Matt Merker is director of creative resources and training for Getty Music. Matt has contributed to several modern hymns, including “He Will Hold Me Fast.” He is the author of Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God’s People. Matt and his wife, Erica, are members of Trinity Church and live in Nashville, TN with their two children. His website is MattMerkerMusic.com and his Twitter is @MerkerMatt
Matt Merker: Is Worship an Experience of Transaction?
Worship as A Pot Luck vs. Worship as Fast Food
“Our weary hearts long to hear the gospel reverberate around us in surround sound. We hear the voices of our fellow church members and remember that were not in this alone. God has welcomed us into his family.” – Matt Merker
Listen in as we sit down with Matt Merker, author of “Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God’s People” (Crossway, 2021), asking him about all things worship/singing at church. Questions include:
- Can you give us a historical overview of worship since Jesus?
- What trends are very much products of the 21st cent?
- Is worship with singing more sacred than, say, worship by other mediums (like presenting our bodies as living sacrifices to God… praying to God in lament… swimming in the ocean with a grateful heart… leading a peaceful and quiet life, etc.)?
- Who is the singing for?
- How should we view questions/comments like “How was worship?”… “Worship was awesome today!”?
- To what end do we worship?
- Is worship an experience or a transaction?
- Can you help us set a proper expectation of a dedicated time of worship?
- Can you speak to a few of the current trends we might hear in a worship time like “We want more” and “Who needs a fresh touching?”
- What if I go to a church where the lyrics are just completely off? Do we just check-out and read the Psalms – or do we full-on find a new church – or do we sing-a-long with things we can’t sing in-faith about?
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