Does Balance Still Exist in the Church?

Includes a special report on

D esegregating C hurch

helping you do ministry better... creatormagazine.com

volume 36 - number 2 2014

Does Balance Still Exist in the Church?

Your 2014 Sunday by Sunday

Select 20 . Anthem . . s u Pl

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Volume 36 - Number 2

features

13

6

Desegregating Worship

Front Page

Un-Balanced

by Vern Sanders

by Randall Bradley

7

Does Balance Still Exist in the Church?

13 Age Segregation in

by Doug Lawrence

the Worship Wars

14 Desegregating Age Based Worship 16 Desegregating Worship Music 16 Desegregating Racially Segregated Worship

27

What’s New at Creator’s Website See what our online subscribers are reading right now

30

18 Desegregating Rich Church/Poor Church

Last Page

20 Desegregating Gender Discrepancy

by Jim Altizer

Classroom, Crusade, or Community

22 Desegregating Politics in Worship 24 Desegregating Gender Identities in Worship

10

28

Select 20 Anthem Reviews

The 3 Choir Music Ministry

by William Belan

26

Good Stuff!

Reviews of new materials

12

Your Select 20 Anthem Checklist Our recommended list of anthems for every Sunday during the rest of 2014

12

NEW

Steal This Idea!

!

Implementing a Mobile Phone Policy

2014 | creatormagazine.com

5

by Vern Sanders

front page

F

unbalanced?

helping you do ministry better...

Volume 36 - Number 2 2014 publisher Vernon Sanders @vernsanders

or lo, these many years

The church and its worship is not the only culprit, of course. North American society and culture have become much more about “us versus them,” perhaps more than at any time since the US Civil War.

As I’ve been thinking about that fact (a lot), I’ve begun to wonder if that’s a bad thing. Balance in music ministry was a good ideal, when churches embraced one style over all the rest. But balance, as it was most often applied (and understood), more often than not devolved into formula.

On the other hand, is the “formula” the answer for an opinionated, narcissistic culture?

Creator’s “tag line” was balanced music ministries. Long-time readers know that the changes in music and worship ministry over the past generation have practically destroyed that concept.

Like adding a “token” hymn to a worship set. And then trying to figure out how to simplify the chord changes so that the band could play it. Meanwhile the “traditional” keyboard player sits silently...or fuming.

Or like adding a “token” worship chorus to a high liturgy. And then trying to figure out how to play (and sing) the syncopations. Meanwhile the “contemporary” guitarist(s) sit silently...or fuming.

Astute readers will know that we dropped the “balanced” tag line a few years ago. We did so because it seemed more important to help people do music and worship ministry better, no matter how that worship (or musical sound track) looked and sounded.

Why am I talking about it now?

Because balance is still a good ideal, and I don’t see much of it anymore.

My observation of the “state of the profession” is that we, as practitioners, too often seek the perceived congregational/societal comfort level rather than the principles commonly expressed as “first fruits.” And here’s the bad news... most of the time that’s a result of laziness, or a copycat mentality.

I don’t mean to imply that I have a “3 point program” to fix this. But I do know that too often my colleagues who find themselves in trouble, tenure-wise, are those who have been phoning (or planning-center-ing) it in for an extended period of time.

The “fill-in-the-blanks” approach to worship is so easy that we don’t realize how big a bite of the temptation apple we’ve taken until it is way too late. And yes, I know that there are so many resources out there that it is hard work to do the due diligence to find the good stuff amongst all the noise.

editor Bob Burroughs editorial board Christine Anderson Hugh Ballou Wendell Boertje Glenn P. Eernisse Allen Henderson Heather Hood Lloyd Larson Douglas Lawrence David Leestma William Lock Carl M. Peters, II Steve Phifer Paul Satre Pamela Urfer Edwin M. Willmington Paul Leddington Wright John Yarrington computer engraving Geyser Ridge Associates printing coordinator Pete Moceri Creator Magazine PO Box 3538 Pismo Beach, CA 93448 (800) 777-6713 creator@creatormagazine.com Creator Magazine (ISSN #1045-0815) is published quarterly by Creator Media. Subscription information is available at creatorresourcecenter.com/store/ subscribe/. For help concerning your subscription call (800)777-6713, or email us at customerservice@ creatormagazine.com. To ensure continuous service, send new and old addresses eight weeks before moving. If possible, include the most recent mailing label. subscribers: If the post office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within two years.

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Single copy price: $7.00. Back Issues: $7.00, subject to availability.

Copyright © 2014 by Creator Magazine. All rights reserved. Printed and distributed in the U.S. by Emerald City Graphics, Kent, Washington.

The good news is, that’s what we at Creator do for you, particularly at our website. Let us help you find the right balance. Please.

fine helping you do ministry better...

look for the QR Codes Throughout the magazine you’ll find links to online content. Scan the QR codes with your smart phone and be taken directly to the more in-depth information at creatormagazine.com.

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feature

by Doug

Lawrence

Does Balance Still Exist In the Church?

W

3 talking points when changing direction

e have all heard

(over and over) that there is this big pendulum up in the sky somewhere and it’s constantly swinging. Most of us take some comfort in the idea that it might swing back toward us at some point.

Wouldn’t it be great if all the things we like were to suddenly come back into fashion?

If you’re one of those people who frequently asks the question, “Whatever happened to the good old days?” this article is for you. You are not alone… you are amongst friends!

The companion question might be, “Whatever happened to balance in the church?” Frankly, in a time where faddism has ruled many of the decisions

made by church leaders, it’s hard to find a thoughtful process and sound footing in most leadership models. They are often “conference” leaders – you know, the kind that run their churches based on the last conference they attended.

Lose By Going In This Direction?

Here’s a recommendation – it might be a good idea to have this topic discussed in a staff meeting. Tell them that the guy who wrote this has hundreds of executive staff meetings under his belt in some of America’s largest churches and has learned hard lessons!

If, after careful discussion and research, you believe it to be an idea which is both good and not going to send your congregation into orbit, then it’s probably at least a worth a try.

Talking Points

Churches often assume that everyone will fall in line with every new paradigm shift. It simply isn’t true. There will be those who simply walk away.

What Will It Cost Us To Start And Continue This Idea Over One Year, Two Years, Three Years?

Here are 3 talking points when changing One of the biggest mistakes churches direction in your church: make is to assume that a good idea will pay for itself in time. That is rarely the Which People Will We Automatically 2014 creatormagazine.com

7

7 Ways to Have Both Innovation and Tradition in Worship Present the congregation with the liberating truth about traditional and new worship music Traditional music carries the doctrines and testimony of the church forward into a new generation. New Music captures the voice of the Spirit as He speaks to the church today and leads us into the future. This will require the leadership of the pastors/elders, etc. to help you with the Grinch/Scrooge factor.

Use the Principle of Common Ground to Higher Ground Meet the people on the common ground of the familiar before going with them to the higher ground of innovation.

Link old songs and new songs with similar themes together, usually moving from the old to the new Keep all songs for congregational worship congregational in key and character. Use sing-able tunes, memorable words and friendly vocal ranges.

Sometimes present an old song in new arrangement by first presenting it “straight” for one stanza before presenting the altered version Set up new songs with scripture readings Songs springing from scripture have a friendly common ground with the congregation.

Be sure that all altered hymn arrangements retain the essential character and message of the original composition This will be a constant challenge to your creativity.

case! Almost every new idea is going to require some venture-capital to start and people who will support it for, at the very least, the first three years.

If you laid this cost out on a chart, most

Stephen Phifer

churches would be fairly selective in moving toward new initiatives. Enthusiasm is not money, and that fact is very hard for churches and their leaders to remember.

Who Will Be The Point Person For A New Project?

The biggest cause of new ideas failing is a lack of ongoing and conscientious shepherding. If the project is lead by a staff person, it is important to weigh the loss of that person to other ministries (before they burn out).

for further reading • Action or Reaction – Judie Jones • Using Structure to Achieve Organization – Dennis A Jewett • The Benefits of Longevity – Tom McDonald • Pastors and Church Musicians (a 2 part series) – Mark K Williams • Surviving the Body Blows – Philip L Mitchell • Visionary Management in Music Ministry – Vernon Sanders • Survival Tactics – Keith Huttenlocker • Dealing with Criticism: A Family Systems Approach – Doug Haney • The Implementation of a Music Ministry Philosophy – David R Davidson • Twelve Ways to Make Your Church More User Friendly – Doug Lawrence • Common Traits of Excellent Churches – Paul Wilkes • Five Steps to a Master Plan – Tom Shedd You can find many of these articles and/or buy the Leadership Articles Compilation CD for just $19.95 at http://cmag.ws/6k. All articles are available by calling 800-777-6713.

