Generational Worship- Part 1

This is the first of four posts that have been on my heart concerning music and worship in the local church. I know that being 54 makes me an official member of the old guy club. However, I was still a young man when the current wave of contemporary music and worship styles burst upon the scene. I hope to give some perspective on this highly emotional and often conbtroverisal and divisive issue in church life. It is not my purpose to declare anyone "right" or "wrong". I will attempt to share some insight into the strengths and potential weaknesses of both the older and younger generational preferences for worship. Be aware that I will always approach these styles as preferences because when we take either preference and lay it alongside the timeline of the church since its inception on the day of Pentecost two thousand years ago, both are tied to really short snippets of time. Both "Just As I Am" and "Days of Elijah" would seem strange to the first century believers.

In the next post I will attempt to describe the worship style of the generation that preceded me; many times referred to as "traditional." After that I will again try to describe the "contemporary" form of worship. The final post will discuss the possibility of both generations having respect for each other and making some room for the possible merit of the other generation's worship preference. I am not yet convinced that there is only one way to connect with God through music, but I am convinced that our adversary would like us to feel that if the other generation "wins" my generation "loses". I think we can be better than that.