Is your church still experiencing “worship wars?” Worship and music style issues have long been a problem in the Christian Church. Controversies in worship have been recognized as early as 700 A.D. and they have not seemed to slow down.
· When the Gregorian Chant became the official music of the church, it was characterized by a single monophonic unaccompanied melody sung only by men. Later young boys with unchanged voices started singing with the men but their voices were displaced by an octave. There were many who objected. Later harmony was added to the music of the church but many were against it.
· When Luther started writing hymns for the church in 1517 there was a great revolt.
· In 1540 Calvin stated that only the Old Testament Psalms sung in a metrical rhythm were appropriate for worship (The Genevan Psalter). This caused great division among the church between Calvin’s followers and Luther’s.
· Near 1750 the Wesley brothers wrote hymns that taught theology and doctrine. It again caused great struggle among church leaders.
· The music of the 1880’s Sunday School Era was looked down on by many because the hymns and testimony songs being written were subjective (personal) and not objective (directed toward God). Many thought there was no room for music like that in the church.
· Jazz influences of the early twentieth century brought out an edict from the Pope that the piano was forbidden in the Catholic church, because of its worldly influences.
· Soon after came the Jesus movement with drums, bass, guitars, and other instruments. Choruses and praise songs were following close behind and all of it was hotly debated in the church.
· Over the years, there have been church and denominational splits, personal strife, and relationships broken causing those in the church to bitterly quarrel and those outside the church to look at the church with contempt.
Will worship wars ever cease? My guess is only in heaven. Should worship war cease? Yes. Are there churches in our state that have worked through worship issues? Yes, many, but it is something that has to be intentionally worked through. Let me explain. We all are raised in a particular culture and tradition. Most people relate to God most easily in their native culture. Christian brothers have great differences in musical taste. We have been influenced for years by the music we grew up with. The problem is that we equate what we like with what others should like. Some churches welcome new attendees to their church only if the new people will change their musical tastes to be just like them.
Some churches try to solve their worship struggles several ways. One way is to start a second service with a different worship flavor, most commonly a traditional and a contemporary service. This works fine for some churches but can cause an attitude of competition with two churches worshipping in one building. Other churches try a blended approach. This too can work well, but often the people who want traditional music are not happy with some elements of the contemporary and those who want contemporary do not get enough.
The one thing that all these worship issues have in common is selfishness. When we care more about our personal wants and needs and less about others, it is the beginning of a dangerous cycle. Throughout the Bible we see pictures of God’s people worshipping together in unity. Our personal wants and preferences should take a back seat to the needs of our neighbors. (Consider other’s needs more than your own). During the Churches of Strength Conferences this year, we will unpack what it means to worship in unity. We will diagnose symptoms of worship illness and discuss what may be done to help our church worship in unity. We will not be promoting any worship style, nor encouraging your church to change styles but we will focus on reverence, relevance, and unity of worship.
WORSHIP AND MUSIC