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volume 36 - number 2 | creatormagazine.com

Doug Lawrence helps

churches assess and improve their skillfulness in creating engaging worship experiences by utilizing his more than 35 years of deep trench leadership in prominent mainline churches.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

MY

K

My grandfather always said to me (wisely) that I shouldn’t take any job I wasn’t able to finish. Then he would smile, put his hand on my head, and say, “That includes cleaning up your mess.” He was speaking from a lifetime of mature commitment to task. He was a carpenter and always believed in measuring twice and cutting once.

Balance in church leadership can only be accomplished by good process and careful discernment. Enthusiasm for a project, particularly one you decided to implement while at a conference, generally doesn’t turn out very well if you don’t have thoughtful planning and consensus.

Many churches chase their tails trying to do one new thing after another.

They don’t learn from their failures, and they don’t want anyone to be a naysayer—thus raining on their parade.

The cost of this sort of “head in the sand” leadership is great and almost always leads to a costly and humiliating stumble. fine

Download Instantly at http://cmag.ws/8d 2014 creatormagazine.com

9

TM

TM

TM

select twenty TM

TM

codes

what it is Creator’s Select 20 has always featured the best new church choral music – 20 anthems that will serve most any ministry. We choose by using criteria which include the full spectrum of musical and worship styles. We draw from all publishers, traditions, and styles, regardless of our personal taste.

On the actual review (see below to find the detailed reviews) we include a “worship-style bar-graph” to assist you in applying a S20 title to your ministry.

The graph, and the “theme” graphic identifiers on the next page, are not used to “pigeonhole” music, but to help our readers in understanding style.

The left edge of the graph would be complex music which is less predictable, often incorporating mixed or no meter, and less familiar tonalities. Texts here focus on poetry or more abstract word painting. The graph’s center represents present-day anthems written in a traditional, non-pop, non-gospel style, with texts that are commonly scripture based and written in second or third person. The right extreme would be pop, gospel, and rock musical styles, commonly including chord symbols in the accompaniment.

Texts will be less poetic, more straightforward, and primarily written in first and second person.

V

voicing

#

catalog number

C

composer

M

music sources

E

editor or arranger

T

lyricist and/or source

A

accompaniment information

U

usage

P

publisher imprint

©

copyright year and holder



highly recommended

The following are used at the end of each full review/comment: L End

read the full review online Creator has changed the way we list Select 20 titles. We now list important information for each Select 20 title here in the magazine, with complete reviews on our website at http://cmag.ws/2m.

Our general rules for inclusion in each issue through the editorial selection process are as follows:

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volume 36 - number 2 | creatormagazine.com

• No more than two titles by any composer, arranger, or publisher

D

length using (S)hort, (M)edium, and (L)ong dynamic level of the ending difficulty using (E)asy, (M)edium, and (D)ifficult

Advent

Easter

Palm Sunday

All Saints

General

Pentecost

Baptism

Good Friday Maundy Thursday

Praise

Benediction

Lent

Call to Prayer Prayer Response

Call to Worship

Lord’s Supper

Offering Stewardship

Christmas

Missions

Thanksgiving

• Copyright dated this year or last year Scan the QR code to the left of each title to be taken directly to the complete review. The graphic gives an indication of the anthem’s primary use in a worship service.

O Magnum Mysterium 

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

V: SATB #: NM1021 C: Richard Burchard A: A Cappella U: Adult • Christmas, Concert P: National Music ©: 2014

A Christmas Montage  V: SATB #: TR8157 E: Marty Parks A: Piano, opt. orchestration, opt trax U: Adult • Christmas P: Alpha Praise ©: 2014

Behold, How Good V: SATB #: MSM-50-6810 C: Michael John Trotta A: A Cappella U: Adult • General, Call to Worship P: MorningStar ©: 2014

Give Him Glory  V: SATB #: BG2597 C: Richard A Nichols A: Organ, opt.

Brass and Percussion U: Adult • General, Christ the King, Easter, Concert P: Fred Bock Music ©: 2014

Dwell in the Light Forevermore  V: SATB #: 10/4400L C: Lloyd Larson A: Piano U: Adult • General, All Saints P: Lorenz ©: 2013

Jubilate Deo  V: SATB #: HMC2409 C: Peter Anglea A: Piano, optional fiddle, optional bodhran U: Adult Youth • General, Call to Worship, Concert P: Hinshaw ©: 2014

An Old English Prayer V: SATB #: F2372 C: James Gossler A: A Cappella U: Adult • Prayer, General P: FitzSimons ©: 2013

Home (The Arms of God)  V: SATB #: 35028611 C: Heather Sorenson A: Piano, opt. Orchestration, opt. Trax U: Adult • General P: GlorySound ©: 2013

All Creatures of Our God and King  V: SATB #: 01310 E: Kelly D. Anderson A: Keyboard U: Adult • Call to Worship, General • Small Church P: Universe ©: 2014

Belfast Evening Chronicles V: SATB #: MSM-50-6310 C: Philip W. J. Stopford A: A Cappella U: Adult • General, Concert P: MorningStar ©: 2014

scan the QR codes to the left of each title with your smartphone for the complete review, or go to http://cmag.ws/2m

scan the QR codes to the left of each title with your smartphone for the complete review, or go to http://cmag.ws/2m

V: SAB #: 978-1-4514-7950-8 E: Charles McCartha A: Piano U: Adult • General, Prayer P: Augsburg Fortress ©: 2013

Give Me Grace to Follow Jesus  V: SATB #: BG2601 C: Glenn Pickett A: Piano U: Adult • General P: Fred Bock Music ©: 2014

Hope Remains V: SATB #: A08670 C: Jay Rouse A: Piano, opt. orchestration, opt trax U: Adult • General P: PraiseGathering ©: 2014

While Shepherds Watched V: SATB #: 7972 E: Alice Parker A: A Cappella U: Adult • Christmas, Concert P: ECS ©: 2014

Stained Glass V: SATB #: 35029314 C: Heather Sorenson A: Piano, opt. orchestration, opt. trax U: Adult • Prayer, Confession, General P: Shawnee Press ©: 2013

I Sing the Birth V: SATB #: 7.0631 C: Stephen Chatman A: A Cappella U: Adult • Christmas, Concert P: ECS ©: 2014

My God, I Love Thee (My Eternal King)  V: SATB #: 00125220 C: John Purifoy A: Piano U: Adult • General, Christ the King P: Brookfield ©: 2014

Ding Dong Merrily on High V: SATB #: A08673 E: Jay Rouse A: Piano, opt. orchestration, opt trax U: Adult • Christmas, Concert P: PraiseGathering ©: 2014

As the Deer  V: SATB #: 978-1-4514-7796-2 C: Greg Scheer A: Piano U: Adult • General • Small Church P: GladSong ©: 2013

And We Are Thankful  V: SATB #: GG5550 C: Marty Parks A: Piano, opt. orchestration, opt trax U: Adult • Lord’s Super P: Gaither Music ©: 2014

2014 creatormagazine.com

11

good stuff

new stuff An Early American Service of Lessons and Carols

Things we think would be helpful resources for church musicians and worship leaders...

Requiem Neil Harmon MorningStar A nice new addition to the large work catalog from MorningStar. Harmon’s piece is scored for Soprano solo, woodwind quintet, timpani, harp, strings and choir.

Steal This Idea

Mobiles can be a nuisance, as they always seem to ring when you’re rehearsing that quiet a cappella chord, and it’s a ring tone that breaks everybody up. There goes the chord... and the mood.

But there’s another side of the mobile coin. Parents with babysitters and singers with aging parents have a different reason for leaving the phone on than your resident social butterfly does.

You’re probably not going to enforce a “leave your mobile in this basket on the way into rehearsal” policy, but it will help to have one.

