This article gives practical guidance for introducing movement into congregational worship for the first time.
Congregations who have had no experience in dance are willing to enter into congregational movement and dance if they are introduced to it properly.
With a greater emphasis being placed today on the physical body and with our increased time for leisure, there is an open opportunity to portray through dance a positive Christian standard of bodily expression. But care and skill need to be used so that this new and sometimes controversial experience is a helpful and positive one. Our bodies are amazing creations; they should not, on the one hand, be flaunted as sexual objects, nor, on the other, be ignored, despised, or neglected. They should be celebrated and cared for as part of all that we are as we live out our life for God and others.
My vision is to see churches with congregations free enough to express their worship and fellowship in movement; where there is a warmth and joy in being able to join hands as a congregation or march together around the church; where new church buildings are designed with space for movement; where dance groups are encouraged in the same way as singing groups.
The Possibilities
Dance and movement have been accepted with enthusiasm by some congregations. Others see their introduction as new and suspect, often not realizing the long tradition they have in Jewish and Christian history. Their acceptance in the church has ebbed and flowed throughout history but has been gathering momentum in this century. For a while, predominantly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, dance almost totally disappeared, surviving only in isolated pockets and in a few accepted movements in the Eucharist and other liturgies.
Dance in biblical times was primarily a communal expression of rejoicing and worship. In congregations today it may also help the ministry of the church in such areas as intercession and prophecy, healing, teaching, and evangelism. The expression may be simple movements to songs and prayers that people in the congregation can do during worship or in the privacy of their own homes. Or it may be a community dance. It could also be presentations done by a specialist group as part of the ongoing worship and teaching of the church or as an outreach to the wider community.
A Language Without Words
Movement is a language that can speak without words. It can either reinforce or detract from the words we speak. A slumped body, a clenched fist, or a hand reached out to touch can say as much or more as any spoken words. The postures used in the Bible for prayer and worship—bowing, kneeling, and standing with hands raised—are still widely used today and can express to God our love, reverence, and humility. These movements are mentioned in many of our songs and hymns. It can be helpful to encourage people to use such expressions rather than merely singing “bow down before him” or “we lift up our hands” without any movement.
Movement can also help us to be still. We need a balance between action and rest, between doing and being, between giving and receiving. Jesus commended Mary for sitting and listening because Martha’s service, though well-intentioned, was distracting her from listening to what Jesus had to say (Luke 10:38–42). But just quieting our bodies is not always enough—wandering thoughts and anxieties can still be running around in our minds, preventing us from hearing. Simple rhythmic movements or the use of prayer gestures and postures may help to slow our minds down and center our thoughts without sending us to sleep, and so bring us to the point of being able to listen and commune with God.
The word worship, used in its broadest sense, refers to our attitude of service. It is the honor and love we offer to the Lord in all that we do. It can also be used to refer to the expression of awe, reverent homage, and adoration in our times of public and private prayer.
As we worship, we begin to enter into a deeper awareness of God’s presence, offering ourselves, our awe, devotion, and adoration to him in a more intimate and quiet way.
Movement was an integral part of worship in biblical times. Many different movements were encouraged in the expression of worship. For example, in the Psalms we read:
- Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker (Ps. 95:6).
- Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord (Ps. 134:2).
- O clap your hands, all peoples; shout to God with the voice of joy (Ps. 47:1).
- The singers went on, the musicians after them, in the midst of the maidens beating tambourines (Ps. 68:25).
- Let them praise his name with dancing; let them sing praises to him with timbrel and lyre. For the Lord takes pleasure in his people (Ps. 149:3–4).
There has been a surge of interest in the dance and other arts over the last few years among Christians and much of it, I believe, has been inspired by God.
Dance and prayer movements can be meaningful and symbolic ways of expressing worship with everything that we are—our hearts, minds, souls, and strength (Mark 12:30). We are encouraged in Scripture to use our strength and activity as well as our words and stillness, presenting our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1).
Introducing Movement and Dance
When starting to introduce more movement to a congregation, it is a good idea to bring to people’s attention the meaning of the movements they already do. Encourage them to move with more of an awareness of what they are doing to help make it a real part of their prayer and praise.
As you explain their need to move towards God with their whole being, also explain that there are times they need to be still and allow God to move towards them. Movement can help to bring us to an inner quietness and concentration. The movement artist, aware of the importance of both, can effectively lead the congregation in stillness as well as movement.
Before the Service
In planning to lead the congregation in movement, it is helpful to keep the following points in mind. To avoid introducing too many new things at once, use already well-known or easy hymns, choruses, or spoken words. If you feel you need to use a new song, introduce it two or three weeks before you plan to lead the movement participation.
- Choose movements that are meaningful to people’s lives.
- Remember those who are older or physically handicapped and either make the movements ones they can manage or suggest adaptations.
- Try out the movements and the explanation on one or two other people or in a small group to check for meaningfulness and clarity.
- Make sure you consult whoever is leading the service to coordinate when and how the participation will take place.
In the Service
- Explain to the congregation that this is a way of offering to God their whole selves—body, mind, and spirit—and give some passages from Scripture as support.
- It may also be appropriate to mention the history of movement in the church, explaining, for example, that many of the choruses in seventeenth-century carols and hymns were danced.
- Present the movements and explanation simply and prayerfully with enthusiasm and assurance. People need to feel confident about what you are asking them to do.
- Give the meaning of the movements, using Scripture where appropriate, so that people are motivated to worship through them and so the movements are not perceived as being in the same realm as actions in children’s songs. For this reason, it is better to use the word movement rather than action. The explanation will also help people enter into the worship more fully rather than feel embarrassed.
- Each movement needs to be “performed” as you show it, so people can see and feel what it means to you and begin to enter into the feeling and focus of the movement for themselves.
- Remember in demonstrating that you need to mirror the congregation. If they are to move right, you will need to move left.
Invite and encourage people to participate, but don’t force them to or make them feel awkward if they don’t want to. Here is an example of an introduction the movement leader might give: I’d like to invite your to worship God in the next song with simple movement as well as with your hearts, minds, and voices. God created us body and spirit, and Jesus tells us to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. So let’s offer our whole selves to him this morning. As the psalmist says in Psalm 149, “Let Israel be glad in his Maker … for the Lord takes pleasure in His people.” This may be something new for you. Many people immediately find a new release and meaning in their worship as they express it in movement. Others feel self-conscious and awkward at first. But I encourage you to try it. Paul says in Romans 12:1, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Your sacrifice of worship this morning will be pleasing to God.
Understand Resistance
Not everyone will immediately warm to the thought of participating in movements, and it is important to understand the points of resistance that may consciously or unconsciously hinder people from joining in wholeheartedly.
This possible resistance increases the importance of adequate teaching along with participation. You must encourage people that using movement in worship is very biblical, that it has a long history in the church, and that it can be a very positive experience for most if they give themselves the chance to try it and get used to it.