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Sparring Over Worship
5 points to make when your congregation dukes it out over musical styles.
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I wrestled with whether to let Kevin sing during the morning worship service. I felt uncomfortable with one of his selections, a soft rock song done in a falsetto. But I overrode my reservations; the song was theologically correct and had a clear message. Afterward, one church leader told Kevin his song was "an abomination that totally ruined the worship service" and that "this sort of thing has no place in the church of Jesus Christ" and that a man singing in falsetto was "unnatural." It wasn't long before Kevin left the congregation. "It's obvious this group will never accept what I have to offer," he told me. "I want to use the gifts the Lord has given me for him." The music-style-in-worship debate is nothing if not divisive. Those who prefer traditional hymns clash with those bringing drums and guitars into the sanctuary. People on each side of the debate believe they are defenders of the way God wants to be worshiped. Can congregations make a lasting peace over this issue? Those who prefer hymns and those who prefer choruses often feel their differences. As pastor to both, I try to emphasize five points. 1. This issue is not new.I remind those who prefer hymns that the songs they consider traditional were once new, radical, and controversial. Hymn writer Isaac Watts composed his music as a reaction against the accepted church music of his day. Today, his works (including "O God, Our Help in Ages Past," "Joy to the World," "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," and "Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed") are so much a part of the church's repertoire, it's hard to believe they were once the new tunes on the block. God has given new generations new songs in the past, and there's no reason to believe he's not doing so now; the day Fanny Crosby died was not the day God's music died. Those who insist contemporary praise music is the way to worship God must not write off two thousand years of church history. Those who have gone before have much to teach us about who God is and how to approach him. One reason this isn't always appreciated is that often pastors delegate the selection of worship music to a praise-worship team of talented laypeople. But such teams often have a bias toward praise music; they may incorporate more praise songs than the rest of the congregation can tolerate. I seek the input of our praise team, but I have the final say about which songs are selected, how many are chosen, and even how many times each will be sung. This helps to give balance to worship and prevent unnecessary criticism. In accepting that responsibility, I also try to shield the praise team from criticism. The buck stops with me. 2. Our identity in Christ, not our common tastes, unites us.The New Testament churches were made up of people of different ages, genders, races, and socio-economic levels, who came together because of their common belief in Jesus. Christ gave them their identity and, consequently, their unity. |             |
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