One option is kind of like having a lineman report as an eligible receiver: ask your members to tell you (and/or your ensemble) on a case by case basis why they need to have their phone on ringer rather than mute. It won’t prevent the interruption, but it will mitigate the upset.

Got an idea worth stealing? Send it to creator@creatormagazine.com

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volume 36 - number 2 | creatormagazine.com

Brookfield Press Sharp combines early American music with Moravian and Shaker hymnody, and includes such American classics as Away in a Manger

Easy Anthems for Classic Worship

The Touch of the Sacred

Compiled and Arranged by Jane Holstein

The Practice, Theology, and Tradition of Christian Worship

Hope Eight SAB anthems for the chuch year by writers such as Lloyd Pfautsch, Joseph Martin, Natalie Sleeth, and Joel Raney

F Gerrit Immink Wm B Eerdmans Publishing A rather extensive look at the praxis of the worship service, with more detailed looks at prayer, preaching, and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

Praize Jamz

Beloved Dust

Implementing a Mobile Phone Policy

Mobile phones aren’t going away. If you don’t believe me, just listen during one of your rehearsals.

Created and Arranged by Tim Sharp

Created and Arranged by Brian Hitt Word Kidz A collection of 11 worship tunes arranged especially for children’s choir

Drawing Close to God by Discovering the Truth About Yourself

Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel Nelson Books

Southern Sundays

A pastor and a theology professor discuss the temporal nature of human existence, and present ideas for those seeking to grow their every day relationship with God.

Arranged by Cliff Duren

Word Ten Southern Gospel flavored arrangements of hymn standards.

Spiritual Reflections for Piano

1st Corinthians 16:13

John Carter Hope

An accessible ten arrangement collection of hymns from the AfricanAmerican spiritual tradition.

Various Arrangers

Word Seven arrangements for male choirs

Evangelical Versus Liturgical?

Today’s Hymns & Songs For Two Voices

Defying a Dichotomy

Medium Voice Duets

Melanie C Ross

Wm B Eerdmans Publishing

This is an in-depth study of two congregations in the context of the evangelica/liturgical divide, and the conclusion is, as Creator has advocated for years, that we have more in common than what divides us.

Arranged by Lloyd Larson

Hope

Larson provides easily accessible duets of ten of today’s “classic” worship songs, like How Great is Our God, 10,000 Reasons, and Come Share the Lord.

worship

Bradley

desegregating

by Randall

worship

B

ecause of the recent

50th anniversary celebration of the 1963 March on Washington, I’ve been thinking a lot about the progress that we’ve made in terms of equality and about the work that is still to be done.

My thinking about school desegregation that followed on the heels of the Washington March has also caused me to think about the church.

In 1968, and just before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in a sermon at the National Cathedral said, “We must face the sad fact that at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning when we stand to sing ‘In Christ there is no East or West,’ we stand in the most segregated hour of America.”

Dr. King was obviously referring to the racial segregation of our churches, and although we’ve made some progress, there is still much work to be done.

However, I’m not sure that these days the larger problem of segregation within American churches might not be the segregation of age groups.

Age Segregation and the In many churches, adults worship in one space, youth in another, and children in yet another. If the church is fortunate to be in a college community and have a strong college ministry, perhaps there’s even designated college worship – although it often meets at an alternate time of the week.

While many of us in the church have been busy doing all things necessary to keep the numbers up and keep the people happy, we have also successfully raised a generation or more of younger people who now expect worship to be catered especially to them and their needs. Meanwhile, older people in the church (and even the parents who demanded to freely worship without the constraints of their young children) are scratching their heads wondering where the younger adults are and why they’re not returning to the church after high school and college. Somehow, the cold hard reality that younger people are doing exactly as they’ve been raised to do has not yet occurred to the congregation or the clergy.

Worship Wars One of the unforeseen results of age segregation in worship is that a whole generation of pastors was raised on worship style that catered to their demographic identity. As these pastors moved from children’s worship to youth worship to college worship, few of them were exposed to “traditional” worship as it was happening in the sanctuaries of the churches in which they, and their families, attended.

It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that these pastors don’t want a worship style with which they don’t identify. It should also not be difficult to understand that there might be some fear of the unknown with regard to worship styles with which they are unfamiliar.

Finally, because these pastors have been raised to only associate with their own demographic identity, their worship style preference is continuously reinforced when they attend conferences and retreats which are designed for their demographic. The end result is that historical worship traditions have been pushed aside.

2014 creatormagazine.com

13

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As we look at the history of the church, immediacy has always been one of our primary weaknesses. The church always has a tendency to do what works in the moment rather than looking far enough down the road to fully imagine longerterm results.

In the case of age-segregated worship, nurturing your child in worship during the brief preschool and grade school years is a small price to pay for the possibility of your child’s life-long love for God and worship. Furthermore, in all likelihood, a perceptive parent can learn and grow appreciably from teaching his/her child about worship and worshiping vicariously through the insightful perspective of a small child.

If worship had strictly cognitive and objective outcomes then segregating adults, college students, youth, and children might be a justifiable alternative; however, since much of worship is intuitive and observed – something we feel and sense – to worship in an agesegregated environment immediately removes much of the sensory stimuli for everyone.

Children have no worship models; no partially understood songs, prayers, and scriptures to grow into; and much of the mystery of worship is absent for them. Similarly, adults are deprived of the gleeful worship sounds of children, the wide-eyed wonder of preschoolers, and the questioning doubt of youth.

In our attempt to please everyone and meet everyone’s needs, all of us lose the give-and-take inherent in the gospel, the challenge of singing songs that we learn to love initially because we love another generation who loves them, and the embodied realization that our faith does not begin nor end with us. Nowhere is both the hope of God – past, present, and future – more visible than in a gathering of worshipers of all ages.

However, within the irony of all of this are a number of college students with whom I have worked within the

last few years who are intentionally looking for intergenerational worship and faith development experiences.

Many of these young people have grown up far from grandparents and great grandparents, and they were too busy as children to get to know their older neighbors. Rather than playing within their neighborhood and getting

Desegregating Age Based Worship • Consider starting an intergenerational choir or worship team • Over the next few years gradually integrate all of your church’s activities to include people from many generational perspectives • Reclaim your church’s worship (or one of its worship gatherings) as intentionally intergenerational • Intentionally describe your church and it’s worship as intergenerational

to know older people who might be at home in the afternoons, they were carted away for overly organized play and sports activities.

They have been robbed of the opportunity to learn from people other than their peers, teachers, and parents.

Now, they are eager to fill in some gaps in their development.

Desegregating Worship Music Nothing defines the American church more at this historical juncture than its music. When we are asked what kind of church we attend, most often we describe the congregation’s worship, and we describe it in the all-to-familiar terms, traditional, contemporary, or blended perhaps with a qualifier such as “leaning toward.” Not unlike

The cold hard reality that younger people are doing exactly as they’ve been raised to do regarding worship has not yet occured to the congregation or clergy 14

volume 36 - number 2 | creatormagazine.com

generational segregation, worship in many churches is fully segregated, and many have accepted the notion that other options are not possible.

Yet when I talk with people about musical preferences, they have wideranging notions, and they act on these choices as they listen to music in their daily lives. For instance, the dozens of students I work with each day are open to all genres of music, and I haven’t in many years encountered a student who wasn’t open to explore music from popular culture, choral music from previous centuries, and the sounds of organs and brass.

Worship music entrenchment has resulted in a breach that deeply divided the church and a God whom we spend a life-time pursuing.

So why is it that we find ourselves with increasingly narrower music options in church? How did we get to this place and how do we take steps toward more diverse musical options?

Likewise, my baby boomer cohorts might attend a concert featuring a 60s band like Three Dog Night on Friday night and go to the symphony on Sunday afternoon – they are not willing to be boxed in by a single-genre musical diet in their daily lives. Why should we accept such a limited offering on Sunday?

For starters, I believe that we have failed to consider the longer-term implications of our decisions. Rather than considering fully what we might give up if we too easily disregard our historical musical roots, we have opted for the route of expediency rather than becoming more imaginative and creative.

Some might ask why should we desire a more well-rounded musical fare in Sunday’s worship? How would such musical diversity nurture our souls and equip us for greater service?

In the process, our view has become too narrow, and we failed to assess what might be gained and what might be lost

Through experiencing diverse music, the sound track of our faith starts to expand, and eventually our God becomes bigger, more inclusive, more capable, and eventually more trusted.

