Contemporary vs Traditional "worship"

I just wonder if anyone else is like me. see I was good at being at an unregenerate sinner, I drank way to much, I partied to much, I looked for trouble, I was a womanizer, I did things I would never tell anybody (other than my wife) about, now please hear me. I did ALL this listening to "rock and roll" of ALL kinds form Elvis to Godsmack. I don't mind telling you that I completely corrupted my musical nature, and as a result anytime I hear any type of rock music it sends my mind back to that now default setting of sin.

Last year at our Vacation Bible School we used the music that came from the Association (SBC) as I sat there watching everyone in the Church jump, clap, scream and call it singing, and just have a great time. They looked and sounded like one of the hair bands from the 80's. I thought to my self This is what I'm trying to get away from, I sat there for 2 songs then I had to leave, I felt so wicked and sinful I was beginning to get physically sick. There is NO way I could go to a Church that had a Contemporary "worship" service.

Remember I am not implying I am right, I'll tell you right now that I have to far corrupted myself in this area to be unbiased. I find it very difficult to rightly divide the truth in this area. I look at it like, if I say that type of thing is "OK" then I am just feeding my flesh (because I still love rock music, as much as I hate it) but if I say it is wrong for everyone in all applications I feel I am being legalistic and frankly judgemental. So I stay as far from it as I can get. I will also say most of you would say the Contemporary music in a worship service is not "Rock" and while I would almost agree it still has the same effect on me, when I hear it,what I hear is some down AC/DC.

 

This is sometimes a sad effect of any type of music. Many people say (with their action but not usually words) Doctrine doesn't matter, who cares about theology, their Sunday school may be shallow, the preaching may only be motivational, but who cares, "the music makes the church"


superwoman, I'm not saying that is your thinking, but that statement is a dangerous one.

 

I grew up around music. When I was a child I was in the choir, when I was in High School I was in the top choir in the school and I used my talents to take me on to college where I was taught that without music there is no life, there is no joy. I remember back home when the church hired an awesome worship leader who was all about going against the grain so to speak and getting away from the hymnals and the organ and having a praise and worship band.

People in the church hated it, they hated the change, and thats what led the church to have a contemporary worship service as well as a traditional one. And once they stepped out of the box and started the contemporary worship service the church truly began to "grow" We were reaching young adults who did not want to attend a "traditional" service and dress to the nines for church started attending the contemporary style of worship where you could wear what you wanted and where despite what had gone on in your life you werent going to be judged, and in turn we were able to start home small groups and even a coffeehouse where we had local Christian bands come in and play on a Saturday night. The childrens Sunday School program grew because the parents wanted the contemporary style of worship. We were able to minister to them where they were at in their walk. We have since back home started a Saturday night Worship Service where you come as you are for an hour and a half of worship and a message. My church here is also doing this. The church back home has also started a euchre night and has several family nights planned. I firmly believe that none of this would have been possible had we stepped away from the "traditional" mode of worship and went the contemporary route. Also we now host divorce care classes and a Youth Wednesday night contemporary service and we bring the local Christian bands in to provide the worship....My opinion I am seeing, you want your church to grow you have to start looking toward contemporary worship. The days of mom being the homemaker and dad making the money is gone just as the days of churches being full of tradition is going very fast.

 

I understand what you are saying but look again at that ^^ statement. Yes, I want my church to grow. But I want it to grow with people who are seeking the face of the Lord, in the Pursuit of holiness, righteousness, godliness, christlikeness, ECT. and if someone won't come to our church because they don't like the music, then they need to find a different church. Music should not be the primary reason, or the second, or the third reason for picking a church. It should be very near the bottom of the list.

In short, if a person is so concerned for music that their disapproval of the music would overrule their approval of the doctrine, preaching, ect. that is not the kind of person I would want our church to grow with.

 

yes it seems many churches are going to contemporary, particularly the younger generations. I am of a younger generation and personally prefer a more traditional service.

Still my favorite service by far is the Catholic worship service. Very old fashion and I have always thought the latin language was so beautiful to listen to, I love latin. I always loved "Ava Maria". I always loved saying the creeds as a kid too. In the baptist church I go to we don't say those, I really miss those creeds. I also miss holy communion in the Catholic church. I have taken communion at many different churches and it just doesn't seem as special or memorable as it does in the Catholic worship service.


I am baptist though because I agree more with their beliefs than any other denomination. I was never Catholic, just would sometimes go with my grandma as a little kid to mass on Sundays. I disagree too much with Catholics to be a Catholic and the baptist church is the closest to what I believe was taught in the earliest churches.

 

So you're saying the worship ends when the music does. What do you call the rest of the get-together?

Yep, I find it hard to really put some moves on to Amazing Grace on the organ.

Is there a sermon series in there based on the word of God?

 

Here we go again:

So worship is all about you? BTW, where is that church with 2-hour sermons and no worship? I think I'd avoid it, too. I guess I have a different definition of worship, and it includes more than the music. I thought worship is to turn our attention to the Creator of the Universe, to express through music and the spoken word our adoration of our Savior, to focus solely on him. My pastor's sermons, the preaching of the pure word of God, direct our attention to the Lord God and his Son.

Oh, to be sure, my heart is lifted and there is a sense of awe of his mighty works and his grace toward us sinners. I go away blessed. But my purpose is not to get "warmed up." It's not about me.

