#345. Hand Raising Worship – The 10 Styles
Jul 14th by JonThere are some topics that require more than just a remix. Like prayer for instance, I could write a dozen posts on that because it’s so interesting. Or metrosexual worship leaders, I feel like that idea just keeps giving and giving to us.
So when my wife leaned over to me at church and said, “People sure do have different styles when it comes to singing with their hands raised,” I knew I had to cover the topic at least one more time. I had to, like Jane Goodall in the jungle, step inside the world of hand raising and report what I found. I did and here, after deep scientific study in the field of sarcasmology, are the 10 styles of hand raising I encountered, starting with the least extreme to the most extreme:
1. The Ninja
You are tricky sir, truly, you are tricky. This guy is testing the waters. He sees ladies near him that throw their arms in the air at the first hint of a Chris Tomlin song but he’s not so sure. I mean, what if his friends see him? He used to make fun of people that did that. So instead of going all out, he does a fancy little move. He puts his hands by his pants pockets and just flips them over with his palms facing the heavens. From behind, you can’t see that he is doing anything out of the ordinary and from the front it just looks like he is cupping his hands slightly as if to show you what was in his pockets.
2. The Half & Half
This person often wants to sing with both hands raised, but they go to a conservative church and don’t want to be known as “that guy.” So instead of singing with both hands up, they hold one in the air and put one in their pocket or on the chair in front of them. It’s like half their body is saying, “YAY JESUS!!!!” and the other half is saying, “Nothing to see here folks, move it along please, move it along.”
3. The Single Hand Salute
This is the cousin of the half & half but is different in it’s level of intensity. Instead of just kind of floating in the air, the hand you have up goes out straight at an angle, as if you are saluting some visiting military dignitary. It’s possible this move was first instilled in people when they were young with the song, “God’s Army.”
4. The Elevator
This one technically marks our transition into multi-hand motions. In this move, you act like there is a rule against having both hands raised at the same exact time. So you start rotating your arms. As soon as one arm comes down, the other arm goes up. It’s kind of an awkward dance move, but works pretty well when set to “Blessed be the Name.”
5. The Pound Cake
This is what we in the industry, of hand raising in case you were wondering, refer to as an “underhand move.” Instead of sticking your arms out, you hold them with your palms facing the sky as if you are ready to receive something from someone in front of you. In the pound cake, your elbows should be at stomach level, with your hands tilted at a 47 degree angle as if someone visiting your house warming party is about to hand you a delicious pound cake. It’s not a heavy cake, so you don’t have to brace yourself, but can instead just relax and think, “hey cool, pound cake. Let me take that for you.”
6. The Tickler
It’s getting serious now. The tickler is the person that sticks their arms out horizontally as if they were trying to make a big T with their body. This is a fine move except that because we’re all sitting so close, they inevitably bump into you with their hands. So while you try to sing along with the chorus, you can’t help but giggle as they, lost in a moment of blissful worship, accidentally tickle you.
7. The Double High Five
I am very stingy with my high fives. I think the last time I gave one was in the delivery room of my second daughter. The next time I give one will be if I get a book deal. Other than those two situations, I find the high five to be the physical version of using a lot of exclamation marks!!! That’s why I rarely do this move. The double high five looks exactly like it sounds. You act like you’ve just scored a goal in soccer/football and are about to double high five the person in front of you. (Some people call this move the “Secret passageway” because it kind of looks like you are feeling along a wall for a hidden button that will open a secret door. But I’m a purist and don’t use that term.)
8. The Huge Watermelon
This is like the pound cake on steroids. In this move, your arms are held higher and with a considerable about of dedication and determination. It’s still an underhand move, but now, instead of a light and fluffy cake, someone on a truck is handing down a huge watermelon to you. Better get ready, that thing looks heavy.
