The People Journal

Music, what is it good for?

Posted by: Jim Mondry

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 2:08 pm

I’ve been watching a church I really care deeply for start to rip itself apart over music (no, not Ecclesiax). There are deeper issues in that church, but all anyone can see is the surface things right now, and everyone is taking the music issue personally. Even Ecclesiax is struggling with music. I’ve heard comments about how we’re playing more traditional worship music now, as opposed to trying to draw in other music that wouldn’t traditionally be played in a church.

I really don’t like the idea of “this week is -insert style here-, while next week is -insert different style-”. I’ve seen too many people try to pick and choose the sundays they come based on that. Church is more than the style of music you listen to, and if you reduce your commitment to attending a church based on the fact that you only like a certain band playing, that’s spiritually unhealthy. Yes, we all do well with some variety otherwise we will end up in a rut in a big hurry, but if you alternate weeks, you’ll get into your rut just a quickly, but with people attending spottily.

How does one pick music for worship now? There are so many varieties of music, and everyone has their preferences. Sometimes a church can rally around its music, like the Hillsongs churches. In London, it was clearly a uniting thing, but I know I cannot take what is happening there and try it anywhere else. That is music set up for a community, run by that community, created by that community, for that community. But, the experience transcended the music, it was about far more than the chords, and the harmonies, and the dancing singers on the stage.

I was at a taize event last year, and we were essentially signing variations on french folk songs, and ancient choruses. The music was anything other than progressive, but it was profound, transcendent worship. Again, the music pointed to something greater.

How does one do this intentionally? I have lead worship in many different setting, at many different events. I have worshiped at an even greater variety of events. Sometimes it was great, people really were able to connect to God. Others, I might as well have been playing Garth Brooks songs to a bunch of hip-hop heads (not to say anyone who listens to hip-hop doesn’t like new country, but I think my example is valid). It’s not a formula, there isn’t a magical list of songs that if I play I can get the Spirit of God moving over the waters of the congregation.

Music appeals to our deeper selves. Some of it connects deeply within us, while other music repulses us. Right now I’m feeling like I want to say “Music, what is it good for? Absolutly nothing.” And, in the sense of worship, I think that’s true. The music is meaningless. It only takes on meaning if we allow the music to point to something greater. But how does one do this? Given that we all live in a culture, and every style of music is making a cultural statement. If I try to play old hymns in a blue-grass style, that’s making a statement. If I play the latest David Crowder song, that’s making a statement.

How does one break away from that, and help their congregation break away from that, and bring it back to the intended focus, that of worshiping God? Is this even possible?

2 Responses to “Music, what is it good for?”

andrew Says:
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:12 am
Jim - Good thoughts. It seems that more and more today, music, or more generally, our worship practices divide rather than unite. I think part of that has to do with a consumptive, individualistic culture. I think it has to do with an ipod generation that can pick whatever song it wants, when it wants.

I was a mentor at a youth theology camp this summer, and kids kept on asking me about different music. I’d tell them about an album or another, but they’d push back and say “yeah, but what songs?”

It’s a playlist world, and apparently I’m stuck in an album mentality.

So when it comes to worship, I think that the most important thing is that we find some way for it to come from the community. One of those things I’m always tempted to do in a situation where people have a complaint, is to suggest that they not complain about something until they have a proposed solution, and a desire/willingness to see that implemented.

It’s not about shutting down dialogue, but about holding us responsible for our actions.

In Shad K’s song “Get Up” off his last album, he says:

“Wish some kind of miraculous world change can happen quick
But these problems don’t take seconds to solve
And getting mad ain’t the same thing as getting involved
We need to get up”

I think that in some ways the whole idea of consumer church, where you show up and attend a service and don’t participate is dying. I’m not suggesting that Ecclesiax has that issue…I think there are so many ways in which it is, and is becoming a more interactive community that invites contribution.

But if we’re going to get mad, we should come with some possible solutions. We should come, willing to get up and do something. If it’s just a bitchfest, we’ll get nowhere. That’s the response of the individual consumer of religious goods and services, not that of the member of a worshipping community.

If we try to live into what it means to be Christian community, then we each bring something to offer. If we have a complaint, we don’t just throw it at “the leadership,” but are open to discussing how we can participated in seeing some of those changes implemented.

This coming from a guy who works in a hierarchical church. But then again, I’m crazy like that.

Have you read any of Ben Witherington’s thoughts on worship? I’d be curious what you think.

http://bit.ly/F4Z7g
Weston Klinnert Says:
August 7th, 2010 at 6:14 am
Made a movie about this, would you and anyone else here consider looking at it real fast and let me know what you think? I left the URL in the appropriate field, hope you can access it. I’d appreciate it greatly, thanks