Rather than looking at the Web through the eyes of a Facebook and YouTube and Twitter user, though, we’re still looking at the Web through the eyes of a Sunday bulletin reader. That approach works for the people who are already attending our churches. It completely ignores the people who we are trying to reach.
I think the number one reason why rock and pop is the predominant genre of music in churches is this: our worship music has become the new “hymns” of the new traditional church. In other words, we grew up listening to that kind of worship music. Frankly, we’d rather play our “hymns” in our services than consider what style of music might more effectively connect with people who need Jesus.
We used this video in worship today. It’s a great story of servanthood. And how servanthood can change into leadership. There is actually a lot of symbolism in this story. The least shall be greatest. The last shall be first. The kingdom of God is all about opposites. The least likely candidates become the heroes. The meek inherit the earth.
First let me say, I got my first issue of Collide today, and I think it’s a magazine you should know about. Their tag line is “where media and the church converge.” This issue has a great article about why you should twitter:
When a pastor is on Twitter, a two-way relationship can develop between the pastor and the congregation as each is privy to the unfolding narrative of the lives of the other. As a result, engagement offline can develop more effectively.
Mars Hill Church (Seattle) recently made the news for embracing Twitter during church services. They see it as a way for people to share their experiences with others and to dispel what some people may think about a church service. Mars Hill has also harnessed the power of Twitter to keep their congregation updated and connected. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/3534anq
Even some of the major denominations have joined the Twitter world:
Now, do I really think God hates Christian radio? Probably not. But, He might. He might avoid it on the dial as much as I do.
Here’s a good reason:
Approximate quote heard on the radio today…
I’m just so amazed every time I see the sky and think “Wow, God created that just for me.” Or when I see a flower and think “I can’t believe God created this beauty just for me.” Or when I see (insert random miracle God created) and think “God created that just for me.”
OK, it’s obvious. It’s been said, and written about, and lectured on a thousand times: we are self-centered. We live in a culture that breeds it. And the church in many cases does little to proclaim the bizzaro world reality of the Kingdom of God (where the self finds its center in sacrifice and service and death). And if the church doesn’t counter it, why would Christian radio?
The last time I checked, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1) So the skies don’t actually declare my need to be entertained. The skies don’t declare that they were created for my consumption. The skies were made for two reasons: to showcase God’s handiwork and to point to the unknowable brilliance of His character.
Maybe I’m just holding Christian radio to too high of a standard?
I just like books. I like the way they look and feel. I like having a bookshelf full of them (it makes me *look* smart). I like sharing relevant books with friends that have questions/issues. Every time I go into Half Price Books, I leave with some. I just like books.
Now I also like the convenience of having the favorite portions of my music library on my iPhone for listening at anytime. But I like even more the feeling of buying music and having something to show for it. I like showing off my CD collection. I like having the artwork in my hands. Ripping the music to my iTunes is a minor inconvenience. That’s why I went back to buying CDs.
I’ve played around with a Kindle before. I see the benefit in having one. I think they’re nifty. In my world, I’ll stick with books.
If you’ve got a couple of keyboards/synthesizers floating around your church, chances are one of them is a Kurzweil. The latest Rolling Stone (February 19, 2009) has an article about Ray Kurzweil – the guy who basically fathered everything we know about modern musical synthesizers. In the 1980s, Kurzweil used his knowledge of computer pattern recognition to create realistic orchestral instrument sounds on a keyboard (synthesizer).
What Ray Kurzweil is known for these days are his futurist theories. An excerpt (p. 57-58)…
In our lifetime, Kurzweil believes, machines will not only surpass humans in intelligence – they will irrevocably alter what it means to be human. Cell-size robots will zap disease from our blood stream. Super intelligent nanotechnology, operating on a molecular scale, will scrub pollution from our atmosphere. Our minds, our skills, our memories, our very consciousness will be backed up on computers – allowing us, in essence, to live forever, all our data saved by super-smart machines.
He also has developed a line of health supplement pills that he takes 150 of throughout the course of a day, intended to prolong his life “until we have the means to reverse-engineer the information processes underlying biology – giving us the power to ensure our immortality.” (p. 61)
I only bring this up (not to knock the man) to point out that some people believe immortality is possible apart from any traditional faith system.
“I don’t feel like God ever intended for a fear of hell to be the driving factor in His relationship to humanity. I vaguely remember Jesus saying some stuff about love.”
Most of what we know about hell comes from the words of Jesus himself. The topic can be overemphasized, truly, but it seldom is these days. The apostle Paul persuaded men because he knew “the terror of the Lord.” When we shy away from it, we’re unbalanced.
Yeah that sounds like awkwardness abounds. Paying a key leader/pastor and not the rest of the band is different. And I don’t see anything wrong with wanting to strictly use volunteers in the band. But the church has a responsibility to equip and utilize all the talents it’s been given. So even if a musician isn’t up to the level where they can hang with the band, they should be finding them a place leading kids, youth, prison outreach, etc. or equipping them with training if their heart is in the right place.
What do you think about churches that insist on not paying their musicians irrespective of talent, time, etc. and will only take the best musicians who will play for free? Is the church, in that case, denying some of the “gifts that they’ve been given?”
And for context, the particular church and the particular situation to which I am referring has a volunteer policy that’s focused on an “unfettered” worshiper. And by that they mean they want people whose motivations to play on Sunday morning aren’t going to be about money.
But some of the musicians are hurt by that because 1) they spend as much as time and have as much talent as the lead worship leader, and he gets paid 2) They actually REALLY need the money most of the time, and 3) Motivation being questioned is offensive.
