Is it a good and Biblically sound practice to divide a church into two services based ONLY on the desire to have two different music styles (one Traditional, one Contemporary)? This is assuming there is not a need to do this based on running out of space in the sanctuary, or any reason like that.
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2 Services of Different Styles?
- Thread starter 12strings
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Would say a better solution would be to do as we do in my church!
We have rotating worship teams, and each Sunday would be a different style, so same service/same body, justeveryone accepts and tolerates different styles, depending on which team is leading!
My church does this and it is partly driven by space as we can’t fit everyone into a single service. The 9:30 service is contemporary in music style with a band and 4 to 6 singers. It seems to appeal to the younger members. The 11:00am service is "blended" with a mixture of hymns and modern songs and it has a full choir, small orchestra, grand piano and pipe organ. This service tends to appeal to the older members but by some people’s standards it would still be seen as contemporary. In both services the senior pastor delivers the same sermon.
In some ways I think the popularity of the truly contemporary service is a way that Churches across the denomination spectrum have reclaimed those marginal Charismatics who left their former denominations for style rather than doctrinal substance. Whether it was intended for that or not I believe that is one of the effects of bringing contemporary praise bands into non-charismatic churches. But that points to Church music being more entertainment than worship at least for some of those returning Charismatics.
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And the young crowd can learn to apperciate the classics, while older folks can learn to worship God "heartily!"
OldRegular
Well-Known Member
Contemporary: happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same period of time
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contemporary
Given the primary meaning of contemporary can worship be anything other than contemporary? And I don't mean the kind with 7/11 music!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contemporary
Given the primary meaning of contemporary can worship be anything other than contemporary? And I don't mean the kind with 7/11 music!
SaggyWoman
Active Member
Why should we be so internally focused that it matters if we do it one way or the other or both ways?
While we don't call it "contemporary" worship we do use a progressive style of worship in two of our services and a blended style in the other two services.
It is what works for us and we continue to see growth and people brought into the Kingdom of God.
Sometimes you need to recognize that as a church grows you will begin to serve different segments of your congregation differently when it comes to worship styles. The NT makes no stand on the style of music you use in worship (granted our services look completely different than theirs) so I don't know how to answer the biblical question. But as for the practical question...works fine for us.
OldRegular
Well-Known Member
God was quite specific about what constitutes worship in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ may have been less specific in His requirements but perhaps they were much more stringent!
Malachi 3:6. For I am the LORD, I change not;
John 4:24, God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
yes, but God looks at the heart, so a Christian rocker could be in tune with him, while someone singing How Great Thou art might not be!
OldRegular
Well-Known Member
We are talking about worship and the pagan beat of "rock music" is not worship.
So you are saying that there cannot be any christian artists who the lord uses in rock?
That Alice cooper, Petra etc are not real?
Agreed, a pagan rock beat and a pagan Sousa march beat is not worship.
But... a beat that has an emphasis on 2 & 4 does not make it less able to be used to Worship God than a beat with the emphasis on 1 & 4. And what do you do when a song is 3/4?
Alive in Christ
New Member
Alice Cooper is a horrible secular band.
Petra is a christian band, that plays that style of music.
Allthough I dont care for the style of petras music, I am glad they are doing what they do.
I despise rap *music* vehemently...and yet I am glad the rappers are out their doing what they do for Jesus
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Alive in Christ
New Member
If the folks involved in the music are born again people, and they are doing it for worship...God will except it and anoint it.
Any beat can be used for worship.
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To all:
1. If you have experience with dual services: Have you found that your church was able to keep its unity as ONE BODY of believers? I tend to be opposed to this idea because it seems to say to the outside world, "We can't get along regarding the style of music we use well enough for grandparents to worship with thier grandchildren." What does that do to the idea that we are all one in Christ (neither jew nor greek, slave nor free, male nor female)?
2. If you oppose doing this, by what reasoning do you allow for splitting up other bible studies by age, just not the main worship service?
3. I understand what contemporary means, but am using the contemporarily accepted definition of contemporary when refering to music styles to refer to worship music that borrows its basic rhythm, instrumentation, and/or ethos from the various forms of soft and hard rock that became popular in the last 60 years.
4. If you support splitting up services by music style FOR THE PURPOSE OF OUTREACH, has the service then not become something different than primarily a WORSHIP SERVICE?
1. If you have experience with dual services: Have you found that your church was able to keep its unity as ONE BODY of believers? I tend to be opposed to this idea because it seems to say to the outside world, "We can't get along regarding the style of music we use well enough for grandparents to worship with thier grandchildren." What does that do to the idea that we are all one in Christ (neither jew nor greek, slave nor free, male nor female)?
2. If you oppose doing this, by what reasoning do you allow for splitting up other bible studies by age, just not the main worship service?
3. I understand what contemporary means, but am using the contemporarily accepted definition of contemporary when refering to music styles to refer to worship music that borrows its basic rhythm, instrumentation, and/or ethos from the various forms of soft and hard rock that became popular in the last 60 years.
4. If you support splitting up services by music style FOR THE PURPOSE OF OUTREACH, has the service then not become something different than primarily a WORSHIP SERVICE?
Alice Cooper a major donor to Southern Baptist school, receives honorary doctorate.
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=18238
R C Sproul: Alice Cooper is a commited Christian
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/rc-sproul-and-alice-cooper/
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=18238
R C Sproul: Alice Cooper is a commited Christian
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/rc-sproul-and-alice-cooper/
Do you have the same worship leader (song leader) for both services? If so, which type of music is he most comfortable with?
It seems to me that during the type of service that the worship leader does not prefer, that the congregation could detect that the worship leader was just going through the motions.
Our church went contempory, although they claim it is a blended service by also playing a traditional hymn to a contempory beat which ruins the worship aspects of the traditional hymn, IMO.
It has been my observation that those who are really musically inclined, are bothered (irritated) by the other type of music; while those less musically inclined are much less bothered by the other type of music. Or put another way, those who are really musically inclined make the music much more an important part of their worship than those less musically inclined.
OldRegular
Well-Known Member
OldRegular
Well-Known Member
Is the except in the above a Freudian slip?
There are certain people who participate in the bloody sacrifice of the Mass. I am sure some are born again and are doing it for worship. Is the repeated sacrifice of Jesus Christ acceptable to God?
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