Churches Say Worship Wars Are Over, But Most Still Use Pianos and Hymnals
“A new study from LifeWay Research found 15% of Protestant pastors in the U.S. say the biggest challenge they face in the area of music is navigating the varying preferences of members. A similar number of pastors say their most significant challenge is leading people to truly worship God (16%). More pastors say they struggle with finding musicians and vocalists (21%).” - Facts & Trends
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If indeed the worship wars are over, my impression is that it’s as if General Pickett had won the Union position, and the South had ended up successfully seceding. What really went on is that brothers and sisters seem to have rather acrimoniously split without really debating the topic Biblically, and as a result, musicians have no real desire to engage.
My position, FWIW: I tend to prefer older music, if for no other reason than the forgettable music of that era has long since been forgotten and that process is still underway for new music, but I have no objection to newer genre if it presents the Word of God to the People of God in lyric form and offers them a chance to return praise to Him. To achieve that last bit for both old and new genre, I think we need to pay a lot more attention to the poetic parts of Scripture, reading them in services.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
[Bert Perry]If indeed the worship wars are over, my impression is that it’s as if General Pickett had won the Union position, and the South had ended up successfully seceding. What really went on is that brothers and sisters seem to have rather acrimoniously split without really debating the topic Biblically, and as a result, musicians have no real desire to engage.
I don’t know that the split you are referring to even requires acrimony. I think churches with traditional vs. contemporary worship styles, especially if both are otherwise theologically very similar, just realize that neither is going to convince the other, and each, being happy in what it has decided on the issue, goes its own way. I most assuredly do not envy those in churches with contemporary worship styles, and I’m fairly certain that most of them wouldn’t envy those in my church either, but I also feel no need to try to convince those in contemporary worship churches by explaining to them why our church believes what it does on the subject.
This issue may be more important that purely personal preference (I personally believe it’s a bit more than that), but IMHO does not rise to the level of a gospel issue, so I only discuss it with those who both have an interest in the subject, and who don’t let the discussion degenerate into emotional arguments.
Dave Barnhart
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