The Dismemberment of the Body of Christ

The current trend in the Evangelical Church in America has dismembered the body of Christ. By placing a greater priority upon musical style the Church has sacrificed the essential element of diversity. Many Christians have the perception that the "old-fashioned," organ-playing, choir-singing, orchestra ensemble style of music is for the graying generations while the contemporary/alternative worship music is for those under the age of 40. Numerous mega-churches have successfully filled their directory by incorporating services, classes and small groups separated by age and preference. Does numerical success reveal the authenticity of the movement? Are believers more united or divided in a church that models this philosophy? Is diversity an essential element of the believers sanctification or do we have some liberty in this area?

In Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts, author Harold Best provides an excellent look at this subject:

"It is ironic-worse, scripturally troublesome-to see local assemblies broken into groups, each doing their niche worship, for that is all it really seems to be...The divisions are primarily about music and musical style. This being true, worship is not really about the binding power of Jesus and his gospel but about something earthly, relative and transient. If we took music out of worship, would we have the same problem and the same set of solutions? I do not think so."

I would venture to take a guess that many of the larger churches in your area have a "traditional" and a "contemporary" service. The traditional service is usually the earlier service because the church knows that the older generations want to go to church at the crack of dawn. The contemporary service might begin right around noon giving ample time for the younger and lazier generations to get up. The two services may or may not hear the same message but one thing is for certain...the style of music will suit your taste. Another likely side-effect of this set-up is the lack of interaction between the younger and older believers. Best continues:

"Traditionalists have much to answer for in their reluctance to understand that tradition does not mean stasis but change. In their reaction against contemporary styles, they fail to understand that what they have gotten used to was once contemporary and often objectionable."

At the same time, contemporary worshippers must accept their lack of diversity. In their fight for culturally relevant music, they have lost sight of the union that the body of Christ requires.

"The church desperately needs an artistic reformation that accomplishes two things at once: first, it takes music out of the limelight and puts Christ and his Word back into prominence; and second, it strives creatively for a synthesis of new, old and crosscultural styles (pgs.74-75)."

That is my desire and hope when I am in full-time ministry. I want to encourage interaction between the various age groups and see a God-honoring, Christ-glorifying merge of the two styles.