Has the Praise Team weakened the Choir?

[ReddGirl]

What are your thoughts?

[bishopcole]

What are your thoughts?

Great topic!  Yes the praise and worship ministry has become such a powerhouse that the choirs have been swallowed up. It is easy to work with 6to9 praise team people that 20to100 choir people and get, 8out10, better results I say, but overall I love the choirs and deeply miss them. I WILL STEP OUT ON A LIMB AND SAY THAT THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A POWERFUL ANNOINTED CHOIR CHIRPING FOR JESUS!!!  Bishop Cole

[sjonathan02]

What exactly do you mean by "weakened"?

[saxandkeys]

I feel ya bishopcole....I remember the old days at my home church when "anyone" would just start singing a song and everyone else just joined in (before the service started).  I kinda miss that old time churrrch feeling.

As far as weakening the choir...I don't know about all that, however, I do get a sense that the Praise and Worship teams that I've seen have a "diva virtuoso" vibe to them.............whatever that means.

[johncomo]

I understand what ReddGirl is saying. There are advantages and disadvantages in this situation. Advantage, depending or not on the size of your choir, the praise team is usually powerful enough to withstand the same sound level if any of the rest of the choir decides that they may want to sleep in and  not want to come to church on any given Sunday, so your sound quality doesn't drop off dramatically. My praise team has to be able to pull the full load just in case on any and every song we do, my choir has 40 members. Advantage, dedication and commitment and leadership which is key, just to name a couple. Disadvantage, some members of Praise groups love the limelight setting a bad example for any future praise members or soloist. Disadvantage, Some forget that they were part of the main choir or where they came from and may have attitudes. There are all sorts of advantages and diadvantages, but in my opinion, the Advantages weigh in far more than the disadvantages because if in its truth, it really take a lot of commitment and dedication and there may only be a few "glory hounds" hanging around the mics making it miserable for some choirs unfortunately. We are not all perfect people. So I say overall the choir is not weakened because through prayer God strenghtens and keep it going on but you do have a point on certain issues.

johncomo

[Graced1]

I'm blessed already by this ministry.  This is my first time being in a choir in a few years, and things have changed quite a bit.  I was a part of a praise and worship team at one time. There must of been about  20 of us who just loved praising the Lord. We would all be doing it together with one leader who would rotate.There was not any one "star". Then we were reduced to a handful that were hand picked by the new choir director that was bought in. I believe he was the pastor's friend who needed a job.  The whole spirit in the church changed. It seemed to become the gospel trio show. I was leaving California to move to Georgia when this change happened. Now when I go back home, i see a ghost of a church. The spontaneity  is gone. The worship seems stilted at times. The "joy", what little there is, seems planned. It comes alive at times, but it never really reaches the Glory and presence of the Lord that was there before. I learned a great lesson. Now, I'm part of a new choir at a new church, and really praying about praise and whorship.  Our congregation needs to be taught. I believe the Lord will bless the entire church by allowing us to enter his Glorious presense through our praise and worship. Pray for our Church! ... and pray for my old church.

[theunit]

If anything a prasie and worship team thats on fire for the lord should infect the choir so that it should set the choir on fire......however there is to much division amongst them.....i have seen the prasie team that dont want to sing with the choir...whatz up wit dat!!!!......the quicker we come together the better it well be for all parties .....

[jonesl78]

praise teams are usually the most gifted, dedicaed,spirit filled members of the choir. Also they are usually hand picked. 

[4hisglory]

praise teams are usually the most gifted, dedicaed,spirit filled members of the choir. Also they are usually hand picked. 

I don't know about that

[ReddGirl]

I don't know about that

LOL

[bishop2]

praise teams are usually the most gifted, dedicaed,spirit filled members of the choir. Also they are usually hand picked. 

Well I can't talk for anyone but myself, and I have found in my playing at various churches, the praise team is the attitudish, haughty, won't live right folks, with talent...  And because of this "talent" they feel like they make the service....