9. The Helicopter Rail
At this point, both arms are raised high in the air. This is professional hand raiser territory we’re in. Please don’t try to do this at home. With this one, you reach your arms out, way over your head but out in front of your body. Imagine if you were stuck on a piece of driftwood and a shark with a laser on its head was about to get you and you had to desperately reach out for the rail of a helicopter that was attempting to rescue you. Stretch, stretch, you gotta want it.
10. The YMCA
This is my favorite and probably most common hand raising technique. It’s not complicated. Much like the famous song, you simply raise your hands above your body and form a big Y. That’s all, but it leaves little doubt to the folks around you what is going on. You’re worshipping. It’s big, it’s beautiful, it’s messy and it’s great.
Although I tend to be a pound cake kind of guy, I like when people raise their hands. This is the second time I have written about it. My friend said that when her mom did it, it always looked like she was clearing a runway for God to land. I think that’s pretty cool and hope to one day work my way up to at least mastering the huge watermelon.
Some other stuff I wrote today:
1. That’s pretend, right? – A child-sized nuclear bomb gets dropped on me.
2. Important - The greatest risk you face today.
Comments
Great post, Jon. I felt like I was listening to my yogilates podcast at times (”palms facing the sky … your elbows should be at stomach level …stretch, stretch…”). Fantastic. I also am a pound caker or ninja, depending on the level of energy in the crowd. I feel a little less like a jerk now. I used to think I wasn’t being bold enough in my worship, that God was disappointed because I was afraid to really lift my hands, but now I understand that we all have different styles, and that’s okay. Thanks.
The “White Knuckler”-you want to raise your hands, you need to raise your hands…you CAN’T do it! You are conservative!!!! Must..not…raise..hand…you clench the seat in front of you, hoding on desperately, until your knuckles turn white. Just sayin’…there could be a whole Don’t Raise Your Hand Style too
When I was in high school, there was a kid that came to every See You at the Pole with his own variation of hand worship. He would reach his hands in the air (the YMCA), but then did one of two moves: 1. he would start giving jazz hands (I called it the “God tickler”), or 2. he would be grasping at the air (like grabbing sand from a box above your head, then throwing it down to the ground). Not gonna lie, by my senior year, I went to SYATP just to watch him worship.
(He also did all this while praying.)
I am one of those who does the complete opposite of hand raising – both hands in pockets, elbows tucked in tight like I’m giving myself a little hug. It works for me.
this is so funny. I actually had an experience yesterday that cause me to think about this exact same thing. During the worship set, the praise team was leading “Healer” (amazing song. if you haven’t heard it yet, you soon will). It’s a powerful song of faith, hope and confession. During the big “I believe You’re my healer, I believe you are all I need” chorus, about 75% of the hands in the place went up, including mine. It was real, and I was really engaging God at this moment. So much so that I didn’t open my eyes and take down my hands until somewhere in the middle of the next verse. WHen this happened, I suddenly became aware that I seemed to be the only one with my hands still raised. Until, that is, the next chorus came. Then, UP they all go again. I call this one “Hook Hands”, because while the verses are nice, they are usually too wordy and it takes too much energy to focus on singing all those words… but nothing can get the hand raisers to unite like a good, solid hook! It’s a corporate statement that seems to say, “yeah, we all agree with THAT”…”Shout To The Lord”, “Forever”, “Blessed Be Your Name”… you name it. =)
im a ninja & a half & half
but u forgot “paint-the-rainbow” from the worship singer on-stage…
one hand goes up, then back & forth across the sky…
paint that rainbow
I don’t usually raise my hands, but that is because I am a highly contrary individual who grew up in a church where everyone had their hands all over the place. (Er, raised their hands all over the place.) “Raise your hands!” “Lift up your hands!” I swear the worship leader used to gesture in my direction all the time. I don’t have any problem at all with people raising their hands, I think it’s great, but I didn’t like the idea that I was supposed to go into Super Jesus Worship Mode whenever someone else decided I had to. So now I am just a gigantic stick-in-the-mud.
the Karate Chop
also known as the hatchet chop
This is where the person has on had raised up but moves it forwards and back in a chopping motion. be careful that this person is not behind you our you might not wake up till the notices. a variation on this one is when they use there second hand to catch the chop. you are more safe around this on.
