we have a large contingency of elderly people at our church.
we also have a large contingency of college students at our church.
in planning worship, we do a mix of hymns and contemporary songs. our church is not quite yet ready to give up the hymns. these historic songs have a place in the souls of half of our members.
to be quite honest, i’m not ready to give up the hymns yet. not at this church.
as a worship leader, my job is to serve the people before me. help them worship God, help them pour out their hearts to Him in song, give them the words to sing when they can’t find them.
in doing so, i set my preferences, my musical tastes, and my “favorite” songs aside and lead THEM. serve THEM. help THEM. while some of the songs may not best suit my style, i consciously put my heart in the songs, in the words, in the message.
this older generation can better express their heart to God by singing “How Great Thou Art” rather than “How Great is Our God”… and, i don’t want to take that opportunity away from them.
although i’d be the first to admit that a more contemporized worship service would do wonders for church growth, i’m not willing to stretch the music so far that we leave half of the congregation behind. these old hymns mean so much to them, they are mile-markers of their faith.
they’re not dead yet. they are still around, and they are more than welcome to stay.
Posted in church, generational gap, hymns, leadership, master list, planning worship, songs, tradition, worship leading, worship wars
Tags: christianity, church, hymn, worship
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