Breaking Out

Worship Studies by Stephen M. Newman Pastor of Worship and Arts August 18, 2009

Before we can look at the subject and tools to help your church move in the direction of becoming more relevant to today's Christian, you have to make a decision:

Are you willing to go the long haul to get your church headed and eventually become a more contemporary church? If not then I would suggest you find a place that is already doing what you were called to do. If you answer yes, then we can help you in your moving forward.

Traditional Church Background

Let's look a bit at the background of the traditional church. Most churches in America come from what has been labeled as a traditional approach to worship and music. Most of the music is from the late nineteenth century to the mid twentieth. Mostly comprised of hymns and southern gospel music. I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church that sang the hymns. Why? Because that was what was comfortable to the age group that founded the church. My parents are classic examples. It was what they grew up listening to. This is a good thing! Or it was for them during their lifetime and met their worship needs in the area of style of music.

Today's Church

What does the church of today look like? For the most part the one's mentioned above have not changed very much. There are several churches all over the country that are popping up who have decided to make the change from the start. They have chosen not to go the route of change from within. They began their churches with the style that is reaching people of their generation and younger. It is by far the easiest way to make change. However there are many worship leaders and music ministers who do not have the luxury of starting new churches. So what to do for those who are in older churches still doing what they did 40 years ago? Let's look at the questions below to navigate where you are and what info may be helpful to your situation.