When I was a freshman in college, I went on a couple dates with a boy who kept insisting that I check out the debut album of this new country artist. I wasn’t very interested in Taylor Swift because country music wasn’t my thing. But I was kind of into this boy, so I agreed to listen to a couple of songs. In the end, the relationship with the boy didn’t last very long, but my relationship with Taylor Swift is now going on 18+ years. Taylor, who is only a year younger than me, has always written music from her own life experiences, which often mirrored the same things I was going through. However, as she matured as a songwriter, she also dove into writing from perspectives that she had not personally experienced (at least not publicly), including everything from losing a child to being a friend to someone who has been abused. Being lost in her storytelling became a passionate hobby for me; I am a full-blown Swiftie you could say!
So it was with great excitement and a lot of gratitude that I got to go to a Taylor Swift concert with my sister. (Here is where I have to give a big shout out to my sister for managing to get affordable tickets for us!) It was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I’m not speaking hyperbolically. Later, as I reflected on the Eras Tour, I realized it highlighted for me some beliefs I have about worship. So here is what I learned about worship from the Taylor Swift Eras Tour:
“Come As You Are”: We often hear this phrase at outreach events or in a “Call to Worship,” but the lived experience often demonstrates that for most people “come as you are” means coming the same as everyone else: in acceptable Sunday clothes with acceptable Sunday platitudes. But at a Taylor Swift concert, sparkly dresses with stiletto heels, jeans with a t-shirt and cowboy boots, and full bear costumes all make sense. They all manage to belong in that context! And a step further than belonging, they are all celebrated! Concert goers go out of their way to praise the variety of outfits. They eagerly welcome their seat neighbors with questions about how long they have been a fan, what’s their favorite hit, and would they like a friendship bracelet. There is an immediate sense of genuine community, of reaching out to your neighbor, that could awaken something powerful in a mid-worship greeting time if a church had just an ounce of this authentic “Come As You Are” attitude.
People Desire Ritual: Swifties know that a Taylor Swift concert is not a passive experience. Beyond just singing along or waving your hands in the air, there are a variety of rituals that have developed around her live performances. Certain songs have crowd-led chants, particular clap patterns, call and response lines, and even one song that requires taking out a pen to click it. While in recent decades some Christians have tried to stay away from the word ritual, there is no denying that by our very nature, we are drawn to it. There is a comfort and formative experience in participating in a confession and assurance every week or extending one’s hands to receive a blessing or automatically replying, “Thanks be to God,'' when one hears, “This is the Word of the Lord.” The trick, of course, is to consider how we bring new people into the rituals so that they are as included as those who have been doing it for decades. Swifties make TikTok videos to educate newbies, what might your church do to help new attendees (and even those who have attended their whole life) understand your rituals? Could you make use of your bulletin or projection to help people engage and understand worship more fully?
We Share Each Other's Burdens and Joys: The Eras Tour has been all about journeying back through Swift’s ten major studio albums—each with its own style, genre, and overall emotional tone. And Swifties have some strong opinions about which of the ten is their favorite! But that does not stop them from enjoying the other parts of the set list as well. One fan may be in her Reputation era, but if her neighbor is in her Folklore era, then she will support her by loudly singing along or putting an arm around her as she sobs to a favorite song. Likewise, in worship we must bring the full spectrum of our human experience as we sing praises, laments, or testimonies. Even if I do not find myself in a season of lament, if my neighbor does, I will sing a lament song with her with all of my might because that is part of our responsibility to our worshiping community. We join each other in whatever “era” our brothers and sisters are in.
Of course, there are numerous differences between a worship service glorifying the Creator of the universe and a pop concert. But as the Eras Tour drew record-breaking crowds and crashed websites, I think it’s good to step back and reflect on what it reveals about our human need for connection in community, ritual, and safe places to share wherever we are in life. Swiftie culture is one place where people are finding fulfillment for those yearnings, but ultimately, it is only within the body of Christ that we can truly have those longings fulfilled. For in the church, we are united as one people by the power of the Holy Spirit and brought into the miraculous communion of the Trinity.