I’m a “Half & Half” guy.
There’s one style that I find really distracting, the “Hand Dance” style, usually by ladies. They will be doing an interpretive dance to the worship song with their arms and hands going all over the place. Have you seen any of those around?
How about the inverted hand raise? I noticed this in church this weekend and it really stood out.
Hands open and facing forward, arms down, held out about two feet from ones hips with elbows unbent.
Very interesting.
I’m usually not a hand-raiser, but if we have a powerful service in which we can really FEEL the Holy Spirit and we’re all moved, then I will do the pound cake or half-and-half, which is what I did yesterday while singing “In Christ Alone”. We had a prayer answered as a church family that we’ve been praying for 6 years. So everyone had their salute or half-and-half and even the YMCA going on during the song worship. It was awesome. And I’m Baptist and raised in a church who did NOT raise hands, so this was great because it doesn’t happen a lot!
I had a friend who used to say that there were only three types of people in church – a tree (hands raised), a bush (hands up, but only around the midsection), and a lamppost (down at your sides).
Obviously he didn’t know the variety of foliage that existed (the person in question being a decided lamppost).
great post, but can I just take issue with one thing?
“That’s all, but it leaves little doubt to the folks around you what is going on. You’re worshipping.”
Um, no. Worship is so much more than raising hands. It’s actually so much more than music. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people refer to the music only as “worship” like everything else you do in the service isn’t? Or even what you do with your daily life and work isn’t?
Ninja all the way…
not sure if this deserved a category. “The Pledge” perhaps. I find myself doing this a lot. One had raised at any varying degree while the other hand is on my chest over my heart as if saying, i pledge allegiance to you, God.
And of course, the “You’re # 1″. one hand, or 2 if you’re really intense, and pointing up saying Jesus, you’re #1.
You can’t leave out “The Arrow,” inspired by the photo of the late Rich Mullins standing on the cliff with his hands pointed downward at a 45 degree angle to make his body look like an arrow pointing to Heaven.
And then there’s the “fist pump,” suitable for aggressive types where you raise one hand in the air in a fist and pump it to the beat. Great for men who feel that worship music is becoming too “feminine.”
YMCA
… which wouldn’t be that impressive but I am 6′7, 240lbs.
… which wouldn’t be that impressive except I sit on the 2nd row so my grandma can see.
People come up to me all the time thanking me for the way I worship.
One worship leader: “It’s awesome to see you in the congregation. I go to lead worship, I look out and see you and think, ‘Oh this is going to be easy. That dude is here!’”
I am pretty sure I look like a dork. I am pretty sure I don’t care.
I’ve seen a couple of variations of hand raising/body movement during worship that continue to make me chuckle.
I call one style ‘The Washing Machine’ Both hands are in the air. The body is moving choppily left, center, right, left, center, right much like the agitator of a washing machine.
The other is a variation I call ‘The Water Sprinkler’. Much like the dance, both hands are in the air, and the body is moving left, right, center, but the head is moving in and out to the beat, much like the head of a water sprinkler.
LOL
Hey, thanks Jon. I think you solved one of my biggest problem right now. I can now say that I am going to major in sarcasmology. Could you suggest a good school that offers that by chance? (I’m guess that Stuff Christians Like Bible College (SCLBC) won’t be open before I graduate . . . )
I only raise one hand at a time on purpose. I would gladly raise both but then my arms start to get so tired…I feel like such a loser when my arms collapse in the middle of a great hook. So I raise one up and then when it tires I can bring it down for a break and raise up the other.
LN:
Not to go all Matt Redman here but isn’t it about the heart?
Like we just worship on Sundays but the rest of the week, meh.