OK Enough about that, I have had a church choir of some sort under my leadership since 12, and the praise teams that I have had to deal with, thought that they were the best part of the musical worship, (if I can use that term) when really it was the choir that everyone including the pastor looked for... The praise team just liked to hear themselves sing in their own mic...
Ima close with this, I personally don't believe in praise teams... I come from a sanctified church, and I feel like the praise team has furthered the "entertainment spirit" on sunday morning.
Ok to the original post, yes I think that it has weakened the choir... What ever happened to good church choirs???? With robes, and "tammerines"??? I guess that was the 70's and 80's huh???

[Bro_JT]

Our church does not have a Praise Team. We got a huge chior w/ tamborines. We do have little groups like we got a male and female quartette,a trio of sisters that can sing the church to peices, and some duos and thangs. In my opinion the praise team has not weakened the chior cuz my church ain't got no praise team. I would always choose a chior over a praise team( no offense to anybody). I agree w/ bishopcole

I WILL STEP OUT ON A LIMB AND SAY THAT THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A POWERFUL ANNOINTED CHOIR CHIRPING FOR JESUS!!!  Bishop Cole

[tnt10677]

I feel it has. I am going to say that i am starting to see this trend where.....there is somewhat of a choir but the only ones u can really hear is the praise team. What is the choir there for? Cause it looks good? I am ok with praise team. But let them just do Praise and worship and when its time for the choir let the choir sing......i really call it cheating....because u really dont have to rehearse and perfect the choir as whole u just have to worry about the Praise Team.  I am choir boy...I LOVE a good annointed choir.....Its just BEAUTIFUL when all the voices come together to make a joyful noise unto the LORD....A group, Praise Team, Ensemble whatever just cant pull that off. Its just not the same. And yes i see the trend of Praise Team members having attitudes. Its just a shame. All i can do is pray for them.

GOD BLESS

T

[MsNixon]

Yes. 

[drummer_boi23]

no i dont think so because even though you may have a praise team the people singing it it the mojority of the time out in the choirs. it depends on what you mean by weakened though  if your talking about people coming out of choirs to sing in praise teams the answer would be NO but if your just saying all around choirs are just going down the drain i would say No to that to.

% choirs started recently in my conference to go be the glory

[HI_PRAS]

Yes... I sing on the praise team for my church, and what has happened is that the choir has gotten lazy. My pastor pushes the praise team to the max though... and I understand cause Praise and Worship is so very important... but dang, the choir is just like blah... They dont learn new songs, we carry the music ministry to the different levels. I just pray for them that they strengthen back up, cause we need them too.

[ReddGirl]

Great points. I think the PT is more a glory position and takes away from the unit or team aspect

[tamikagreene]

I belong to a small church we recently started a praise team but during the praise and worship service the congregation can still sing a song on their heart or testify whatever. We just "encourage" the service through song. There is no eliteness or superiority because the five of us are also on the choir. We don't need to be entertained into worshipping God, as individuals, you should come to church ready to praise and worship with or without a praise team or choir. We recently lost our drummer so all we got is foot stompers and tambourines, God will send musicians in due time, but having a house band is not a requirement of Worship. I am an instrument of PRAISE! 

[ReddGirl]

I belong to a small church we recently started a praise team but during the praise and worship service the congregation can still sing a song on their heart or testify whatever. We just "encourage" the service through song. There is no eliteness or superiority because the five of us are also on the choir. We don't need to be entertained into worshipping God, as individuals, you should come to church ready to praise and worship with or without a praise team or choir. We recently lost our drummer so all we got is foot stompers and tambourines, God will send musicians in due time, but having a house band is not a requirement of Worship. I am an instrument of PRAISE! 

I think that is wonderful!

[Mysteryman]

Well I can't talk for anyone but myself, and I have found in my playing at various churches, the praise team is the attitudish, haughty,..............The praise team just liked to hear themselves sing in their own mic... I feel like the praise team has furthered the "entertainment spirit" on sunday morning.

You hit on some points there. Many of the people I have seen on praise teams are mic hogs and want to be seen. Seem to be masters of the annointing and yet have none. LOL Also some team leaders have a superiority complex over the choir and dont want to sit under leadership.