For anyone who is a part of the Grace Church family, you know that the leadership of Grace and many others within our walls are reading the book "Who Stole my Church." To be honest with you, it is a book that I have found interesting and beneficial for our church, but it hasn't rocked my world as I'm very comfortable with how we "do" church here at Grace.
BUT... I read a post recently on Tony Morgan's blog and it got me really thinking about how comfortable I am with change within the church as it will no doubt impact me greatly in year's to come. Here is a snippet of what he wrote: "Remember the days when the only worship music was hymns? We were stuck there because that was clearly the “sacred” style of worship music. Then the 80s hit and Willow Creek made it possible for us to use current music styles in worship services to connect with the unchurched. Only it’s as if we got stuck in the 80s. While the church still leans on a mix of rock and pop music as the preferred worship genre, our culture has shifted once again. Now, according to iTunes, 1 in 3 of the top 100 songs in the country is either hip-hop/rap or R&B/soul. My guess, though, is that you can’t name a church in the country that’s using these genres of music for worship. Why is that? Now, before you let your “it’s-not-our-culture” bias set in, consider this. Most of the hip-hop and R&B music has been recorded by black artists. 14% of the U.S. population is black. But, remember, nearly one-third of the music purchased on iTunes is one of these two genres. You do the math. White people like hip-hop."
Now I am in no way saying that hip-hop and R&B are coming to Grace anytime soon, but maybe it should if we are truly desirous to meet and move as many people as possible. Discussions like this will most definitely impact our talks when it comes to launching our campuses in years to come.
I guess the bottom line still stays the same no matter what and that is IT ISN'T MY CHURCH OR YOUR CHURCH TO HAVE STOLEN FROM US! It belongs to Christ and Him alone and it is our job to work under His leading to meet and move as many people as possible without my (our) preferences getting in the way.
4 comments:
Well this white girl likes hip hop. There's some great Christian hip-hop out there. Canton Jones has a fun song called "I call Him G.O.D."
So pass this along to Matt and let's get Grace hip-hoppin :)
Brenda Miller
As long as it isn't country music, I'm game!!!!
Pastor Auld,
You are correct "that it is our job to work under His leading to meet and move as many people as possible without my (our) preferences getting in the way".
But here is my questions:
How do you know this ministry philosophy that you (and the Grace Church Leadership) have been promoting, is actually biblical and not just your preference? It is often argued, that Scripture reveals how we are to approach God in corporate worship, thru the preached Word and Sacrament. These are the means of grace God has given us to call both believers and unbelievers to Himself. Are we not just repeating the errors of Charles Finney when we replace God's means with our own pragmatic means?
Thanks,
Broncofan
Brenda - Lead the way!
Scott - Doesn't sound like country music is selling out on itunes. No worries for a while.
Broncofan - Thanks for your comment and question. Every Sunday reflects the foundation for our ministry philosophy and that is the faithful preaching of God's Word for it is through His Spirit and His Word lives are transformed.
Post a Comment