As we sing repetitive songs that may more readily lodge their words into our hearts and strophic songs with multiple stanzas that may take a lifetime to digest, we are able to view a God who both comes to us in the here-and-now

Similarly, we made assumptions about the broader culture without carefully considering and analyzing. For instance, while the culture has moved toward a more diverse and inclusive musical palate, many churches have streamlined their offerings.

Furthermore, when newer sounds began to find their way into the church several decades ago, rather than embracing diversity and considering the possibility that new winds of the spirit might be blowing, the church music establishment of the day entrenched themselves to fight this new music.

What resulted was a breach that deeply

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The answer is that when we sing the songs of people whose spiritual sound tracks are different from ours, we are able to experience God in new ways.

Standing along-side (literally or virtually) a Christian brother or sister and singing a song that deeply resonates with him or her presents us with the possibility that God’s voice might also start to resonate in us in ways that can be transformative.

Through singing songs transmitted from different time periods, shifted from different cultures, and relocated from a time when the church’s cultural and spiritual challenges might have been different, we have the possibility of seeing and hearing God in new ways.

by exploring a way that moves beyond the too-easy categories for which we settled.

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divided the church.

Desegregating

On the other hand, often lacking diverse musical skills, the musicians of the church were not prepared to lead in worship gatherings where a vast array of musical styles and genres were utilized. Lacking sound theological guidance from pastors and theologians and trustworthy liturgical direction from denominations and church leaders, decisions about the church’s music were left almost exclusively to those on the front lines who have persevered through what historically will likely be one of the church’s biggest liturgical shifts.

Worship Music

Obviously, any attempt to address a complex issue within the church in a few short paragraphs risks stripping a multidimensional matter down to what may appear simplistic. However, opening ourselves to broader dialogue is always a good beginning. For starters, let’s consider the following: • Develop Hybrids Let’s continue to nurture the practice of taking older texts, adding new refrains, and recasting them. This historically-used practice has brought many older texts into current awareness.

• Cultivate Relationships What if each of us were to develop a friendship intentionally with someone who leads worship in a congregation that is different from our current context? Imagine the individual growth that might occur within us and within our congregation.

• Teach New Songs What if those of us who lead worship each Sunday were to commit to introduce at least one new song per month over the next year from a musical palate far removed from our native musical language?

• Remember Old Songs What if those of us who lead worship each Sunday were to commit to utilize at least one song per month over the next year from the musical palate of the historically important repertoire of the saints gone before us?

• Learn New Musical Languages

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• Develop Hybrids • Cultivate Relationships • Teach New Songs • Remember Old Songs • Learn New Musical Languages • Expand Horizons

What if we intentionally were to begin to learn at least one new musical language and find a trusted mentor/teacher to guide us?

• Expand Horizons What if those of us who are choir directors and organists develop expertise to lead worship with a guitar, and what if guitar-led worship leaders developed skills to start a choir?

There are no quick fixes to any complex challenge that faces the church; however, if the many-hued God of the ages is to shine forth more brightly through the music of the church, we must begin the process of allowing the church’s music (through which God may be viewed) to express a fuller and ultimately bigger view of the God of all time, all people, all places, and all musics.

Crossing the Racial Divide I doubt that Dr. King could have imagined the small strides we’ve made in 50 years toward racially desegregating our houses of worship.

While we’ve made huge strides in most arenas of public life, I believe Dr. King’s 1968 observation is just as true today as it was then. While some churches are fully integrated, many (dare I say a majority) of our churches don’t look much different in terms of racial and ethnic diversity than they did 50 years ago. How can this be?

First of all, we must establish why worshiping with people who are different than we matters in the first place.

If everyone has the freedom to choose and houses of worship are open to everyone, what difference does it make if we choose to worship with others who look, act, and live as we?

While we could beg the question about whether all of our worship spaces are truly hospitable and open to all (and I’m not confident that they are in many parts of our country), we’ll start with the question, “What will heaven look like?”

If heaven is our ultimate destination, we would be well served to consider worship in heaven and work our way back to how worship in the here and now ought to look more like heaven than reflect our preferences and biases.

While all Christians believe that our ultimate gathering in the presence of Christ will be comprised of people from all walks of life and every corner of the earth, that belief seems to be more objective than personal.

In practice we fail to do what is necessary to bring about such a reality in our communities. With our world continually becoming more connected and our awareness of what others are doing increases, many people desire for their faith experiences to be more broadly connected rather than segregated, yet many churches are nearly homogenous.

Yet examining why churches are slow to change is important, particularly related to ethnic and cultural diversity.

Church is often identified with tradition, family memories, and rites of passage.

While these connections are strong in

Desegregating Racially Segregated Worship

“And we feel like in the end of our life on this earth, we all are gonna be blessed to be with the Lord. So it’s not gonna be any race, creed or color.

Everybody will be alike; so what we emphasize is let’s practice down here on how it’s gonna be when our spirit gets with Jesus. We always say, “If you can’t get along with your brothers and sisters down here, how you gone do when you get up in glory?” Are you even gonna be able to make it to Glory?” - Elmore Lewis, an African American man in Andalusia, Alabama in an interview for a local history project

Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Reading for Preaching

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most congregations, they tend to be especially meaningful where minority populations are required to sacrifice much of their ethnic and cultural heritage in daily life.

Church can thus be a haven of safety, familiarity, and preservation for some.

While our worship connects us to the cosmic history of God, our particular history of God’s work is often viewed through the lens of our experiences with our families and those closest to us.

Since churches are places that change slowly, they allow us to stay in touch with our cultural heritage.

Church change happens slowly, and it lags cultural change at large. Hence, while schools, restaurants, shopping venues, ballparks, and theatres have been racially integrated for decades, churches continue to trail other institutions. Church participation is sometimes sentimental, and we can easily fall into emotional traps of familiarity and memory. While our emotional connections are formidable, they may also hold

us back.

So what would have to change for churches to become more hospitable and welcoming? What can we do to move closer toward an image of all God’s people worshiping together in heaven and on earth. Here are a few suggestions: • We must begin by considering that to worship with people who are different than we allows for the possibility that as our relationships with others grow, our view of God expands. When we truly desire God, and we begin to fathom the enormity of God’s being, we are no longer content with a God who is made in the image of me and those whom I know. We then naturally seek others who, although different than we, are also made in God’s image and reflect God. • We must embrace leadership from a diverse group of people. All studies related to building multicultural congregations agree that people come to church desiring to see at least a

few people with whom they readily identify. This identification specifically must happen with those who lead us in worship – music leaders, proclaimers, readers, and prayer leaders.

• We must loosen the grips on our denominational affiliations when they hinder our progress toward racial and ethnic progress. Many denominations were built around their ethnic identity, and if we are to become more inclusive, we may need to start by re-imagining our denomination’s tenets.

• We must start to use a broader variety of music through which more people can identify. People often find their identity through music of diverse styles and genres. When we sing songs from different cultures and ethnic groups, the possibility of reaching out in hospitable ways increases.

• We must redefine preaching and proclamation. Since methods of proclaiming can be ethnically specific, re-imagining the way in which the Word is proclaimed is important. We might 2014 creatormagazine.com

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consider using multiple proclaimers in a single service, using media to assist with proclamation, employing a greater use of story and testimony, and more.

• We must come to grips with our biases and prejudices. Granted, all of us have blind spots, and a lifetime is too short to shine light on all of them. However, the process of change never launches from a place of denial.

Interestingly, having lived in three distinct location of the continental United States, different geographical regions practice racial segregation in different ways. However, while easy to recognize in others, it is difficult to see in ourselves.

Economically Segregated Worship American churches are often comprised of people with similar economic status – churches comprised of a healthy balance of poorer and richer are rare.

As a result, we often ignore the words of Christ to be present for and with those who have little and thus miss a primary mode of engaging with Christ himself. Highly controversial and quickly denied, economic segregation

Desegregating Rich Church/Poor Church • Move From Denial to Acceptance • Examine the Subtext – the words, symbols and design elements – of Your Service and Your Campus • Move Toward Economic Inclusiveness • Acknowledge and Practice Reciprocal Hospitality

is ultimately limiting to our development as followers of Jesus.

