From Don Degner serving in Pine Bluff, AR
QUESTION:Use Vocal Tracks?
"How do you feel about the use of vocal tracks to 'assist' the choir during a performance? I have really been struggling with whether this is deception (pretending to be something we are not) or a legitimate way to enhance the worship of God."
RICK MUCHOW:
There are several Scriptures that come to mind as speaking to this topic, and interestingly a verse from "The Spirit of Radio" by the band Rush that speaks eloquently from the standpoint of artistry alone. Here is one Scripture and a piece of that Rush song:
"But the time is coming--it has, in fact, come--when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. John 4:23 (The Message)
All this machinery making modern music
Can still be open-hearted.
Not so coldly charted, it's really just a question
Of your honesty, yeah, your honesty.
- from "The Spirit of Radio" by Rush
You are right: deception is pretending to be something we are not. The thing that people value the most about worship leaders is our honesty, humility, and transparency which results in an authenticity that allows a congregation to engage in worship.
It's my opinion that rehearsal and production are not deception. They are tools. They are preparation. The more we prepare spiritually and musically, the less we will create distractions that hinder worship in our services.
Using vocal tracks or other production elements to eliminate or reduce distractions in no way is a substitute for our personal authenticity, and that is what will engage the congregation to worship. Not using them can result in an environment that hinders the congregation's worship. Vocal tracks or any recorded enhancement must be used in a way that removes distractions and that does not bring attention to itself. It really is about our honesty… our genuine, heart, mind and spirit focused worship of God.
There is a broader issue in this question. Is the use of technology a deception? The problem is not in using technology. It is in how we use it. Using technology does not mean we are pretending to be something we are not. Obviously using something as simple as a microphone on a vocalist is an enormous help in getting the message across. I remember the days when we first started using mics in church. Some "Old timers" would boldly proclaim, "I don't need a microphone." That does not happen very often today, that a speaker or singer chooses not to use a mic. I can remember times that I have had an intimate worship time while driving in my car listening to a CD. Is the CD a deception or a tool? It's still me there worshipping.
It would certainly seem awkward to have a soloist's performance prerecorded and then have someone lipsync to that recording, just as if a speaking pastor were to stand in the pulpit and lipsync to a prerecorded sermon. It would seem fake, goofy, and laughable because it lacks that personal authenticity.
Pastor Rick Warren says some people want to be original or nothing, and often times they are both. When we sing a song, we express that song personally. We don't have to write the song to express the song authentically. The expression of worship comes from us. We can have background vocals and instrumentation tracks and lights and other production elements… None of those things replace our personal authenticity. A keyboard synth can simulate the beautiful sounds of an orchestra. I don't think it's deceptive, it's practical and a great substitute if the real thing is not available.
If you enhance the sound of your worship team for the purpose of glorifying God then you are doing a good thing. The wrong thing to do is to substitute technology for recruitment, where you rely on the technology rather than incorporating your people.