Or do we live ever single day of our lives in love, worship and adoration to our King?
Not about what you do but where your heart is at. I don’t think anybody is arguing here.
Amazing writing. So true.
I second the fist pump mentioned by someone. Also, i like to mix it up with a fist pump, the pointing to Jesus, and half and half…
it’s says “God Rocks (fist), You’re number 1 for making it rock (the point), but I’m too freaking cool to do it with both hands (half and half).”
thats how i used to be.. but now i’m so used to playing guitar during worship that i don’t know what to do with my hands when i’m not playing (which is all the time since i’m between churches) … please, jon or anyone, post something that will help people like me.
Then, there’s me – the eclectic, 80’s dance part kind of worshiper, but always – ALWAYS – with big, wet pits.
I don’t care anymore – cause I’m older and I’ve got many grosser things to worry about … and I am usually on the platform praising God through my drippiness.
And my kids are mortified.
Ah well. Six of one. Half a dozen of the other.
I’ve been reading for a while and enjoying all your blogs. This post reminded me of a video my friend showed me a couple years ago about Interactive Worship, it has a great hand raising part A Beginner’s Guide: Interactive Worship
My husband is on the worship team at our church, and a few years back there was a guy in the congregation whom the worship team lovingly referred to as “Wingspan.” Picture a 6′8″ football player-type doing the YMCA, never moving a muscle until it was time to sit down. What was really awesome was the day when Wingspan was lined up just right behind Rob Bell, and it looked like his arms were coming out of Rob’s head like antennae.
I myself do a Ninja/Poundcake hybrid…if I’m doing anything at all.
Great post! I linked to it on my blog.
great stuff! i do a variation of things as well depending on the theme of the song…
my favorite is one hand lifted up like i want to be called in class and the other on my heart.
then i like to raise one arm and do the “we’re #1″ thing with the other hand on my heart (usually for songs about God being #1 in your life
)
pound cake for when the song is about receiving God’s love
and then jump around when it’s a nice upbeat song.
yay! as you can see, i love to worship!
Haha, great post. I’m definately a Half and Half, but I will admit I do the Elevator, only when my arm gets tired. Occassionally I will do the POund Cake, but only when I’m feeling extra spiritual and I don’t get any weird stares from people around me.
I pulled the tickler yesterday for the first time. I was on the back row of the choir and I felt like it was less distracting that way.
I’m usually all over the double high five.
Jon, I’m challenging you to take your hand-raising to the next level.
Jon, excellent post. I’m definitely a pound cake kinda guy.
I work at a church, and we had this communication card turned in a couple of months ago…
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2331/2468203054_bbd120d132.jpg?v=0
I have at times done most of the styles mentioned. But there are also a couple of hand placement positions I enjoy. I personally like the hands clasped over the heart, great for comtemplative stretches of worship when your arms are tired and you don’t want anyone to judge you for not having your hands raised. Also the “prayer hands” over the nose and eyes is good. You may be crying or you may be sleeping. Let everyone else decide. One other is a variation on the half and half that is not used very often and normally only by younger people. The unraised hand braces the raised arm behind the head, as if to scream “I am sacrificing it all, nothing will allow me to lower this arm.” Maybe it should be called the “crossbrace” or something like that.
jaybrams. I grew up leading worship but don’t anymore. I know what your going through. I always make sure that there is an empty seat in front of me and tap out the beat on it like I am playing the djembe or the congas. But I wish I was a ninja, because I love ninjas
Juliet:
What does that part mean, “I AM INTERESTED IN… A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z”? Is that in reference to the church library maybe? Or is it the church comment card version of twisting an apple stem until it breaks to determine the first letter of the name of the person you’re going to marry?
I’m a poundcake guy, but i also tend to be fidgety and rock back and forth on my heels, so I guess it looks like i’m REALLY excited for poundcake.
