You Choose
2009
October
27
In my Principles/Practices of Worship class yesterday we had a good discussion about hymns, drums, new music, and the worship wars.
It got me thinking about this one question. You might think there is only one good answer to this question but I absolutely don’t believe that is true. And even though you might say you would answer one way, you might actually do the other.
The question:
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Tyler Braun.
I would hands down take the strong community.
I’m looking forward to more of your thoughts or some specific insights that you took from your class discussion.
I could think of all sorts of qualifiers to the question which could affect my answer, but as it’s stated I would definitely say I’d take “strong community of friendships” over “best music” with no hesitations.
I go to the one with awesome music and strong community.
That’s why I’m going to the church I’m going now!
But if I had to choose…maybe I go to the good music one for good music…and I will also go to the other one for fellowship and building relationships (yes I’m greedy I want it all).
aw, look, tyler, yonas knows how to kiss up. wink
Neither – I’d keep looking!
Strong community. It’s what the church is all about. You can buy good music and listen to it via headphones at the bad music church.
Although, if the community is strong, it makes me wonder if the music would remain bad.
I’d go to the one with great community and offer to help with their music ministry.
This was exactly my thought after Colin’s comment.
Community.
I can go home and listen to music by myself anytime, have a hard time finding community though.
I’ve been to both of those churches.
Good music gets old a lot faster than good friends do.
It takes more work to make a cohesive body of believers than it does to make a cohesive body of singers. I would recognize a unified body of believers as a church similar to the one in acts. I would recognize a unified body of singers as a choir.
Good music is playing all around us…..in Starbucks, malls, restaurants, tv commercials, etc. My wife and I are in a season of having no real community (since moving to AZ 3 yrs ago). We watch tv commercials, go to Starbucks, malls, and restaurants. We enjoy the good music. But we quickly forget that it’s even playing once we realize we’re still alone and have no real community.
So, my vote is obvious…..hands down better music.
(kidding)
I’ve been blessed to attend churches with both, however when looking for a new church I have to say that the music is really important to me. We have left because the music was awful (even while the teaching and community were great), and we have left when the music was amazing but the sermon left us wanting. Fortunately I have never been forced to endure either extreme. We’ve kept looking and always found one that has all three necessities – great music, great fellowship and great teaching. Yep, great teaching (or the lack) is a huge make or break for me too.
Yes! Finally someone admits it being very high on the list of must haves. Why am I happy? Well…I’d say one of the top 2 reasons people leave a church is music…and yet everyone will say they value community more. I find this very interesting.
isn’t there a quote that says something along the lines of, “what we win them with we win them to” ?? Churches today are spending amazing amounts of time and money in their music ministry to attract people to their particular church. I think they do it because most of us want to go somewhere that has good music. No wonder a lot of people leave the church over music. That’s what a lot of them went there in the first place for.
Me? guilty as charged on that one….at least a few times.
Yeah I’ve said that a number of times on this blog and do believe it is true and is very indicative of what you were talking about.
I’ve never left a church over either (I’ve only ever left a church when moving city), so it’s hard to know…
But I think I definitely lean towards what Fred & Jennifer said…I don’t think I could do one or the other, because its akin to trying to feed only part of you…it doesn’t work.
i’ve been in both…and i’m a big believer in strong music, b/c of my background and the fact that it connects me to Him. but …the strong community is always part of the equation. course, at this point in my life, i get the best of both worlds…the people i surround myself with are amazing. and the music i pick and choose gets my attention. david – you make a point in saying, both parts of a person need to be fed….(not nec. musically, but that vertical connection)….
right answer? wrong one? yes, i mean no…..whatever the “answer”-it’s where your heart is w/ God…and that’s all i think truly counts.
I’ve been around long enough to understand that “community” is where it is it at. Had a person butcher a piece of music one Sunday and the great thing was, as a very, very talented musician said, where else can you fail like that and know you’re loved and they’ll invite you back to do it again?”
If you hear John Wimber’s reflection on church when he was a non-believer he remembered the bad music. Yet someone kept calling him back into that group of people and he finally let go and heard Christ’s call.
Tyler, I don’t think most people leave over music. Music may be an expressed excuse but there is something else and it usually deals with a breakdown in the community and caring of the Body of Christ.
Interesting to read the other posts
Peace
Alan
Some people might come because of the good music, but not necessarily come for the sermon or creating community…or maybe because some have good community then you have bigger pool to find talented musicians, then produce good music and consequently you may have a bigger community…i dunno..kinda like chicken and egg..which one comes first? (and if you answer chicken…which one is the chicken?)
Personally, if I hated the music, I wouldn’t stick around long enough to find out whether the community was good or not. I think that is probably true for lots of people, which is one reason why music is such an important issue. A church may have amazing community, but it takes time to see that.
Carrie: That is such a GREAT point. I think we overlook this too often.
I can admit it, music is really important to me. However, I did attend one of the larger, popular churches in Portland for almost a year. The music stunk, it really did, but we stuck around because the teaching was AMAZING. However, the reason we left is that we didn’t connect with ANYONE in a year, and not for lack of trying.