I talked to my great friend Monday. He's on staff at a large church in the metroplex. The conversation turned to reaching children for Jesus, which is always on my heart. He told me of a large church pastor who was talking with a room full of boomers (my age group) and builders about what their greatest desire was. With unanimous accord, they said, "that our children and grandchildren would follow Christ." Hear my applause. Praise God. Couldn't be happier. Then he asked one more question, "If you would be willing to change your music to reach your kids and grandkids, raise your hand." Not one hand went up. Not one hand in the entire room.
So you tell me...is their greatest desire to reach their grandkids for Christ? Nope, it's not. Their greatest desire is to be catered to. Their greatest desire is to have their "likes" handed to them on a plate each week and their "dislikes" to be summarily dismantled. Edwards' translation, they said, "To hell with my family."
Don't get me wrong. Music won't save kids. Only Jesus does that. But music can draw kids and keep kids.
The biggest hurdle for the builder generation is music. Many, if not most, have not cleared that hurdle. Some in my church have. Praise God. But until the generation that built most of our churches makes the main thing the main thing (as opposed to music the main thing), we cannot expect to reach this generation.
So as I'm having an internal rant and rave about this, the thought struck me...What hurdle will my generation have to cross? Will it be the format of how we "do church"? Will it be the demise of denominationalism? Will it be the way we do world missions? Honestly, it really doesn't matter what our hurdle is. The real question is, "Will my generation have a greater heart for the lost than we do our personal preferences?"
I hope I do. I hope we do. Christendom in the USA may depend on our answer.
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6 comments:
How much I agree with you. How curious that music of all things has caused so much division.
In North Texas where we live, the demise of denominationalism is in full swing. Most churches with any Baptist affiliations have dropped the name in hopes of reaching the unchurched. Because my family roots in Baptist history go so deep, I have been torn by this development. One one hand, I see myself as a part of Baptist history. On the other hand, I struggle in many "traditionally" Baptist churches because their reading of Scripture is highly propositional, a view that in my estimation obscures much of what is beautiful and miraculous about God, His Word, and his word. Theologically speaking, as it relates to Southern Baptist, I'm pretty moderate or even liberal (yikes!).
Meanwhile, as it relates to history, I am a traditionalist. While I admire the interdenomination/nondenominational directions for their tendency to cut through petty squabbles, I find myself longing for the way church was when I was a kid. But guess what? Those churches don't exist any more, and they probably only ever existed in my mind.
I plainly acknowledge my "old fogie" musical bias knowing that I must put these biases, this nostalgia aside for the cause of Christ. In the end, if the Spirit of God reigns, I can worship!!
Secret,
Thanks for your comment...it was encouraging. I live in Central Texas, and denominationalism is still alive, although it's probably nearing life support.
I, too, share your love of the beautiful and miraculous of God. Although I'm pretty stinking conservative, I'm pretty fed up with the way conservatives treat the world, other believers (especially Baptists), and the world.
And I think you're right - the church I grew up in really didn't exist - at least my perception of it didn't exist. I guess that's an illustration of growing older...we long for the things our minds remember, even if our memory isn't all that accurate.
I love hymns, but I also love much contemporary music. Therefore, my assessment of those who are "hymn only" is an easy one. Try taking some other stuff away from me, however, and I'm probably not as eager. I sympathize with those who long for the way things were, but things aren't that way any more. And they aren't coming back.
I must always guard my heart to separate institutional religion from faith, and to keep a God bigger than my experience of Him in my SB tradition!
Thanks again for your comment.
"But music can draw kids and keep kids."
Well, just to maybe generate a little discussion on your fledgling blog I'll play devil's advocate. Do you have any data that actually supports the above claim?
Also, if music is keeping kids (or anyone else) in a church, then is discipleship really happening?
Sloth,
Well, I was afraid somebody would ask this. No, I do not have any evidence. My statement comes from anecdotal observation; i.e., from watching how important music is to kids. It seems that so many have Ipods and other music players; it seems that music dominates the pop culture scene; so many people list so much music of face book; the churches with large groups of young people focus on music, etc. So I don't have any hard evidence, it just seems to me that music is a draw to young folks. Do you have evidence that it is not? (not intended to be a smart-aleck question).
As to the discipleship issue with music, my first response is that the two aren't related at all. Discipleship can occur - at least on some level - if kids are kept by music. It can occur in the music, in relationships (the major way), in teaching, etc. Granted, if after months or years the only reason they stay is the music, then "no", discipleship isn't occuring. But it's like asking, "Can discipleship occur if kids keep coming for ice cream?" Sure it can. But ultimately, if discipleship is occuring, it will be other things that attract the kids.
Thanks for your reply. I'm open.
"hard evidence that it is not?"
well, it depends on the music. Do you know what they are listening to on those ipods? i wonder if, even you, would use what they are listening to in the worship service?
Mercy Me is a very popular and contemporary Christian band. I have taken youth to Mercy Me concerts two years in a row and virtually none of them paid any attention to the concert.
As to the other, you were leading up to the point I was trying to make. We can talk about it in the office if you want, I was just trying to get somebody else to start a discussion here.
I was very intrigued by the conversation with 'secret spaces' and nostalgia, tradition, and the whole issue of denomination and it's rising decline. I'm not in the "religion" business and I did not grow up in church. I visited a church here and there during my youth and most were Southern Baptist as well. So I remember those good old days of hymns and the "feeling" of worship that goes along with them. Maybe because I'm not in the business I don't know what is meant by the "reading of Scripture is highly propositional".
Nostalgia and traditionalism can be very dangerous things when it comes to Christ. Focusing on the way we remember things, and therefore thinking it's the way it should always be, is leaving Christ out of our experience. He is held in by nothing! We are fooling ourselves to think that we or any human on this planet has it figured out. Christ taught us how to worship. Period. Let's go back to the beginning. To the Master Teacher. We're trying to learn from multi-generational, watered-down story-telling and everyone has their own memory of how things were... and should be. If we stick to what Christ instructs us to do we can't go wrong.
Worship is not how we "feel" but how we make God feel.
Just my opinion. :)
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