“You’re a giving member; you’re a leader at this church. I don’t really care what you think of our music. But I want you to tell me if you think it's not going to connect with your friends or your coworkers, then you can give me critique and I’ll listen to it.”
What I think has been lost, and one reason why the church in general is hemorrhaging young people, is our ability to make music that makes sense both musically and lyrically to young people.
"Praise & Worship" music makes sense to people who grew up listening to “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” & “Heart of Worship.” But from a very young age, a lot of Christians, myself included, didn't connect with “youth group music.”
There are plenty of people that need to be given the vocabulary with which to worship God, and have a hard time singing those songs (for perfectly legitimate spiritual reasons).
The church has done a pretty poor job giving outsiders a chance to connect. I always try to plan for our worship gatherings from the perspective of someone having their very first worship gathering experience.
What I’ve found is that success lies in getting the people who have been coming forever to come around to that understanding.
I often say to them, “You’re a giving member; you’re a leader at this church. I don’t really care what you think of our music. But I want you to tell me if you think it's not going to connect with your friends or your coworkers, then you can give me critique and I’ll listen to it.”
We’re on a mission. I’m not here to provide an emotional experience on Sundays, I’m there to help connect people to God and connect them to each other. Emotions will inevitably happen.
What I think has been lost, and one reason why the church in general is hemorrhaging young people, is our ability to make music that makes sense both musically and lyrically to young people.
"Praise & Worship" music makes sense to people who grew up listening to “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” & “Heart of Worship.” But from a very young age, a lot of Christians, myself included, didn't connect with “youth group music.”
There are plenty of people that need to be given the vocabulary with which to worship God, and have a hard time singing those songs (for perfectly legitimate spiritual reasons).
The church has done a pretty poor job giving outsiders a chance to connect. I always try to plan for our worship gatherings from the perspective of someone having their very first worship gathering experience.
What I’ve found is that success lies in getting the people who have been coming forever to come around to that understanding.
I often say to them, “You’re a giving member; you’re a leader at this church. I don’t really care what you think of our music. But I want you to tell me if you think it's not going to connect with your friends or your coworkers, then you can give me critique and I’ll listen to it.”
We’re on a mission. I’m not here to provide an emotional experience on Sundays, I’m there to help connect people to God and connect them to each other. Emotions will inevitably happen.
The full article is available here