The economic segregation within American churches is widespread, deeply rooted, and valiantly defended.

While all segregation in worship is inter-related, few issues within churches have more power to elicit justification than discussions of economic status – particularly those that question our comfort – physically or emotionally.

Churches are often distinguished by how much money people make or how educated they are, and the two

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are often connected. Churches tend to be primarily comprised of people who are richer or people who are poorer.

A church with a healthy balance of parishioners from varied economic backgrounds is uncommon.

Why is this so? While the issue is complex – rooted historically and even theologically – allow me to begin the discussion through the following observations: • People like to be a part of groups where they are able to carry their fair share; however, the “fair share” of a wealthier church is not the same as a poorer church.

• People tend to choose worship spaces that are similar to the homes in which they live. You can usually tell the overall economic make-up and class division of congregations by observing the accouterments of their worship spaces.

• People often choose churches by whom they enjoy socializing with outside church. While the problems and challenges of the wealthy may be nearly equal to those of the poor, they are indeed different.

Your Choir und o S n ca Better!

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• The language we use in worship offers readily identifiable clues to our economic status. The stories we tell from the pulpit are windows into the economic values of those who worship there, and even the jokes we tell and our choice of humor can segregate. A key ingredient into language has to do with the assumptions we make about what is normal.

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• Buildings and worship spaces are filled with power objects that demonstrate opulence or simplicity.

Technology, sound systems, musical instruments, artwork and decorations,

furniture design, and overall facility upkeep reveal financial status.

• Outward appearance - building design, parking lots, and landscaping – offers insight into the economic circumstance of those who worship inside. What may be welcoming to some, may be a deterrent for others.

• Money represents power, and to worship with people who are lacking your primary source of power might be challenging. Likewise, for the poor to worship with those whom they perceive to be more powerful because of their economic status can also be perplexing, if not intimidating.

• Many do not want to acknowledge that economic segregation exists in our churches. Denial offers contentment.

• Many long-established congregations have chosen to leave their existing neighborhoods when the economic status of those who live nearby shifts.

While widespread, few have questioned this frequent practice. Yet, new church starts have seldom planted themselves in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Even leaders at the denominational level have encouraged and held this practice as a primary method of growth and expansion.

Further frustrating this already complicated issue is the reality that often wealthier people (even Christians) don’t want to be around poorer people, and poorer people don’t want to go to church with wealthier people. It is hard to level such unleveled places – even in the name of Christ.

A prime example has been the attempted desegregation of schools within our country. Even with the best attempts of the government and the courts, racial, economic, and education levels seem to follow predictable patterns.

Granted, the problem of economic disparity in our churches is deep and challenging. There are no easy answers.

Yet, to deny the current reality limits our ability effectively to be the presence of Christ in the world, and it hinders our capacity to worship within the broader love of Christ which should welcome and affirm all regardless of economic status.

What can we do? What options do we have?

For starters, move from denial to acceptance. Recognize that this challenge is widespread and stop justifying your actions and attitudes even if they represent your present congregation or your personal comfort level.

Secondly, ask questions about your church’s worship – What words do we use? What economic power symbols do we regularly employ? What messages are we sending through our building, our dress, our worship space, and other accouterments of our campus?

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Thirdly, begin to take small steps to move toward greater economic inclusiveness. Model inclusivity through who leads in worship – prayer leaders, liturgist, and others.

Fourth, employ inclusive musical choices. A wide variety of music has greater possibility to connect across differences.

Lastly, take steps to move beyond the misguided perception that the wealthy always serve the poor. A more realistic model is one in which we acknowledge that true hospitality is reciprocal; gifts are freely exchanged among all.

While difficult to see among our culturally misguided perspective that wealth and status trumps everything, we all need each other more than we may be able to fathom currently. Jesus’ admonition that he resides among the poor and the outcast is nevertheless undeniable.

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Gender Discrepancy in Worship Few places in our culture are more segregated in terms of gender equality than many churches. The progress of women’s leadership in business, politics, education, and nearly every strata of society seems to outpace the progress of the church as a whole. While some churches wholeheartedly affirm the role of women in full leadership, others cordon off certain leadership positions.

While not intended to disrespect churches who feel bound by conscience and their view of Scripture to make such a distinction, the subject of gender equality in our church’s worship should be regularly revisited. As we look toward the future, the role of women will continue to shift, and women will assume more powerful positions in all strata of leadership.

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Whether some churches choose to re-visit and update their stance on women’s leadership or not, the shift in culture’s acceptance of women’s roles will ultimately cause churches who do not accept women in leadership to reconsider their positions.

Worthy of note is the inconsistency with which churches affirm women.

Many are happy for women to teach children or to teach adults but hesitant for them to speak in a proclamatory way in a worship gathering. Others affirm women in leadership within the church staff but fall short in giving them the title of minister, relegating them to titles such as “director” or “coordinator.”

In terms of music, I have known churches who affirmed a woman’s working with the choir and rehearsing and leading them but didn’t allow her to lead the full congregation. Others have been content with a woman leading from the organ or piano bench but squeamish about a woman leading while standing in front of others.

for further reading • Worship is Not a Matter of Taste – Marva Dawn • Identifying Tensions Over Musical Style – Henry Schellenberg • Rethinking Blended Worship – Clell E Wright • Revising the Worship Playbook – Rev Greg Curtis • Preparing for Ministry in a Post-modern World: The Worship Driven Church – Robert Webber • Common Traits of Excellent Churches – Paul Wilkes • Worship Builds Sticky Communities – Patrick Smyth • The Myths of Contemporary Worship – Ken Gabrielse You can find many of these articles and/or buy the Worship Articles Compilation CD at http://cmag.ws/6k. All articles are available by calling 800-777-6713.

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Still other churches allow women to lead (even preach and proclaim) in overseas missions posts and even allow these same women to share about their experiences in a full congregational gathering, yet they retreat at the point of calling the presentation a sermon or referring to the delivery as preaching.

All the while, in nearly every church and denomination, there are women who teach (perhaps even with dozens of highly publicized videos) in a way not different from any preacher, yet they are relegated to some parallel track in terms of full congregational access to leadership.

While many other levels of worship segregation have all but dissipated, why does gender discrepancy persist so long? While churches from the liturgical leaning perspective have been more open and affirming to women and churches in the charismatic stream have fully embraced women (and even find them among their founders), churches between these poles have hesitated.

Why such a hesitation among those in the middle? Why have churches with more formal worship styles had a greater representation of women worship leaders than churches with guitar-led services?

What can we do to begin to diminish these gaps? Regardless of where our churches lie along the spectrum of acceptance of women in leadership, what roles should we play?

• Assess Traditions Likely all of us are more strongly impacted by tradition than we realize or acknowledge. Even college students with whom I work are keenly shaped by the practices of their relatively young lives, and they can be resistant to considering alternative options. Learning to ask good questions is the starting point. How old is the tradition?

Where did it originate? Is it still

Desegregating Gender Discrepancy

• Assess Traditions • Analyze Power • Explore Stereotypes • Acknowledge Fears • Think Theologically • Explore New Models • Take the Lead • Be Prepared • Begin Where You Are

valid? How could/should it be altered. Are the premises on which the tradition was constructed valid?

• Analyze Power Analyzing power begins with us. Each of us holds power, and power is an inevitable component of every relationship. We readily submit to power each day, and power is continually shifting from one person to another. When power becomes stagnant and ceases to shift and be exchanged, power becomes coercive and suppressive. What powers drive and control us? How readily do we submit to the powers of others?

How willing are we to share power? Are we insecure with our own power?

• Explore Stereotypes All of us are shaped by stereotypical behaviors, and over time, we begin to believe that stereotypes

for someone initially for a limited time. The church and its schools and seminaries must intentionally prepare women for leadership roles in order for women to be ready to move forward as positions and responsibilities become available.

Worthy of Note is the Inconsistency with which Churches affirm Women

• Begin Where You Are are true when in fact they may be bogus. In the past, some perceived women to be weak, frail, needy, and content in behind-the-scenes responsibilities. As we read such a list, we readily acknowledge the flawed thinking in such stereotypes.

However, failure to ponder intentionally the stereotypes that surround us causes us to be deceived by misinformation from the past.

