A dilemma...

I'm frustrated. Here's why: in my opinion (and yes, I realize it is strictly my opinion, nothing more), the music at our church is absolutely spectacular Sunday after Sunday, and yet the response from various people is negative over and over again. I have talked to several attendees who have no complaints about the music, and they have expressed that the general church population really loves it. However, another group of church goers is very vocal about the fact that we don't have a church band during the fall, winter, and spring. Now, I know without a doubt that our music director does the best job he possibly can to play high quality music for every service, often taking the time to painstakingly arrange hymns for ensembles that he assembles and choosing music that coincides with both sermons and the liturgical calendar. Moreover, he frequently tries to incorporate a "praise song" chorus as a musical response, and we have a praise band all summer long that does contemporary music (again arranged by the music director for our misfit instrumental group - piano, bass, drum set, guitar, French horn, violin(s), and oboe/EH).

Maybe I'm biased. I'm a music major and I am therefore familiar with more of the older church music than some, and my mom occasionally calls me a "music snob" if I am mildly critical of things. But the way I see it, singing hymns and having high quality music connects us to a long course of church history that will be neglected and eventually forgotten if we only sing contemporary music. Don't get me wrong - I think there is a time and a place that is entirely appropriate for contemporary worship. I love the praise band we have during the summer, and I'm all for stuff like Tenth Avenue North, Stephen Curtis Chapman, and David Crowder. But I also love the tradition of the liturgy, the simplicity and yet the depth of hymns and their ancient texts, the complexity of Bach's sacred music, and the concept of singing music that has been sung through countless generations and in multiple countries.

All of this brings me to the conclusion that it's sad to see a monumental effort given to the church for the best possible worship experience that encompasses music both new and old, meant not only to please but also to educate, and to know that it's under-appreciated and even complained about. I know that it stems from the common debate over the style of worship, and that the issue sometimes gets so heated that churches are divided over it. I also know that the problem with the music in our church goes beyond just deciding which style of music is better. Nevertheless, it would be nice to see Christians be able to respect a balance and to strive to understand the other point of view. Finally, I don't think that my little expostulation does any justice to the topic, nor does it fully explain my point of view....

So here's to you, Music Director Extraordinaire. We (the royal or otherwise) hereby recognize the amazing amount of time and energy you put into making the music at church the most phenomenal that it could be, and we are incredibly grateful for both your impressive giftedness and your hard work.

We're coming to the church meeting next Sunday.











And we're making t-shirts.