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The weekends of February 23-24, and March 2-3, 2019 Jan Markell, guest Pastor Brandon Holthaus of Rock Harbor Church in Bakersfield, CA, and I discussed the ongoing controversy about music in the Church on Understanding The Times Radio.

During part of my time in the broadcast, I shared some of the following. It is meant to be an encouragement and to offer advice for Pastors, Worship Leaders, Church Musicians, and for EVERY Concerned Christian to consider.

If you missed the program, you can access it at olivetreeviews.org anytime.

These comments are taken directly from my program notes. Please understand that because of the wide scope and many nuances of this topic that this short article only contains a few points and suggestions to help bring clarity to a very murky issue that affects many today.

Let me say that, if you think the things we are suggesting on radio today are just too much to consider or too radical a change to implement, you start with baby steps.

If you are a pastor, worship leader, or church musician and what we have said in the programs has provoked you to think or see things differently, perhaps just begin by commencing a regular, focused prayer meeting asking God for direction and for the Holy Spirit to intervene and take control of the music and worship in your church. I hope what we’ve said has been food for thought, even though the contents of this program may run counter to what you have always done or are now doing when it comes to music in church. Our intent is not to make you react or to be angry but only to offer guidance and perhaps correction to those who are in leadership and who take part in planning and presenting the contents of worship services. Self-examination is often difficult and more so when discussing creativeness and artistry. I encourage you who are involved in worship services to abandon any motivation that is not in line with God's Word and resolve to focus on the high goal of leading others into the presence of God preparing hearts to receive the Word.

Music and Church Growth

The entrepreneurs of church growth usually includes a music agenda in their books and teaching. Along with sweeping changes that many have guaranteed would fill the seats to overflowing, has come a disenfranchisement of some, as growth has become the unstated driving force - rather than building strong disciples in Jesus Christ who can weather the tests of life. There is no more important or higher recommendation for me to make than to direct you to pray and to consider what the Word tells us and to reject what the modern Church Growth Movement insist you must do to build a church. Over the past 30 years, the CGM, and its many high profile advocates, has done more damage to the Church and to the authentic Gospel than anything I can think of. Church growth is God's business. Stick with the Word and not the well-meaning plans of men. Thankfully, there are signs of awakening as pastors and leaders are realizing that "seeker sensitive" and "purpose driven" ideas do not produce what the advertising touted.

I also encourage you to resist rejecting what we’ve said on radio because it is different and perhaps opposed to the way you or your church do music or the way you’ve always approached music. Just because a song is promoted as “Christian” and is sung by those who are heard on Christian radio doesn’t mean that a song or singer should be given an automatic pass. In fact, after 35 years of ministry in the area of music, I believe that any song that makes it to the platform to be presented before God and the church must pass the tests we’ve suggested, especially whether the lyrics are solid and sound biblically.

The vast majority of those who listen to our program are rank-and-file Christians and are not involved in the presentation of a worship service. However, they may hold many emotional and strong opinions on the topic of music. Changing what you may be doing (or not doing) concerning music and worship may take time to implement, but remember that it is God we are here to please. It is a sobering thought that someday all of us will stand before God and give an account of what we did, whether good or bad, while in these earthly bodies. However, we who are in leadership (particularly those who teach) will be held to an even higher standard. That’s why this is serious stuff, folks.

I believe that to strengthen the understanding of those involved in music in the church, there needs to be teaching and instruction to help bring focus about music and worship. Many who are in worship teams are selected simply because they are in church and they play an instrument. That’s not necessarily wrong, but without a pastor or worship leader teaching, encouraging, correcting, and reiterating a policy and an understanding about music, particularly the objective and philosophy of the worship service, the team (whether it consist of 2 or 20 people) is not likely to completely understand what their role is and how important they are. Just competently playing a song is only one facet of success. Leading people into the presence of God and paving the way for their hearts to be receptive to the presentation of God’s Word must be our goal. To get there, we need direction and instruction so that each person involved understands and complements the mission as a whole. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that for most churches today, this includes those in the sound booth. Because I was previously a musician and also a recording engineer and producer, I can say without doubt that those adjusting the tones, and particularly the volume, can make or break the mission of bringing worship in a church. There is a lot to be said here, but I learned long ago that volume might be as much a point of contention as anything else in this entire music question.

One common misconception that some popular teaching has brought us is that we must copy the world to attract a crowd, particularly Millennials and Generation Z.

Actually, it’s not being just like the secular world that will ever be counted as success in worship. In some respects, it is actually the opposite. Today, there is a widespread tendency to approach music in the church as a concert or entertainment. This is a popular yet grievous error. True, the congregation may be entertained, but if our goal is only to entertain, have we really accomplished anything? The musicians and singers are performing but with a completely different focus than that projected in a concert setting. The trappings of strobe lights and fog machines may be considered cool elsewhere but we who make music and sing before God are charged with a task and we have to remain on task and eliminate anything that could hamper or distract us from that. The task is, as I already stated, to bring people into the presence of God and prepare their hearts to hear the Word. Pastor, worship leader, musician, if this is not your philosophy of worship, please reconsider. What I am talking about is a mindset of worship and praise. If that is your set purpose, then it is also much easier to resist the temptation to please the flesh, which has derailed many who were otherwise destined to fulfill the higher call of God.

God created music and did so for a purpose. We know from Scripture that Heaven will be full of music. I contend that it is paramount to find God’s will and follow it as you endeavor to serve Him with the talents He endued you with here in this life. So in closing summary:

To Leadership

- Step up and boldly make the decision that you’ll seek and learn and pray and follow. Also, that you’ll only accept and desire what God wants when it comes to music in your church.

- Make the choice to teach and re-teach those under your ministry. By this, I mean that pastors and/or leaders in a church’s music department need to answer the call to help shape those under them concerning worship, praise, and other related points. Remember, change may not happen overnight. Baby steps and thoughtful teaching and encouragement may be the best approach. To bring everyone under your leadership together with a defined vision for music and worship will pay great spiritual dividends.

- Recognize that change may not be easy and it may well be met by resistance. This is one reason why careful biblical teaching is important.

- Scripture teaches as a principle that we are to put everything to the test to see if it harmonizes with God’s Word (1 Thess. 5:21-22, etc.). Doing your best to analyze the lyrics and the lifestyles and theologies of those who are writing and making famous the music that’s under consideration to be included in your worship service is not nitpicking. It is a responsibility.

- Make the decision that first and foremost you are committed to what God wants and for His will to be done in you and through you concerning this important topic. In eternity, you will never regret having made that solemn and holy stand.

For more information on this topic and other issues Eric Barger has addressed come check out just part of our 35+ years of research and ministry at https://ericbarger.com.