• Acknowledge Fears All change is fearful, and even early adopters can be initially apprehensive to change. However, feeding our fears with misinformation prolongs our darkness and keeps us imprisoned. Often our fears are not based on truth, and they are only emotional responses fed by long-held perceptions. Conceding that our fears are “ours” and that we hold the power to explore their passionate control over us can be liberating.

tions? How have they moved from their past to their present position?

• Take the Lead When in a situation in which women are not affirmed appropriately, men must take the lead. In instances of unequal power, the less powerful person is unable to advocate for him/herself. Those who have power and position must advocate for those who deserve an equal seat at the table.

• Be Prepared Women who believe they are called to serve the church in leadership must be prepared and ready when the time comes. For many of us, our leadership was discovered and affirmed when we were able to step into a position to fill-in

All progress starts somewhere, and we must not fail to intentionally step toward a new reality even when where we currently find ourselves is a long way from where we might like to be. I serve in a church that is completely inclusive of women in leadership roles. Friends who visit our church’s worship are often not as surprised by the reality that a woman may be proclaiming from the pulpit as they are that women help to receive the offering, greet guests, read scripture, lead in prayer, and assist with the Lord’s Supper. Similarly, encouraging girls to play guitar and participate in youth led worship prepares them for future leadership.

Politics and Worship While few churches openly announce the political leanings of their members,

• Think Theologically While our concern for the role of women in leadership may be biblical, it may not be Jesus-like.

Certainly scripture can be read to exclude women from leadership in the church; however, the model of Jesus affirms full engagement of women in open discussion of God, and Jesus defied the conventions of his day regarding the role of women by the way in which he esteemed and related to women.

Viewing the Bible in terms of its foundational principles can help us to look deeper into its meaning.

• Explore New Models Whatever our church’s current practice, we all have much to learn by exploring the practices of other congregations and learning from them. What models for including women have been created and are being used by other congrega-

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many churches are comprised of members with similar political viewpoints. What are some drawbacks to this practice, and what might be gained from living our faith out within a more diverse body of believers?

Among many churchgoers, the political persuasions of their worship-going peers are assumed to be like their own.

Furthermore, in some congregations, correct political views are closely connected to being the “right” kind of Christian. For example, I have participated in guest leadership in churches in which members automatically assumed that my mere presence in their congregation assumed my political views.

More than once, I have been involved in conversations with parishioners in which they launched into politically loaded statements with the full assumption that our political views were alike – even when our political views were similar, the assumption is notable.

These conversations were not isolated or happenstance, and they seem to be based on the political uniformity that pervades many houses of worship in America.

How did we get to this point? Is living out our Christ journey in a politically homogeneous community healthy? Do Christians have something to gain from a politically diverse community of faith?

Desegregating Politics in Worship • Beware of Speech and Actions • Discuss the Benefits and Liabilities of Politically Charged Conversation • Examine Your Worship to Discern What Might Be Perceived as Political • Evaluate Whether Your Church’s Hall Talk Might Hinder Spiritual Growth

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Let’s start from the beginning. How is it that many churches became comprised of members with similar political persuasions?

While not really a part of my adult life, there seems to have been a historical time when politicians were willing to hammer out compromises, and the good of the group was perceived as more important than the idealism of the individual. However, it seems that members of faith communities (from

for context, we discovered that one of his teachers required the class to fill out an on-line survey meant to analyze their ideas on a number of subjects to determine the category of their political views. While such an exercise may seem innocuous to some, it does start a process that labels and categorizes.

Here are some considerations of how political uniformity may inhibit us as Christians:

Moving Past Easy Stereotypes and Assumptions Requires Work all political perspectives) became involved politically in issues that closely intersected with our faith, and the traditional lines that separated the church and politics became blurred.

For the purposes of this article, the subject of separation of church and state is far too complex, and it has already been thoroughly examined by others. Therefore, we will explore why living out our faith in Christ in a politically diverse community might be a rich and meaningful exercise.

Regardless of our convictions that our political persuasions are “right” and “Christian,” it is enlightening to hear others who are also “Christian” share their views. As a result of such political dialogue, we have a choice – we can dig deeper in our pursuit of God and the teaching of Jesus or we can demonize others as ignorant or misinformed.

Moving past the easy stereotypes and assumptions that often accompany political perspectives requires work and investment; however, the outlay of time and energy is worth the investment since assigning labels may allow us to side step the more important issues that underlie our political affinities.

Stereotyping often robs us of nuanced conversation, and it may inhibit the possibility that we might find richer Christ perspectives in these unexpected places.

Just last week our high school sophomore son came home from school and asked his mother and me if our family were liberals or conservatives. After avoiding a ready answer and digging

• Political uniformity in a faith community keeps us from hearing the stories of others and understanding why they believe as they do. We are robbed of assigning meaning based on lives lived rather than stereotypes.

• Political uniformity within congregations may rob us of sharing our faith with those who view the world differently. For instance, allowing a negative view of President Obama to creep into our hall talk at church can easily snub those who are in need of health care and looking for the opportunity for affordable insurance. Conversely, openly expressing a positive view of the President and his political party could cause a person with dislike of the president’s initiatives to miss the God stories that should propagate church conversation.

• Having any conversation about a politically charged topic (even in church) should only be attempted among people who have established a significant body of trust and maturity. Political discussions tend toward emotionalism, and they often lack rational thought that might characterize other civil discourse. Discussing politics in an emotionally charged environment runs the risk of overlooking important issues while opting for clichés and over simplifications.

• Spending trusted God-time with people who think differently than we can cause us to think more deeply about issues and turn to God to guide us toward answers to question that we are tempted to mark off as “already answered.” When our answers regarding political questions too readily

match those with whom we most closely associate, we may pass off our answers too easily as God’s answers when in fact they might not be.

• Lastly, practicing a high level of political charity may actually become a spiritual exercise from which most of us could readily benefit. While my personal tendency is to avoid any political conversation, I have often found myself challenged toward deeper prayer and reflection when I have earnestly considered new perspectives based on the stories of those who held views different from mine.

having a political assumption or intent.

2. Spend some time with others in your congregation discussing the possible benefits and liabilities of politically charged conversation.

3. Carefully analyze your church’s worship to discern what might be perceived by an outsider as “political.”

4. Sit vicariously in the position of someone whose political views are different from yours, and find ways in which your church’s hall talk, small group gatherings and worship speech might be a hindrance to someone else’s spiritual growth.

In the final analysis, the church’s foray into political involvement may have ended up weakening the prophetic role to which we are called. By concentrating Desegregating Gender energy on political agendas, we may have missed a more important message Identities in Worship that the study of scripture and concenFinally, we need to explore the issue trated prayer might have yielded. of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and As we move forward, I challenge you to transgender (LBGT) individuals and their exclusion from many of our churches. consider the following possible steps: 1. Begin by being aware of speech and action within your congregation that can be perceived as

While most churches state that they are open to all people and that they accept people as they are, their stance toward

people with non-mainstream sexual and gender identities may not be included in their definition of “acceptance.”

While the culture at large is moving at an unprecedented pace to affirm the LBGT community, many churches tacitly pretend that a societal shift is not occurring.

Nothing is likely more controversial in the church than the church’s stance on lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender individuals (LGBT), and in many congregations discussion of this topic is off-limits. To raise the question of the church’s inclusion of the LGBT community among some Christians may be to risk being stereotyped and viewed with suspicion.

Perhaps no topic among churchgoing people today is more emotionally laden, polarizing, and potentially divisive as the role and inclusion of LGBT individuals and families into the life of the church. While a network of churches openly affirms people with different sexual and gender identities and accepts gay and lesbians, in a vast majority of churches, people hope that no openly gay people will want to come

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to their churches so that they are able to pretend that this complicated issue does not exist.

Societal shifts in the affirmation of lifestyle choices for LGBT individuals have quickly accelerated since Massachusetts was the first state to allow same-sex marriage in 2004. With eighteen states currently allowing same-sex marriage and more states on target either to affirm same-sex marriage or be caught in court battles over its legality, the pattern seems to be set.

Recently, Michael Sam of the University of Missouri Tigers made a nationally televised announcement of his gay identity, which made him the first gay football player to be a draft pick for the National Football League. His announcement was followed days later with over 1000 fans forming a protective barrier between Westboro Baptist Church’s anti-gay protesters and Sam as he returned to the school to receive the 2014 Cotton Bowl trophy.

