Engaging with the congregation during typical Sunday worship

[Elear]

To what extent do you think the worship team should interact with the congregation during worship on a typical Sunday service? Some people seem to think that everyone on the worship team should intentionally interact with the congregation, at least to the point of occasionally making eye contact with people in the audience. This seems like it might be a matter of personality, culture, and situation, so I'm curious what others think.

 

[WolfGate]

The primary purpose of our worship team is to praise God and lead the congregation to join in that praise. For us that means a stripped-back stage, no stage lights, and also engaging with the congregation. That engagement is both physical (eye contact, etc.) and verbal. The whole intention is for the congregation to feel like they are part of us - we just happen to have instruments and microphones. But it is never a show. To get back to your question, IMHO no interaction at all, particularly if the room gets darkened during worship, sets up a mood that they are watching a performance of worship.