You don’t have to be as conservative as I am to read. There should be some thoughts that are good for all of us.
I’ve been in the conservative Christian music circles all my life. I consider myself a conservative Christian musician in the sense that I avoid the fusion of certain pop styles with sacred content*. I care about keeping sacred music sacred.
But without hesitation I can tell you the death of conservative music will not come from compromise. It will come from lack of connection.
Conservative music ministry desperately needs an infusion of connection. There is no impact without contact.
Ministry is about connection. It is about connecting the truth with the hearts of people. As God has designed it, that only happens through the channel of interaction. The cliché, “People will not care how much you know until they know how much you care” is one way of expressing this truth. Connection is one person’s spirit touching another person’s spirit. Singing (or music of any kind) is not designed to be observed from a distance. It is designed to be participatory. Even when it is not our turn to sing, but our turn to “listen,” that listening is not supposed to be as a spectator. It isn’t passive, but active.
We’re constantly reminded that worship is meant for God, and that is true. But Ephesians 5:19 begins by saying, “Speaking to yourselves.” Colossians 5:19 tells us to sing with grace in our hearts to the Lord, but also “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” The people we’re singing/playing to matter!
I don’t like to use this illustration, but I need to. I was preparing to sing for a large church a few years ago. I had been forbidden from holding a microphone or from hand movement of any kind on the platform. (That happens once in a blue moon; each local church has autonomy and I respect that. It is hard to sing standing stock-still, but I attempted it.) As I prepared to step forward and sing my first song, a joyous song intended to lift every believer’s heart toward the Lord, the man introducing me asked for everyone’s attention.
In a stern voice he issued this warning: “I want you to know that the last thing Mr. Everson wants is for people to appreciate him. He is not here to entertain you. And he is not here to receive accolades. He does not want your applause. Do not clap. You may say a quiet amen if you want, but this time is not about what we would like. This is about God.”
He paused a moment to make sure his words were sinking in. When the congregation seemed deathly quiet enough, he concluded by saying, “Mr. Everson, you may come and be a blessing to us.”
It was probably the worst introduction I have ever had because it killed the spirit of the service. I felt like I had been threatened within an inch of my life if I dared to smile. There’s nothing like some intimidation to get people ready for ministry!**
I’m glad to say, about halfway through my first song, my heart rose within me as I looked at hundreds of tired, inexpressive faces. I thought, “How dare I sing about my Savior in such a way that makes it easy for people to remain unresponsive?”
I proceeded to pour my soul into every note. I did my absolute best to connect with my expression and my eyes, though I kept my arms pinned to my sides. I was thrilled to see some individuals within the larger sea of faces who were moved by the message and who seemed to desperately want a way to respond.
If the truth truly grabs us, we will naturally respond with our full hearts.
There is no impact without contact in people’s lives. If connection is not important, and we frown upon the needed expressivity required to make that connection, then why have people “minister” in music at all? Let’s just play an audio recording of them. Why bother to have a live person if they are not allowed to act alive?
People will open their hearts to music that is more conservative than their tastes if they sense a heart-to-heart connection. But they won’t spend 20 seconds on music – or a musician – who seems content to be lost in their art form with no human connection.
Photo by Dustin Tray: https://www.pexels.com/photo/dead-end-road-sign-1469196/
*It is beyond the scope of this article to differentiate between being a conservative and being a traditionalist. I am the former but I’m not the latter.
**This is sarcasm.