While many states have fallen in line to support gay marriage and University of Missouri fans have supported their gay athlete, churches have been reticent to affirm people with non-heterosexual identities and those who do not assume traditional male and female gender roles.

To be fair toward churches who do not affirm the LGBT community,

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this sector of worship segregation is clearly more complex than other segregated components of the church’s life addressed in this series because for many, affirming a lifestyle outside heterosexual and mainstream gender identity is clearly sinful behavior and in need of repentance. While most churches embrace the long-held adage “Love the sinner, hate the sin,” fully embracing individuals with sexual and gender identities outside the mainstream seems to embrace not just the sinner but also the sin itself.

At the core of the discussion seems to be the theological issue of whether homosexuality is indeed against the Bible’s teaching. While some interpreters might question the validity of asking such a question when they believe the biblical narrative asserts straightforwardly that homosexuality is sinful, other Christians would raise questions about cultural norms. For example, do the biblical writers assume that lesbian and gay and bisexual individuals are choosing to behave sexually in ways that they know are unnatural for them?

Many gay and lesbian people assert that their sexual identity is part of who they are and is not chosen. They question how God could restrict people’s sexual activities and gender identities when they are responding authentically to the biological blueprint that they were given at birth. Likely some of these issues may remain unresolved until they are explored more fully by theologians, scientists, and sociologists.

What exactly is at stake with the question of full acceptance of LGBT individuals and families into the mainstream of the life of the church? Why is this topic so laden with emotional intensity? Why does this subject often transcend logic or rational thought?

According to some who study the future of the church, the full acceptance of the gay and lesbian community within mainstream Christian faith will signal that the last bastion of modernity has collapsed – the world as many older adults have known it will have passed. Author and speaker, Phyllis Tickle, writes in The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why,

“Of all the fights, the gay one must be – has to be – the bitterest,

because once it is lost, there are no more fights to be had. It is finished.

Where now is authority?”

of a group. Risking the possibility of a quick descent down a slick path upon which they are unable to return to a previously held perception of normalcy often results in groups’ choosing not to venture into positions that they might otherwise embrace.

Tickle is referring to the specific meaning of the authority of Scripture on which many Christians depend fully for determining their private beliefs and those of their faith community. In other words, full acceptance of gays and lesbians into the life of the church will signal a departure from the literal interpretation of the Bible; hence, truth will be once and for all contextual.

Among faith communities, the idea of the “slippery slope,” is extremely threatening. This is the idea that giving in to a single practice or belief will automatically launch the group into yet-to-be imagined additional forfeiture of its ideals and moorings.

The fear that the slippery slope engenders often determines the actions

Brand new!

Therefore, for some Christians to move in the direction of any acceptance of the LGBT community is to board a sled moving rapidly down an unending snow-covered mountain. While some would label such fears as unfounded, others see fully developed reality.

What can be gained through the church’s exploration and discussion of the issues introduced here? Why is it important for the church to spend time discussing the harder issues of our current cultural milieu?

1. Failing to discuss difficult issues will not make them go away. Even if we

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choose to remain safely out of sight and hearing distance of those who espouse a different perspective, the issues remain, and the momentum can continue to build as we retreat. Civil discussions in a timely manner always reap better benefits than overly impassioned discourse in times of crisis.

2. Hearing the stories of those who believe differently than we always offers the potential for God to speak to us in new ways. Sharing our perspective and the reasons why we believe as we believe offers the possibility of expanding our imaginations toward the God that we serve.

3. Angry and non-inclusive rhetoric has the ability to drive people away from Christ rather than toward him.

Even when our beliefs are strong and long-held, stating them in loving and non-polarizing ways offers the possibility of building bridges that may transcend our human abilities to love and accept.

NEW MUSIC FOR FALL Visit our website to see sample music pages and listen to audio tracks of our latest offerings for your choir.

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www.morningstarmusic.com 2014 creatormagazine.com

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4. Regardless of our perspective, acknowledging our biases allows us the possibility of genuine dialogue with others. Most of us are not capable of accurately seeing our own blind spots without the assistance of others who hold views different from ours.

Choosing to befriend and converse with people whose views are different from ours may be the only possibility for shining light into the dark spaces that we protect. Misunderstandings, stereotypes, and assumptions are rampant on all sides of this issue, and our best hope is in finding spaces where, through genuine understanding, the walls can start to crumble.

5. Explore models of change and reconciliation that have been successful and those that have failed in other times in which the church has been divided over major cultural issue – consider slavery and civil rights. How did the church respond as Christ might?

What actions did the church take that were inappropriate and for which it had to repent? How has history treated the divisive moments of our past? Consider what it might have been like to be on the “wrong” side of a historical issue, and imagine the possibility that because we too are living in the midst of this present reality, our perspective could also be skewed.

6. Live in love. At the end of the day, actions other than those that respond out of genuine love for others will not reflect Christ. fine

Your Select 20 Anthem CHECKLIST

2014

Here’s a “done for you” list of suggested anthems for the rest of the Sundays in 2014. These are all Select 20 Anthems that, for the most part, have earned a Highly Recommended rating from Creator’s editorial board. Special Sundays are highlighted in red. These anthems fit with the lectionary reading for each Sunday, but they can be used without reference to the readings. Just copy this list, check the boxes of the anthems you need, and send it to your favorite music supplier. q 07/06/14 The Whisper Craig Courtney Beckenhorst BP1967 q 07/13/14 A Debtor to Mercy Alone John Hudson Beckenhorst BP1941 q 07/20/14 You Are There Glenn Pickett Hal Leonard 08754493 q 07/27/14 Neither Death Nor Life Jonathan Cructchfield MorningStar MSM-50-9820 q 08/03/14 God bestows on each one a name Fred Gramann ECS 7330 q 08/10/14 Deep Waters Peper Choplin Beckenhorst BP1636 q 08/17/14 You Are Jehovah arr. Cliff Duren Lifeway 6-34337-252605 q 08/24/14 I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me arr. Ron Smail Cypress CP1152 q 08/31/14 I Shall See Michael John Trotta MorningStar MSM-50-8092 q 09/07/14 A Covenant Prayer Dan Forrest Hinshaw HMC2289 q 09/14/14 Every Knee Shall Bow David Rasbach Beckenhorst BP1960 q 09/21/14 Manna From Heaven arr. Richard Kingsmore Lifeway 1-4158-3137 q 09/28/14 Exaltation Jan Sanborn Fred Bock BG2332 q 10/05/14 World Wide Communion With This Bread, With This Wine Ken Medema Jubilate 0 80689 20523 1

q 10/12/14 Seek the Lord Craig Courtney Lorenz 10/3770L q 10/19/14 God is Here! Joel Raney Hope C5791 q 10/26/14 The Gift of Love Hal Hopson Agape HH3922 q 11/02/14 All Saints This Must Be Grace Jay Rouse PraiseGathering A08665 q 11/09/14 Soon and Very Soon arr. Jack Schrader Hope C952 q 11/16/14 Every Good Gift James M Stevens GlorySound D5805 Randall Bradley is the

Director of the Baylor Center for Christian Music Studies and Church Music. He is also Minister of Worship at Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, Texas.

q 11/23/14 Christ the King Make a Joyful Noise Lee Dengler Augsburg 978-1-45145165-8

q 11/30/14 Advent 1 O Come, Redeemer of the Earth arr. Richard Nichols Fred Bock BG2593

q 12/07/14 Advent 2 Every Valley John Ness Beck Beckenhorst BP1040 q 12/14/14 Advent 3 O Come All Ye Faithful Dan Forrest Beckenhorst CU1011 q 12/21/14 Advent 4 Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis arr. Sheldon Curry Alfred 39120 q 12/24/14 Christmas Eve To Bethlehem Bob Burroughs Augsburg 978-1-4514-2407-2 q 12/28/14 Psalm 148 arr. Richard Nichols SoundForth 270207

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volume 36 - number 2 | creatormagazine.com

now trending on

creatormagazine.com

What Happened to Church Music?

An article that asks and answers the question “What should music be like in your church?”

