Question:
Yep- we've all been through it. Now it's my turn.

After more than a decade of leading the worship at our church I have grown weary of the snide comments from "anonymous" members of the congregation, passed on by our "well meaning" pastor who happens to feel the same way. I am tired of moving the altar, piano, communion rails apart so that there is room for a lone guitar player with the choir. The guy running the sound board says "I can't hear you", while the pastor tells me "some members say you play too loud".

There are members within the church who keep me up with lots of positive feedback, who keep asking "how can we atract the youth unless you keep pushing the modern worship music?" "Please keep it up" they say, but none will speak to our pastor about how he built a church that ministers to the post-retirement community.

Yeah I sound like a pity party today. My appologies, as I am usually very excited about my role in the ministry. For about the last 4 years I thought we had a good handle on the whole blended worship thing. Any suggestions are welcome, but a break isn't possible right now.
Answer:
Originally Posted by RainCaster Yep- we've all been through it. Now it's my turn.

After more than a decade of leading the worship at our church I have grown weary of the snide comments from "anonymous" members of the congregation, passed on by our "well meaning" pastor who happens to feel the same way. I am tired of moving the altar, piano, communion rails apart so that there is room for a lone guitar player with the choir. The guy running the sound board says "I can't hear you", while the pastor tells me "some members say you play too loud".

There are members within the church who keep me up with lots of positive feedback, who keep asking "how can we atract the youth unless you keep pushing the modern worship music?" "Please keep it up" they say, but none will speak to our pastor about how he built a church that ministers to the post-retirement community.

Yeah I sound like a pity party today. My appologies, as I am usually very excited about my role in the ministry. For about the last 4 years I thought we had a good handle on the whole blended worship thing. Any suggestions are welcome, but a break isn't possible right now.
is it possible to gather a couple of these members who give positive feedback, the sound guy, the pastor, and maybe some elders to talk about this?
Have you tried taking (excuse me for lack of a better phrase) the "post-retirement" or "old"-like songs and make them more lively, upbeat and modern?
churches will never work perfectly... because as long as they have people in them, there will be problems. The best suggestion I can make is to remain humble and don't be a people pleaser. Just do what you feel lead to do,.. hence the LEADER part of leading worship.
You're not out there to make people happy. You're there to lead them into worship, their response is completely their choice; to concentrate on the worship or complain about the music.
You can't please everyone, so I suggest that you just talk to them about this... try to find some kind of middle ground between the 'post-retirement' type music, and attracting some of the youth with more modern music.
blessings
Swank
Answer:
"who keep asking "how can we atract the youth unless you keep pushing the modern worship music?" "Please keep it up" they say,"
"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Chris Tomlin"
Wait. thats not right.
Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Worship music is hardly your best evangelical tool.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Insane Drummer Worship music is hardly your best evangelical tool.
I don't believe anyone has said it was so..
I think you really have to consider the average 12-18 year-old. When you were, say, 15 years-old, did you like music? yeah,.. probably like most teenagers today.. and I think that if you really want to attract the youth, music is your best bet.
take this example... would you rather eat a peice of chocolate or eat asparagas? One is most definitely more beneficial to your body... but you would most likely enjoy the chocolate better, no?
anway... that wasn't really the topic of this thread..
Swank
Answer:
Originally Posted by Swanky I don't believe he said it was... and I think you really have to consider the average 12-18 year-old. When you were, say, 15 years-old, did you like music? yeah,.. probably like most teenagers today.. and I think that if you really want to attract the youth, music can do that..
take this example... would you rather eat a peice of chocolate or eat asparagas? One is most definitely more beneficial to your body... but you would most likely enjoy the chocolate better, no?
anway... that wasn't really the topic of this thread..
Swank
I've been playing worship music since I was 15, in my experience it really didn't attract crowds at all. We have a hard enough time trying to get people in our youth group into anything but hip-hop for the most part.
Depends, I might just take the asparagus becuase it very good, and I only like some chocolate. Speaking of food, food is a FAR better evangelical tool in my experience, about half our youth group came to the church for free food. 0 came because of the music.
Oh and suggestions. I think a worship team Bible study or prayer meeting would be good.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Insane Drummer I've been playing worship music since I was 15, in my experience it really didn't attract crowds at all. We have a hard enough time trying to get people in our youth group into anything but hip-hop for the most part.
Depends, I might just take the asparagus becuase it very good, and I only like some chocolate. Speaking of food, food is a FAR better evangelical tool in my experience, about half our youth group came to the church for free food. 0 came because of the music.
haha.. food works wonders as well. So you're saying food is a better evangelical tool than music, and music can be a better evangelical tool than a lot of other things... so really.. there is no evangelical tool that works universally. Basically, you just have to evaluate who you're dealing with, and try to accomodate their interests.
However this does not work in a worship leading position because of the number of people you would have to accomodate. It's just not practical. The best you can do is follow the spirit's lead and pray pray pray about what you're doing.
Swank
Answer:
Originally Posted by Insane Drummer "who keep asking "how can we atract the youth unless you keep pushing the modern worship music?" "Please keep it up" they say,"
"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Chris Tomlin"
Wait. thats not right.
Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Worship music is hardly your best evangelical tool.
The person who started this thread is looking for encouragement and support, not comments that pick apart his post.
Answer:
A recent thread has some helpful suggestions about making hymns more stylistically palatable to "younger" ( whatever you define that as ) folks. (It also had a few not so helpful tirades )
/forum...ad.php?t=77339
Keeping to your request, I think that one of the ways to build bridges between the hymn singing generations and the praise and worship generations is through at least the occasional use of contemporized hymns.
Answer:
Listen to the music coming from the cars around you in traffic. What do you hear? I bet it doesn't have a pipe organ, and you can count on it having a beat. (Usually enough beat to rattle license plates, but that is another story...) No I don't expect the music to draw a younger crowd, that doesn't heppen. I don't want all the music to be geared to such an older crowd that we alienate the young families who come through our doors. That is the challenge of blended worship.

