The Importance of Music by Don Chapman from Worshipideas.com

I don't know if this is BPC (Blog Political Correct) but Don Chapman shows one of the reasons that churches are struggling here.


WorshipIdea: The Importance of Music
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by Don Chapman
Last week Brookwood Church worship leader Steve Smith and I hung out at an SBC worship leader luncheon in Columbia, SC. Read about how I met the director for the famous senior adult hip hop choir and watch their video.

We heard some alarming statistics that, while specifically Southern Baptist, I'm sure would apply to most churches. A poll of church leadership revealed that music is at the very bottom of priorities. At the top of the list is children's ministries.

Another statistic showed a drastic decline in church attendance in the 20-40 age bracket.

Churches are in a panic as to why their congregations are shrinking. The answer is painfully obvious: this culture is so tuned into music that it simply makes sense to make music a priority in our churches.

You'll hear people downplay the importance of music, and argue that it's not all there is to worship, and that's true to an extent. But it is a BIG part of worship.

If we look to Scripture for guidance our priorities will be in order. You read... a lot... in Scripture about music. An entire book of the Bible is devoted to it. Do you read much about children's ministries?

I've said in the past that I now believe good preaching is what draws the crowds, not music, and I still believe that. However, I think strong music goes hand in hand with strong preaching. Have both and you'll hit a home run. Have one of the two and you'll still have a healthy ministry. I'm afraid a bunch of churches have neither.

If the Scriptural emphasis on music isn't enough to convince you, how about real life examples? Mega ministries are known for their mega music: LifeChurch... Lakewood... Hillsong... NewSpring...

Here's a good example in my own backyard: Brookwood Church was built in the 90's on the Willow Creek paradigm - lots of secular performance songs with little to no congregational singing. Then, in the early 2000's as the seeker driven model started to die out, the church was in a lull for a time without musical leadership. Brookwood was still huge with 3,000-4,000 weekly - due, no doubt, to the great preaching. But now, after a year or two of worship-driven music Brookwood has mushroomed like crazy, officially breaking the 10,000 mark at Easter - and the demographic is leaning into that 20-40 age group more and more.

Is music the sole catalyst for this growth? I can't say for sure, but it is curious that this super growth has been hand in hand with an emphasis on worship-driven music.

What does it mean to have an emphasis on music? Let me spell it out for any elders/deacons:

1. Put money into the music. Get a good sound system and make sure the room is acoustically treated to sound great. Buy instruments. Have a budget for charts and sheet music. Pay musicians if need be.

2. Plan ahead. Good worship doesn't happen by throwing a few songs together 30 minutes before the service.

3. Practice makes perfect. When I had the opportunity to play at NewSpring Church I learned the secret of their tight, hot band: they rehearse their heads off. Their rehearsal is 2-3 hours on Monday nights and you had better be familiar with the music when you walk in the door. They meet early Sunday morning for a refresher rehearsal, then have a complete run through before the first service. Good rehearsals can turn ordinary players into terrific players - don't be afraid to get your music right.

4. Empower the gifted. This is the hard one: too much drama in the music ministry centers around people with no talent, who firmly believe they have talent, who demand to be a part of the praise team. If you watch the audition weeks of American Idol you know this isn't just a church issue. Have the leadership guts to just say no. It's really not that hard if you think about it - if someone can adequately sing or play an instrument, they should be a part of the praise team. If someone can't adequately sing or play an instrument, they should find another ministry.

What's adequate is relative to your location and you have to make that decision. If you live out in the country with a small population area, adequate does not mean the same as if your ministry is in a large urban center with a big talent pool.

Let's spend less time worrying that off-pitch Aunt Sally's feelings will be hurt if she doesn't get to sing a solo, and more time training, equipping and encouraging those who do have talent.

5. Find a quality worship leader. If your church is blessed to have a quality worship leader with music standards as well as a heart for ministry (they're hard to find), hold on to him/her, appreciate and pay them well as they'll most likely be hired away by a larger ministry. I know of one top-notch worship leader who is continually pestered by the largest megachurches in the country (to the point where it's almost humorous) - they're trying to hire him away from his current church.

If you, yourself are a quality worship leader and are neither appreciated, supported or paid by your church, have a little self respect and move on ASAP - life is too short to be spinning your wheels.

6. Heart-felt worship. Performance songs and "specials" are nice additions to your music ministry, but keep your focus on your praise set: spend time and effort each week to prayerfully choose songs and hymns that will connect your congregation's hearts to God every Sunday. That's what will keep bringing them back and that's what will change lives.

Bottom line: It appears a well run worship-driven ministry in a pop/rock Chris Tomlinesque style is what reaches the masses and helps grow churches. What can you do to make music more of a priority in your church?