There Is Hope
A few years back I wrote an article entitled "No Throwaways". Its purpose was to encourage churches that were going through the process of change in the area of music and worship, to be slow and patient in their approach. It dealt the endless conflict in churches that resist change. Over the years we have seen church after church struggle with transitioning from a traditional approach to music to a more relevant style that is contemporary for the day. Unfortunately these times are not over as churches will continue to deal with an ever changing culture. Change of any kind is hard for all of us. However, we need to examine the reason for change. I hope the words to follow will help us all look deep inside to discover how we got to this place. There is hope for us to be the church God has called us to be. Corporate worship should be a time for the body to come together and not a time to pull us apart.
Throughout the past two decades I have seen hundreds of churches bully their way to make change at the expense of many faithful saints. I have seen thousands leave churches where they have served faithfully and supported financially for 40+ years. I have witnessed Pastors and Music Ministers lose their jobs over trying to implement change in the area of music and worship. The fallout as a result of this movement has been a black eye for the Christian community as well as a disappointment to the One to we are supposed to be worshiping. When did it all start? Is their hope to fix it? Is there a way that churches can move ahead and yet meet the needs of those who are not as excited as we are about singing the latest worship tune?
Fortunately many churches have figured out the "fix" to this 30 year struggle. It's not rocket science. The solution is simple and yet we missed it big time throughout the years of the “worship wars”. A time that I pray is gone forever. In my mind and heart, the worship wars were never about worship, but about music. To say to a 70-year-old woman whose favorite hymn is Blessed Assurance that hymns cannot be effective tools for worship is foolish and Pharisaic. The same can be said of a 15-year-old student who worships with Undignified by David Crowder. If their hearts are focused on singing to God and the text is Biblical, it is worship to Him. It may not be to us, but it is to the Father who receives it as a sweet aroma from His children.
How do we address the epidemic that is still spreading in churches around the world? Two words…multiple services. If the older generations would have let the younger ones move to a more relevant style of music to facilitate their experiences, our churches would not be experiencing the fallout and hurt that we still see today. If our leadership would have made the effort to go to multiple styles earlier on, we might not have had to see so many friends and families leave places where they have served for years. It really doesn't matter who we choose to blame. What matters is that there is a solution.
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This is the debut album by EXW friend Paul Langford. Paul is a Chicago based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor. Paul has a career that spans 14 years. Paul's work includes arranging for groups like GLAD, Voices of Liberty, VoiceTrek, The Chicago based "Caroling Party" and Day of Discovery Singers. His arranging has appeared on recordings side by side with greats like Gene Puerling and David Maddux, and he has sung with Don Shelton, Bonnie Herman and Bob Bowker, among others.