This may be the same move as Chris Holland mentioned, but one of my favorites is the “Holy bump and grind”. This is most distracting if you happen to be sitting anywhere behind this particular woman. Both hands raised and swaying, hips grinding in the opposite direction of the arms. It’s a bit PG-13 for my taste, but I don’t doubt that she’s worshipping with all she’s got!
My husband grew up Church of Christ. If he ever raised his hand in church, it would because he had a question.
This is too scary…my wife and I were in the car a little less than 24 hours ago and I told her that you should do a blog on the different ways people raise their hands. Except I called the “Pound Cake” the “Gimme, gimme”.
How about the “waitress”. One arm, bent at the elbow, slightly in front of you with palm flat, facing upward, as if carrying a tray.
this is my favorite post so far! i love it! i think i am a little of all of those at times! it’s nice to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes and that’s what this site is teaching me…thanks for helping me lighten up!
Pledge + pound caker here. The only hand raiser in my congregation.
Here’s a funny “Hand raising” story. I pastor a very small conservative congregation, all over the age of 60. (Our movement has a running joke that we can raise one hand, but if you raise two folks will think you went charismatic).
One gentleman had been losing weight, but gave his waist more credit than it deserved by wearing smaller pants that morning. He pulled me aside and said, “If you see me get up in the middle of the sermon, it’s not you. It just means I can’t breathe!” I told him that was fine, just raise one hand and everyone will think the Spirit got ahold of him. You would have thought I asked him to sacrifice his firstborn with the look I got, along with the very terse, “I don’t think so.”
In th 70’s I sat behind the wife of a well-known evangelist who is no longer with us here on Earth. I remember distinctly thinking, “Couldn’t she rotate that jewelry out? Must she cover each finger with all that finery?” Probably wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t been a pound-caker…
Poundcake baby. =)
I think I about died reading this, because I’ve thought very deeply about this before when I was a brand new Christian, and I was shopping around for my favorite way to worship. (Should I make myself look like a “long time Christian” and give God a #1 wave?? Should I be the calm eye in this storm of YMCA’ers?)
Very cool post, because this does show that people have a lot of different ways of doing the same thing — worshipping God. =) And its a beautiful thing, it really is.
LOL!!! Good stuff! What about the guy who points? You know, the same guy who yells, “JEEEEEEEEEESUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSS!” at the concerts. It’s like that three-fingered rocker move, but with only one.
And then there are the ones who either dance or do children’s ministry because they have to make up moves to all the words as they sing them. No pockets or pound cake for these folks! They couldn’t if they tried! (Umm…this is where I fit in.)
we always called the two most common ones “giving” and “recieving” and would judge peoples holiness by which one they chose. giving was much like the “helicopter rail”, and recieving is much like pound cake mixed with some huge watermelon. and we all know, its better to give than recieve. those recievers are greedy heathens. you’ll never see me doing anything but giving during worship.
My husband and I can’t get enough of you!!!
Please share your thoughts on what John and I affectionately call “tongin’”. You know, the worship leader that talks during the worship songs. Sometimes a good things…other times…not so much!
i carried a watermelon?!
really… no one else thought of that line….
I love this post. My church is a “hand raising” church. My five year old has even caught on and he is such a YMCAer. You should think about doing a post about how we Christians love to name our children biblical names. I personally have Micah Gabriel and Mia Grace. (Mia is from Miriam)
1) I’m a “pound cake” person.
2) It’s important to notice that no one ever has their head completely horizontal. Their head is always either tilted up, so that their eyes (which are always closed) are looking toward the heavens; or tilted down, as if they’re staring deep into their own souls.
Great observations! I usually take a moment while we are singing to sweep the room and see how everyone is worshipping, it’s interesting to see the different styles. Myself, I seem to fluctuate between styles 1-5 depending on my mood or the song. Also, like Grant commented, my hands mostly go up on the chorus, lol.
My fav anonymous at 7/14 4:03 – been there, done that…
Spirit began moving in me in a church that doesn’t do that…
Spirit won!