 

That is not what Jesus taught. He taught, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

If music makes the church then what does that say about the people and Christ?

 

For many years, the churches in England and Wales did not have musical instruments in the sanctuaries. Singing was virtually spontaneous. The main thing in church was the preaching of the word. This seems to be the main thrust of the New Testament church; preaching the word; teaching the word; worshipping the King of Kings.

If I want a jazz band, I will go to the night clubs!

Cheers,

Jim

 

What you win them with you keep them with.

While that saying won't go over well with many people here, it is quite true.

If people come to church because they have heard preaching of the gospel, and it convicted them, they will stay for the preaching. If people only come to church because there is an awesome rock band with some "hot guys" in it (I've heard that excuse before. I lived near Hillsong in Sydney), if you took the music out of the church, the people would go as well.

 

AMEN!!!
Very good points

 

So...if we have a contemporary style of music, and the word of God is preached, and people respond, do you automatically assume they are there for the music? Who has given you that insight?

Do you also apply this to a traditional church with a great choir that sings awesome hymns of the faith?

Shallowness exists in all churches, unfortunately. The indy-fundy, KJV church down the road from us has shallow folks in it. We do, too. The key is to not make them deacons. And if we make the main thing the main thing, we've done our job.

 

A church that grows based only on the type of music they have is a shallow church, people attend because of the music, not for any depth of learning, or preaching, not for the Lord.

No they are not gone.

you were taught wrong. Life and joy come from God, not music.

Church attendance and worship are not about you, never are they about you. What warms you up is worship, not the type of music. Listening to the word of God being preached is worship. If you aren't worshipping God's way you aren't worshipping. And if it is about you and what you want, then it isn't about God at all.
According to you the abilty to worship God depends on the music. Thiss is not worship. I've noticed about you that God does it your way or you want nothing to do with Him and His word.

 

Donna, thanks for replying to those statements. When I saw those statements, I just felt like sreaming and then like weeping.

 

Thanks for the sarcasm but its all based on the word. Like Grace Anatomy was all about God's grace and how to apply it in your life. Its something to draw the people in and then give them a dose of the word, of course applying it to their lives in the year 2008 not the 1950's.

After the music worship ends the message begins. Churches arent all about doom and gloom --here we go with this hymn and then lets blast people and tell them how perfect they have to be and how they have to wear skirts and have long hair and blah blah..I want to go into church to be closer to Him which in turn I want to go out into the world and spread what the Lord has done in my life, and then of course I want to tell everyone how awesome Christ is -- the music, the message, everything just completes it. I would hate to walk into some of the churches you all have described in this thread because everyone would be striving to be perfect and outdo each other --like a keeping up with the Jones's thing. My church we have families and situations of all different make-ups but we have one common denominator ----we are all children of the King and we have all been forgiven and we are all loved according to the word especially Hebrews 8:12 and 1st John 1:9 and so many others.

I am taking a class on the Power of Simple Prayer and choosing your worship and what I have read in Chapter One alone sums up exactly how I feel...

Psalm 33:15--He fashions their hearts individually, He considers all their works.

Then it goes on to say--"Do not try to keep up with others. and do not feel compelled to worship as someone else does. When we follow man-made rules we please people, but when we step out in faith and follow God's Spirit we please Him. We do not need to feel pressured to pray or worship a certain way or to focus on certain things because other PEOPLE say to do so. Instead we need to be free to express our uniqueness as we follow the Lord with His way not others way." I am going to love this class!!!!

 

Forgive the sarcasm, I sometimes have these irresistible impulses. But the questions were real questions. Your comments in previous posts have left the impression that it's all about you, when worship is actually all about God. Your comment about moving to the music was quite revealing to me.

I consider not only the music, but also the sermon, the prayers, the offering, the reading of scripture all to be part of worship. Worship is not exclusively the music.

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Be careful about labeling churches which aren't like yours as stuck in the 1950s. As a straw man, it's pretty weak. My church is pretty traditional, and there's no doom and gloom there, no sermons on short skirts and long hair.

I know of no one in my church striving to be perfect--but I know a whole lot of people who pursue holiness. They gave up on being perfect long ago, and trusted the Perfect One to save them in spite of their sinfulness.

Wonderful. My church is like yours in so many ways. We just don't have many people who come so they can move to the music. Oops, sorry, there's that sarcasm again. I take it back.

 

How true.
It's sad when some people make worship nothng more then entertainment to be enjoyed.

The fact that they are christiansmeans they already recognize they are not perfect, nor can they be. But they beleive in scripture and beleive in applying it to their lives, and not changing it first, but beleivieng just what God wrote.

This si pretty much every church that is following jesus.
But to not hold people accountable to the word of God is sin. But you call accountability to God trying to be perfect, and say it isn't for you.

Obeying scriptue is not man made rules, you act as if it is, and the fact we can never be perfect is your excuse not to obey scripture, your excuse for a sinful life style. Any church that does not teach obedience to Jesus throught the holy scriptures is NOT a church of Jesus Christ.

 

Sure you do. I am thankful you don't move to the music. Its hard to imagine you doing the waltz to "Amazing Grace."

 

KJV Psalm 96:1 O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.

 

I hope you consider the people too.

1 Cor. 11 addresses the people and their attitude. Amos address the music and the people's attitude towards music and God. Haggai addresses the people and the building for assembly.