, sermon, or prayer. And this knowledge contributes to overall sensitivity.
* * *
The pastor and his assistant are seated on the platform while the soloist sings. The pastor remembers something he wanted to tell his assistant to include in the announcements, so he leans over to whisper his message. He holds a bulletin to “cover” the conversation.
What has happened? Not only has he thrown focus, he has done what is known in the theater as telegraphing. It is always the mark of the amateur to telegraph to the audience what he is about to do. He warns them with the anxious look or gesture that says, “Don’t watch me.” Of course, that attracts even more attention.
The pastor who holds up a bulletin to hide a conversation does essentially the same thing. The audience can’t help but notice that he is having a conversation because he is showing them.
What can be done about this? The pastor can lean over and talk to his assistant without telegraphing by simply not holding anything up to cover his conversation. After all, no one can hear them anyway. Movement is less conspicuous when the person doesn’t try to hide it.
* * *
Several of the youth are presenting testimonies. One of the girls speaking is shaking and can hardly talk. Everyone feels sorry for her.
She is suffering from stage fright. It is a very real condition caused when a person is frightened and remains stationary. This causes large amounts of adrenalin to flow through the body. Adrenalin is meant to give the body extra strength and energy in a crisis.
When adrenalin is not used, it causes the body to shake. Pastors can tell young people beforehand what to do for stage fright. Usually do some form of physical movement-a few deep knee bends before going on, or if they’re already on stage, some sweeping gestures with the arm or flexing and relaxing leg and stomach muscles. This will give the adrenalin a chance to be used up rather than causing the body to shake and the voice to quiver.
* * *
Another young man is speaking. He doesn’t have stage fright, but he is very nervous. He moves a lot, waving his hands and shuffling from one foot to the other. The audience becomes nervous, and at the end of the service, few can remember what he said.
What went wrong? The young man’s gestures did not serve any positive purpose. They only drew attention away from what he was saying. The rule to remember is economy of movement. This boy should have been coached before he spoke. Indeed, all who speak should know this rule.
When a speaker moves too much, his movements lose their value. Professional actors do not move unnecessarily because they know that fewer moves mean the ones they do make will be more powerful. They make every gesture count. Movement will help pastors-when used in moderation.
Also, remember that there are strong gestures and weak gestures. Try this in front of a mirror. The “Jack Benny” move from the elbow does not look as sweepingly grand as does the same move from the shoulder. Movements that are done directly in front of the body are not as strong as those that are done away from the body. Make movement count!
* * *
The guest speaker is given a glowing introduction. He sits on the platform in full view of the audience, but he is relaxed, slouched to one side, legs crossed casually, one arm draped across the back of his chair. Others on the platform are also sitting in relaxed positions as though they were in casual conversation over coffee in someone’s living room.
What has happened? The people up front have established a low energy level for the entire service. Their physical attitude has had an effect on the mental attitude of everyone present.
What can be done? One must realize how important physical energy is on the stage. If actors in a film spoke their lines convincingly but looked sleepy and bored, how long would you watch the movie? How convincing would it be? Remember, energy is created by intensity. And intensity is created by you! It won’t just happen. The people in full view of the congregation establish the energy of the service by movement, posture, and bearing, as well as by the ideas and words spoken from the pulpit. The body either italicizes or erases what the mouth says.
* * *
A man in the choir has fallen asleep during the sermon. He leans slightly to one side, and his head bobs. He has just upstaged the pastor. Upstaging occurs when anyone in back of the action throws focus on himself. The upstage area is in back of the pastor (in most churches). In the theater the rule of thumb is that upstage is the strongest position anyone can occupy. This is because when seen from the audience the upstage area appears to be higher than the downstage area. The front of the stage, or down-stage, is the weakest position because people always look past it to the higher position. Unfortunately, most of the time the pastor stands in the weaker position!
That is why it is so important that the staff educate all who occupy the upstage position to be in control of their posture and movement at all times. Obviously, those who are in this position will also set the energy and tension levels of the service because they are in full view. Don’t ever let the choir think that just because they are not singing they are not a part of the action on the stage.
They are doing what is known as dressing the stage. That means they match the energy and tension levels of what is happening. It means they look at the person who is speaking so as to throw focus to that person.
We find a good example of dressing the stage in musical comedy. Many crowd scenes have actors with nothing to do but stand there. If you watch, you will notice that even though they have no lines to speak, they are acting. That is what the choir must do-remain a part of the action even though they are not singing.
* * *
The service has been joyful and uplifting. The pastor energetically pronounces the benediction. People feel enthused. Then, as the pastor walks to the exit, the organist plays some soft, nondescript music. Most people bow their heads; others look around, wondering if church is over. The spirit of the service has been quenched by the low-key ending.
Why should everyone stand in silence at the end of the service in some sort of undefined prayer? It would have been good to send the people home celebrating the joy and encouragement they felt.
The problem here is rhythm. Pastors use principles of logic and persuasion to structure their sermons, but too often they fail to consider emotional rhythms in structuring worship. Rhythm is created by contrasts in pace, sound, and content. Different rhythms can produce a warm, happy atmosphere, or a reflective introspection, or a point of tension demanding a decision.
It is useless, however, to properly use rhythm to create the appropriate mood, and then destroy it by interrupting a service to announce that a car in the parking lot has its lights on-or to conclude a triumphant hour with an ambiguous moment that serves only to give most people a coat-buttoning time.
* * *
In a way, actors have the easier job. They play a part. They know how to make people respond to the story line. They move people through the created fantasy.
The pastor’s job is harder. The tools are the same as the actor’s, but a pastor deals in reality, not fantasy. The object is not to create a new character but to remain himself. Only God can give pastors the ability to use their skills, personality, and knowledge to attract people, move their hearts, and guide their lives-while at the same time remaining genuine, approachable, and humble.
Principles from the stage can help pastors, but it’s up to each pastor to develop a platform team and a professional style of his own. It is vital to the ongoing of the gospel that we become skillful and adept at communication-both with our words and our non-verbal communication.
As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, “The eye never has enough of seeing.” God looks at the heart, but people look at the way we move and speak.
TAKING CARE OF YOUR VOICE
In addition to the lessons of nonverbal communication the theater has to offer, there’s also one very important verbal lesson: know how your voice works.
The human voice is often misused because pastors don’t understand it.
Basically, the sound you call your voice is produced by air moving over the vocal cords in your throat. Ideally the air needed is pushed up from the diaphragm by the abdominal muscles. If you become hoarse easily, you are probably pushing air up from your throat.
It’s a good idea to ask someone to watch you as you sing or preach and tell you if the muscles in your neck bulge or turn a brighter color near the end of every phrase. Either of these is a sign of voice abuse, and you are in danger of frequent hoarseness or even more serious vocal damage.
Learn to speak in the natural register of your voice and to push air up from your diaphragm. Preachers who try for a deeper sound or who raise their pitch risk voice problems down the road.
Taking care of your vocal cords will prolong the use of your voice and give you more control over it as well. A trained choir director or a local voice teacher can help you make sure:
Your breathing is deep, not shallow, when you speak.
You increase volume by increasing air pressure rather than by becoming shrill.
Your throat is not tense but relaxed, which improves resonance and acts as a voice amplifier.
You tense your abdominal muscles when you speak rather than your throat and upper chest.
Lin Sexton is an administrative assistant at First Baptist Church, Modesto, California
Leadership Spring 1983 p. 54-61
Copyright © 1983 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
