Wallpaper Music – music that is piped into a dentist’s office or supermarket – is pleasant to the ears but does little for the spirit.  Wallpaper Worship has taken our churches by storm.  Stroll into a church and watch the congregants observing as opposed to participating.  As sincere as those on the platform seem, as great as the music sounds, many congregants aren’t connecting with the “experience.”  Wallpaper Worship is code language for:  “It isn’t important that you participate.  We will do this for you.  We just need you to be our audience.”  In his classic book Worship Is A Verb, Robert Webber said, “Worship is not something done to us or for us, but by us.”

From what I have witnessed as I have traveled speaking and performing on five continents, churchgoers are experiencing Wallpaper Worship in congregations as large as ten thousand and as small as one hundred.  Many church leaders say this kind of non-participatory experience is what the culture demands.  This idea reveals a core problem: the church has redefined worship to fit a cultural model instead of a biblical model, much to the ignorance of newly churched believers, and to the dismay of worshippers who have been around long enough in their faith-practice to know the difference.

Wallpaper Worship isn’t new.  God tells the prophet Ezekiel “you are nothing more to them than a sensual singer who sings beautifully and plays well on an instrument; they hear your words but they do not practice them.” (Ezekiel 33:31-33).  The prophet Amos expressed God’s similar strains:  “I despise your assemblies…Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to your instruments.  But let justice and righteousness roll down like rivers…” (Amos 5:21-24).  Jesus tells the Samaritan woman, “The hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father…”  (John 4). In other words, a form isn’t as important to God as we think.  Apparently, it never was.

“Honestly, Danny!  If attendance is up, social media followers increase weekly, pastor’s pension fund is performing well, and our music sounds world-class, is there a problem?”  Perhaps a more relevant question is:  If the parking lot is full but the mouths of worshippers are empty, what’s wrong with this picture?

If you are a worshipper or a leader who recognizes the problem, I have news:  There are simple solutions to achieving participation, no matter what style of worship service in which you are involved.  And the solutions are easy to initiate without upheaving the culture of your church!   “Wallpaper Worship Removal Workshops: The Tips and Tools For Achieving Participation” are being scheduled around the country for contemporary, traditional and liturgical churches.  Here are some testimonials from leaders I’ve worked with for decades:

“Danny was my worship leader for years.  He has earned the right to be heard.”  – Philip Yancey, author

“Danny gets to the core issues as only someone who has been involved in shaping worship services,   both great and small, over decades, could do.”  – Michael Card, songwriter, Bible teacher

“Danny understands worship and he understands how to help others worship.  He will make you think.  And he will make you want to worship like you never have before.”   – Richard Blackaby

The time for a change has come!  If you see it, hear it, feel it, sense it, share this blog post with your leaders or with those you lead.  “The time is coming – indeed it’s here now…The Father is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and truth.”

To find out how to bring a workshop to your locale, click here:  WORKSHOP INFORMATION  To purchase Danny’s book WALLPAPER WORSHIP: WHY CHURCH MUSIC SOUNDS BETTER, FEWER ARE SINGING AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT, click here:  WALLPAPER WORSHIP.  Danny and Angela live in Loveland, CO and can be reached at db@dannybyram.com.