Pensamientos para hoy (afterthought for today)
Church Music Hell
Judge Paul Sacco of Fort Lupton, Colorado has an unusual way to punish violators of the city's noise ordinance. He sentences them to sit in a court room under police observation and listen to an hour of "unpopular or unusual music". When asked about his unusual way of dealing with these offenders Judge Sacco said, ". . . they have to sit down and listen for an hour to Barry Manilow, its horrible punishment."1 I'm sure that Judge Sacco does not mean to offend Barry Manilow or his many loyal fans. Some people enjoy listening to Barry Manilow, but apparently some people do not. This story makes me wonder if some of our churches are unintentionally doing the same thing during our Sunday morning services. Just as some people really enjoy Barry Manilow's music and other can't stand it, so too, some people really enjoy some church music and others don't. Maybe you like upbeat, contemporary Christian rock, but others in the church prefer the old traditional hymns. If the music on Sunday morning is not the kind you like, you may feel like you're in Judge Sacco's court room for an hour of church music hell. What can we do to solve this predicament? Often the difference in music preference is due to generational differences. Some churches have opted to go with two services--one traditional and one contemporary--to meet the worship needs of older and younger generations. Some churches decide to target the younger generation and simply dump the hymnal and traditional music for an all-contemporary worship service. Many churches try to have a blended service where both traditional and contemporary music is used in the worship experience. Unfortunately no matter which approach a church takes some people will not be happy. In my opinion church leaders need to be sensitive to the needs of all the people in the church. The pastor is responsible for the spiritual needs of older as well as younger people. But church leaders also need to use wisdom in reaching the next generation, or we may lose them. Older and more mature Christians may not like the younger generation's style of worship music, but they should be able to appreciate and support their church's effort to meet the worship needs of the younger generation. And, with the right attitude, Sunday morning worship won't be like an hour of church music hell. Keeping my ear to the pew, Pastor Steve September 21, 2007Footnotes1 Karlyn Tilley, Ft. Lupton Judge Punishes Violators With Manilow, [web-page] CBS4denver.com available at:
http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_258183427.html CBS Broadcasting Inc., 2007. Internet accessed September 21, 2007.
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