I've gone through this process and put in my two cents worth (and more), and lo and behold, we have a new music director. The priest was already outstanding.
A Biblical Walk Through the Mass by Edward Sri (Book Review) [Ecumenical]
Posted on 01/13/2014 6:41:11 AM PST by Gamecock
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Lutheran Baby Boomer,
Hi.
Sir.
Ma’am.
I hear you say a lot of things about people my age in the church, people 30 and under. I hear you say them and I really am listening–mostly–but in my head, I’m usually thinking, ”WHAT?” and “Aw heck.” and “Here we go again.”
That’s because you’re being silly.
It’s silly to say, “Our church needs to cater to the younger crowd.” No, you don’t. You are not the crowd whisperer. The crowd either (a) wants the good stuff, so there’s no need to cater, or (b) isn’t going to like the good stuff whether you cater to it or not. This isn’t grade school. You don’t have to try to be hip and cool so that others will like you. Just be you. Be Lutheran. It’s quite freeing.
Plus, when you start catering, you make yourself inconsequential because you’re just like everybody else. When you don’t cater, you stand out from the crowd. And as a Here-I-Stand kind of Lutheran, I am all about being the salmon swimming against the cultural current. And hey. You’re a boomer. Wasn’t your generation the one that made its name by sticking it to the man?
It’s also silly to say things like, “Churches should be more relaxed. Young people like relaxed.” I don’t. I don’t want my church relaxed. If I wanted it relaxed, I’d go to a spa to worship. Or Applebee’s. Or my couch. I want my church at full attention, because it ought to be, because Jesus is actually there, present among us in the Divine Service, and that is a big.freaking.deal.
It’s silly to say, “Well, that Methodist church down the road does . . .” That’s lovely. Let the Methodists be Methodists and the Baptists be Baptists. Methodists aren’t Baptists, and Baptists aren’t Methodists. Lutherans don’t do what the Methodists are doing . . . because Lutherans aren’t Methodists.
It’s silly to say, “If something doesn’t change, this church is going to close.” It might close. You’re right. But that doesn’t mean anything about the church itself is wrong or needs to change. Why do we always assume the problem is with the church and never with us?
It’s silly, no, it’s really annoying when people say, “You went to the seminary and did all that work, and now you’re not a pastor? We really need more roles for women in the church.” Actually, I went to the seminary to learn about why Lutherans DON’T believe women should be pastors, and I’ll be the loudest proponent of a male-only, biblical model of the Office of the Holy Ministry you’ll ever meet. Women have pa-lenty to do in the church. Just because the jobs may not be flashy or because society says women should be breaking glasses ceilings doesn’t mean we need to create new work that the men really should be doing. And don’t get me started on my rant about how men don’t man up in church. Because that’s silly too.
I know you care about your church; that’s why you’re trying to drum up things to change about it. You want it to do well, to thrive, and you have good intentions.
But if anything is misunderstood here, it’s not hipsters. It’s the Church. The true Church will keep right on doing what she’s been doing for thousands of years–preaching the Gospel, teaching the faith, administering the Sacraments–whether you try to change things or not. She’ll do her forgiveness thing, and she’ll be good at it.
And in the meantime, we’ll just be here . . . being silly. The variable is us. Will we ever stop fretting about change and numbers and youth and AGH! long enough to sit back in the pew, forget about what time brunch at the country club starts, and simply receive what God has to give? We ought to. We better.
The Lord knows what He’s doing. The Church is His. He will safeguard it, guide it, and do with it as He sees fit. So let’s lay off all the unnecessary and silly little fixes, shall we? Instead, let’s go to the spa or Applebee’s, have ourselves a pedicure or a beer, and revel in what our Lord does well . . . because there’s a lot of it.
All of it, really.
You coming?
Sincerely,
A Concerned Millenial
Try this on for size: Just be you. Be [Baptist, Presbyterian, or any other denomination]. It’s quite freeing.
Ping...
It's the attitude we've (our independent, fundamental) congregtion has had since I've been here (18+ years) and we refuse to change.
I can only hope there ARE millrnials that feel/think this way.
He may want to address his comments to a wider audience though. The youngest boomers are 52 years old.
Culture changes. The church needs to change with the culture to relate to the people in the culture. Since they are part of the culture, this should not be a problem. Now, if it violates the bible, that’s different.
I’m sixty and the hymns they sing in my church drive me nuts. I’d like music I could more relate to. And some of those hymns are musically (and lyrically) pretty bad. And there is one hugely miss-translated word in the KJV that has found itself into every third or fourth song in our hymnal: Mansion. I cringe every time I see it.
It’s ok for a church to change within it’s culture, as long as it does not violate Jesus’ commandments. And staying withe the old, just because it’s old, well, Jesus had an interesting attitude about the “traditions of men”.
BUT PLEASE!
BE SALT AND LIGHT!
http://www.saltandlightcouncil.org/
Agreed, Paul said to be all things to all people, that's why I don't get worked up over different worship styles, as long as there is no compromise to the Gospel.
Ouch ... what word ?
Mansion. interpretting the original Greek word as “mansion” is like interpreting a greek word for “horseless carriage” as “limosine”. The interpretters had an agenda. It may have benn a harmless one, but the word is a gross stretch of an interpretation. “Room”, or “Dwelling place” would be much more appropriate.
I suppose they just thought that any living space in Heaven would be like a mansion. But they forget that such a concept may actually be completely irrelevant to us once we are there.
mark
Go find that church that challenges you to grow in Christ.
I’m Catholic, and I HATE our liturgy. The music is in keys for castrati, we threw away Mozart and Handel for kumbayah bullshit gay Jesuits from OH-ree-gaan, and don’t even ask me about the “sign of peace” or as I like to call it, the sign of compliance.
My wife’s been telling me the Catholic Church has been going to you-know-where in a hand-basket ever since they dumped the Latin and started the Guitar Masses.
I've gone through this process and put in my two cents worth (and more), and lo and behold, we have a new music director. The priest was already outstanding.
A Biblical Walk Through the Mass by Edward Sri (Book Review) [Ecumenical]
Few of the songs in our hymnal are from Mozart or Handel. I think the music in the church during any time or culture needs to be in harmony with the music of the culture to at least some degree. I’m not talking about the lyrics here.
BTW, having been the music director at one church and involved in music in every church I’ve attended, I can tell you that the most contentious thing in church is the music. And rightly so.
The purpose of the church isn’t to serve the congregation - it’s the duty of the congregation to serve the Church. Thus, both ultimately serve God. You’re there to serve not be served.
The purpose of the church isn’t to serve the congregation
The Church members are to serve the Church, the Church is to preach the Gospel to the congregation.
I certainly have no objection to that - I agree. I also believe that the Church is also a corporate opportunity to worship God and gives the members (who ARE the church) an opportunity to lift up each other. How will we know which of our Christian brothers and sisters need our help and prayers if we don't fellowship with them?
I’ve hated the “sign of peace” since it first appeared in 1969. Phony, unsanitary, & interruptive of the flow of the holy liturgy.
Would so like to return “peace be with you” with “go f*** yourself”. More sincere & heartfelt.
Now our local church that looks like a converted basketball gym askss us to “turn around and greet your fellow worshippers before Mass begins, to make them feel more at home!”
Ask me what I think of applause and laughter during the homily or announcements.
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