3 Worship Ministry Mindsets How practice, rehearsal, and worship relate to me, us, and them in your ministry...

http://cmag.ws/lt http://cmag.ws/ka

4 Ways to Get Your Congregation to Sing Your congregation can be engaged in singing during corporate worship...

http://cmag.ws/m9

Twitter Feed We’ve found that twitter is a great way to find people and information in the areas of our interest. Twitter shouldn’t be intimidating, but its primary ground rule – no post can be more than 140 characters – does take some getting used to.

The good news? You don’t have to spend much time to find out whether something is important to you. The bad news? You can’t always tell if people’s intentions are good. Here are some suggestions of people we find add value to our lives via twitter.

@Creatornow first notice of new articles at Creator’s website @DougLaw Doug Lawrence tweets about church music and worship @gettymusic news and information from Keith and Kristyn Getty @hughballou Hugh Ballou tweets about transformational leadership @iwsfla tweets from the Webber Institute for Worship Studies @Marcuson Margaret Marcuson tweets about Money and Ministry @MSMPublishers what’s new and interesting from MorningStar Music @paulbaloche tweets from the well-known singer-songwriter @PhiferSteve Steve is the voice of The Worship Renewal Center @thesingerlink network with singers and directors all over the planet @vernsanders Creator’s publisher finds interesting things on the net @TimothySharp tweets from the Executive Director of ACDA

@WorshipStudioMM Marcia McFee writes about worship

Cooking Up Collaboration A how-to recipe for getting people to work together for the good of a ministry...

http://cmag.ws/hm

2014 creatormagazine.com

27

by William

Belan

music

F

or the last 16 years, I

Church have been director of music for a church in the heart of urban Los Angeles. Prior to this current position I have been more-or-less (mainly more) steadily employed in church music since 1970, and for numerous congregations and in multiple denominations.

While a choral-studies student, and subsequently as a choral director and teacher, my view has been that choirs clearly function in three main contexts: education, church music, and community not-for-profit organizations. I have

In church music, and lo for all these many years I have spent many a Sunday morning in church, arriving early for choir preparation and leaving late after coffee time. We all know that as a church musician there is not a “day of rest” in the seven days to the week.

My church is located in what was formerly the most affluent church area in Los Angeles. With urban flight all of these huge churches have experienced serious decline in membership, but the campuses have not gotten smaller.

Therefore, we are a little group in

survives and will likely continue to do so into the foreseeable future.

The 3 Choir Music Ministry With a small choir, one that functions more like a vocal arts ensemble than a traditional “I point, you sing” choir, we have created a rather special place for choral music and singing in the church.

We have placed an emphasis on Thursday rehearsals, creating a special bond in weekly rehearsal that we then convert to public leadership in Sunday service.

on Sunday we assume our role as one of three choirs in the church at-large chosen to be professionally involved in all three in order to differentiate between the required work of each sector, and to learn to be effective in the leadership of each.

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volume 36 - number 2 | creatormagazine.com

a very large building, one that is distinguished by both its history and its architecture. With the help of multipledenomination rentals as well as long-term real estate deals the church

Rehearsal is our time, while service is OUR time. Rehearsal is a nuclear-family dinner, while Sunday service is our family reunion. The two setting are differentiated, and necessarily so. At

rehearsal we work in a unique way, to learn and polish, to prepare to lead by example. We share a very common mission and learn to appreciate each other on individual terms.

On Sunday we assume our role as one of three “choirs” in the church at-large.

As the rehearsed choir we prepare and lead hymn singing, frequently adding musical content to the hymns for congregational interest. We sing choral responses to enhance pre-determined rituals in the service. And we offer our special choral selections that are more complex than group singing, and more fully rehearsed.

Chalice Choir knows that we fit into a larger musical scheme that includes a “community choir” and the congregation itself. Every six weeks we invite any member of the congregation to join for that Sunday. We begin our choir preparation 30 minutes earlier and rehearse an anthem which is easily accessible, frequently drawing from folk literature or quickly recognized songs. I

arrange to have invited instrumentalist join us, and we create a kind of improvisation that makes the music sound very good as well as insuring the experience to be rewarding. Without any further commitment than this one pre-service rehearsal the “community choir” has become a welcomed event for many.

And our third “choir” is the congregation, and we call it that, the “congregational choir.” We pursue an ongoing process to educate and to encourage the congregation to sing.

For example, we regularly draw attention to the spectacular information that is printed in the hymn book: the title of the tune; the poetic syllable count for re-texting; the composer of the original tune; the original poet or any other poet who may have rewritten the hymn text. This is interesting information and draws the congregation closer to the hymn. We encourage what the well-known song leader, Nick Page, calls “no-fault” harmony. In his words, “Pick a harmony note, and if you don’t like it pick another note.”

fine

William Belan has

served on the music faculty at California State University Los Angeles since 1980. In addition to his academic and church work, Dr. Belan also serves as director of the Roger Wagner Center for Choral Studies, which provides materials and workshops for choral professionals. He keeps an active schedule as guest lecturer, adjudicator, and consultant to not-for-profit organizations. Dr. Belan is also the founder and director of a collaborative project at the Library of Congress: American Choral Music: 1870-1923.

2014 creatormagazine.com

29

by Jim Altizer

last page

classroom crusade or community

F

rom time to time I ask

myself, “What does it really mean to do Church?” We Evangelicals don’t miss a chance to present the Gospel; we even use our very few holidays (holy days) to evangelize rather than to celebrate. We also seat ourselves as though we were in a classroom, and are careful to fill in each blank in the bulletin outline. To me, it does not feel much like a gathering of the Ecclesia: the called-out ones.

Some who read this might think I don’t like evangelism or sermons. The truth is that I like both; they’re just not the main reason I go to Church on Sunday.

In the early Community of Believers, sharing the Word of God (Revelation) was frequently communal, as was everything else. I understand that some Scripture requires explanation, but is it possible that a sermon may not be required or effective every week? (Educational research reveals that lecture is the least effective form of teaching.)

I go to church to celebrate the reason worship services switched from Saturday to Sunday

I go (or want to go) for the three “R’s” of corporate worship: corporate revelation, corporate response and corporate reenactment (these are the things that demand my actual presence). I go to celebrate the reason worship services switched from Saturday to Sunday: the Resurrection!

Unbelievers will, and should, be present (1 Corinthians 14:23), and Faith will be grown through hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). I’m just wonder-

30

ing whether evangelism, or a sermon, should be the focus of the gathering.

volume 36 - number 2 | creatormagazine.com

Perhaps we have become complacent (read “uncreative”) when dealing with God’s Word, and need a new paradigm; one that does not narrowly define worship as “music;” one in which the Pastor is the main worship leader.

Not only should we teach Scripture, we should also read it; sing it; recite it; portray it; repeat it; meditate on it; relay it through the Arts; reenact it through the Sacred actions and Symbols; express it through all forms of Media.

Dr. Jim Altizer serves as Coordinator, M.A. Pastoral Studies, Worship Leadership at Azusa Pacific Univesity.

Then the Community of Believers will have something to which they can corporately and appropriately respond (read “worship”). Perhaps the Church will feel more like a Community. By the way, Seekers want to belong to a Community!

So I ask you: is your church a crusade, a classroom, or a community? fine

TM

TM

TM

TM

TM

In each issue we give one church musician or worship leader a chance to have their say. There are no restrictions on topic here (other than the obvious ones of slander, libel, and silliness). If you’d like to contribute your thoughts email us at creator@creatormagazine.com.

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these are our stories... these are our songs...

a Church Musician is a high calling for me.

Being One hundred years from now we all will be a part of the history of church music--the “story” of church music. Like

our predecessors, we all have our role to play. Some are composers, some are lyricists. Some are paid directors while others are volunteer choir members or accompanists. Some sing solos from the platform and others sing God’s praises from the back row of the congregation. And, like our predecessors, our calling is to carry the “song” forward for the next generation. Whatever the role, our contribution will only be fully understood by those who look back on what we planted, nurtured, and passed on to them.

The story of church music started before the birth of Christ and will continue until we are all singing at His throne in Heaven.

For me, just being called to play a part at all is the most important thing. This is why I am proud to be a Church Musician.

Richard A. Nichols Composer, Choral Director, Greer, South Carolina Get to know more about Richard Nichols and a free packet of his music at FredBock.com/richardanichols

moving our heritage forward...

FredBock.com/richardanichols

RichardNichols.indd 1

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