I pastor teenagers. Some folks call that a "Youth Pastor", but that can carry certain connotations I'd rather not be associated with. I'm to shepherd and disciple these young people, and with God's help, I'm doing my best to fulfill that calling...and I'm digressing.
I pastor teenagers, and you wouldn't believe what some of their favorite songs are. Among the songs they clamor for and request more often than anything else when it comes to our times of worship are: Come Thou Fount, How Deep The Father's Love For Us and Before the Throne of God Above.
I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous, but these are really teenagers (I've checked their I.D.s) and they have a real hunger for truth. And they love to sing it loud.
Another thing that's so neat about this group is that they're just as happy singing these songs with our full band and fancy lighting or just sitting around on a concrete floor with an acoustic guitar.
I pastor teenagers, and you wouldn't believe what some of their favorite songs are. Among the songs they clamor for and request more often than anything else when it comes to our times of worship are: Come Thou Fount, How Deep The Father's Love For Us and Before the Throne of God Above.
I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous, but these are really teenagers (I've checked their I.D.s) and they have a real hunger for truth. And they love to sing it loud.
Another thing that's so neat about this group is that they're just as happy singing these songs with our full band and fancy lighting or just sitting around on a concrete floor with an acoustic guitar.
I'm sure they could be fed a steady diet of marshmallow-Jesus-fluff and wouldn't know any better. At least at one time. Now they now what Truth sounds like. And they know that declaring Truth in song is God-honoring, edifying, and powerful.
Sovereign Grace songwriter Bob Kauflin has some great thoughts on modern worship, and they're worth noting (here's the blog where I found these comments):
"...Bob lamented the worldly ‘rock concert’ culture that has infected congregational singing in many churches around the world. We see that influence, he pointed out, in a number of disturbing trends:
■People value the power and effectiveness of the performance over the participation of the congregation.
■People value musical skill (and good looks!) in musicians over character and biblical understanding.
■People value musical experiences over word experiences (that is, experiences which are a response to the truth, not simply a response to the power of the music). Music doesn’t really change people; it’s the word of the Bible and the Spirit working through it that changes people.
■People value singer-songwriters over pastors as the people who write our songs. Songs should be written by people who are theologically deep and driven.
Bob also sharply criticised the idea that somehow music brings us into the presence of God; or that music is a way of bringing God down to us—as if ‘God enters the building’ or ‘shows up’ when we start to feel the emotional power of the music.
Bob said lots of other helpful things, such as the central thesis of his first talk: that singing is not a peripheral or unimportant aspect of our church meetings that deserves little thought or quick delegation, but instead is a very significant way in which a pastor leads, feeds, cares for, protects and sets an example for his flock. Singing is an important ministry that can be powerful—for both good and ill. He was urging us as leaders and pastors to take that responsibility seriously.
There were plenty of other worthwhile points made. In no particular order:
■that singing involves the head as well as the heart;
■that singing has a ‘vertical’ aspect (towards God) as well as a ‘horizontal’ aspect (towards each other); this is nicely captured in Ephesians 5:19—”addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart”;
■that we need to balance the already and the not-yet in our experience (we don’t yet see Jesus face to face, and yet we do respond to him now with a “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” as 1 Peter 1:8 puts it);
■that we need to hold in healthy tension (as the Bible does) both the transcendence and immanence of God; that is, not lapsing into over-familiar, Jesus-is-my-boyfriend kind of songs, but also not missing the fact that God has invited us to draw near to his throne of grace.
Sovereign Grace songwriter Bob Kauflin has some great thoughts on modern worship, and they're worth noting (here's the blog where I found these comments):
"...Bob lamented the worldly ‘rock concert’ culture that has infected congregational singing in many churches around the world. We see that influence, he pointed out, in a number of disturbing trends:
■People value the power and effectiveness of the performance over the participation of the congregation.
■People value musical skill (and good looks!) in musicians over character and biblical understanding.
■People value musical experiences over word experiences (that is, experiences which are a response to the truth, not simply a response to the power of the music). Music doesn’t really change people; it’s the word of the Bible and the Spirit working through it that changes people.
■People value singer-songwriters over pastors as the people who write our songs. Songs should be written by people who are theologically deep and driven.
Bob also sharply criticised the idea that somehow music brings us into the presence of God; or that music is a way of bringing God down to us—as if ‘God enters the building’ or ‘shows up’ when we start to feel the emotional power of the music.
Bob said lots of other helpful things, such as the central thesis of his first talk: that singing is not a peripheral or unimportant aspect of our church meetings that deserves little thought or quick delegation, but instead is a very significant way in which a pastor leads, feeds, cares for, protects and sets an example for his flock. Singing is an important ministry that can be powerful—for both good and ill. He was urging us as leaders and pastors to take that responsibility seriously.
There were plenty of other worthwhile points made. In no particular order:
■that singing involves the head as well as the heart;
■that singing has a ‘vertical’ aspect (towards God) as well as a ‘horizontal’ aspect (towards each other); this is nicely captured in Ephesians 5:19—”addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart”;
■that we need to balance the already and the not-yet in our experience (we don’t yet see Jesus face to face, and yet we do respond to him now with a “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” as 1 Peter 1:8 puts it);
■that we need to hold in healthy tension (as the Bible does) both the transcendence and immanence of God; that is, not lapsing into over-familiar, Jesus-is-my-boyfriend kind of songs, but also not missing the fact that God has invited us to draw near to his throne of grace.
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