BTW, I took 3 days off last week and spent them crawliing through the attics of our church, and hanging off scaffolding. The goal? to install a new sound system with more natural voicing that will appeal to ALL ages. When done, it was great; +/- 2db level difference anywhere in the sanctuary. No echoes or obtrusive speaker towers. We did several traditional 4 part choir pieces this Sunday to showcase the new sound system, and the response was overwhelmingly in favor. Although there was this one older gent (who sits through the service with his arms folded each Sunday) who told me the music was "painfully loud". No, I won't give up- in spite of such discouraging messages.

At the instrumental practice Sunday night we started experimenting with some contemporized traditional pieces, and it was a lot of fun. Some of those songs may see the light of day. John Wesley with a Lynnard Skynnard flare.
Answer:
I have been in a service where a contemporized version of Holy, Holy, Holy was followed by some awesome moments of absolute silence, in a congregation of mixed races and ages. Reverence for God and the presence of God was very evident at that time.
Those moments are all too rare, but I hope and pray,especially given your diligence you experience similar events.
Answer:
Thank you for your kind words.
Answer:
Originally Posted by astrummer I have been in a service where a contemporized version of Holy, Holy, Holy was followed by some awesome moments of absolute silence, in a congregation of mixed races and ages. Reverence for God and the presence of God was very evident at that time.
Isn't planned silence a powerful thing? So often we think we always have to be doing something, sometimes doing nothing is what it takes to really meditate on God and worship Him for His glory.
Raincaster-
I just want to encourage you. You know as well as the rest of us, there will probably always be someone who doesn't like what you do. There's not a whole lot you can do about it. To me, it doesn't sound like you are being selfish in your playing, doing things that are blatently distracting or offensive.
I'm sure the thought has hit you, but lift it up to God in prayer. Ask His will, and listen.
I tend to get a chuckle out of such things, as a teen worship leader for my Sr. High, I was always asked to make things more rock and roll esque. then on Sunday mornings, I have to tone it down for the main service.
I hope and pray that your situation will reach resolution and your service to God may be a joy and blessing to you.
Answer:
Originally Posted by georgeo Isn't planned silence a powerful thing? So often we think we always have to be doing something, sometimes doing nothing is what it takes to really meditate on God and worship Him for His glory.

Silence. Hmmm. This is an interesting concept and one I will try soon. Thanks to all who have responded.
Answer:
Originally Posted by RainCaster "how can we atract the youth unless you keep pushing the modern worship music?" Preaching the Gospel?
Answer:
Hmm, maybe I should temper that response with a bit more thinking.
I really don't like this attitude that the only way to reach youth is through modern worship music. It's not true, first of all, and it's contrary to the Bible. God has said that His Word will not return void, and it will accomplish what He sends it to do. Therefore, it's not your responsibility to bend church services about what attracts youth, or what attracts anyone else for that matter. Doing that usually leads to compromising the mission of the church.
That being said, it sounds like the attitude of those opposed to your playing on stage isn't much better, and they need to learn something about Gospel-driven thinking also.
Oh, and I don't know what you should do to fix the problem (other than have a Gospel-driven attitude), sorry.