Respecting Elders: An Intersection into Church Music Programs

 "No.  We're not going to add you and your song to the program this Sunday morning."

And, with that, an elder statesman with considerable musical talents and experience was pushed away (again) from his home church - a church he served for about 40 years as Minister of Music.  No explanation.  Just a "No. We're going a different direction."

I recognize - that for any casual reader of Facebook or blog posts in our busy culture - that I've got about 30 seconds to grab your attention.  I did not witness this firsthand, but that's how this sad development went down, and I'm upset enough about it to record my thoughts.

I'll flesh out the details of my friend's denial of involvement in a few moments, but for now, I wish to point out that I have no strong centering point for this long-ish essay.  Instead, there are three centering points: 1. Respect for elders, 2. Shifts in church 'worship' programs, and 3. "Brothers We Are Not Professionals."

A few more details on my friend's dilemma and my awareness and involvement.  Briefly, my friend is the recently retired, long-term Minister of Music for a small town church.  I have no idea if he will read this or not, but to be faithful and true to all sides, I will describe my friend with candor.  Musically, he has a wealth of experience, a moderate amount of formal training, and possesses a moderate amount of natural talent.  I served under him as a piano accompanist for a number of years and have a strong working relationship with him.  Approaching the Christmas season, he wished to sing his favorite Christmas special - "Mary Did You Know?" - for a Sunday morning service at his home church, and he asked me to accompany him.  I indicated I would accompany him, but then found out his offering to participate in his church's regular order of service was denied.  No reasons were offered.

Why am I concerned enough to write a public blog?  To be clear, the decision is/was final, and even if it could be overturned, it's now in the past with no available resolution.  Also, I'm not personally offended - I don't think my involvement was even mentioned.  Further, I am mentioning the involved parties anonymously and very broadly.  Those who know me best (and actually read this) will know the gentleman, the church, and perhaps the identity of the naysayer.  Again, I do not write to change their decision and I have no intention to publicly identify the church in my analysis of their decision.  And finally, why do I write?  After all, taking up someone else's offense can be complicating.  I write because I think my friend's experience originates from some very odd priorities in the modern church worship movement, and I believe these experiences - in similar and dissimilar contexts - are sadly occurring far too frequently.  So I write to express my thoughts that various pendulums have swung too far and to those in church leadership positions, it's time to inject some common sense into the decisions you make.

I think their decision was wrong.  My friend is too strong and full of integrity to publicly complain, but I could tell his heart was broken by their decision.

1. Respect for Elders.

My main centering point to support my claim that their decision was wrong is just simply: "Respect for Elders."  I'm no sociologist and I cannot quote numbers, but my perception is that our society has swung very hard toward honoring celebrities and youth, and systematically, I find that honoring elders is a lost ideal.  Honoring elders is more than an individual decision.  Companies, churches, organizations, etc should all be in the business of honoring elders.

If an administrator/leader/supervisor is faced with a difficult decision regarding an elder, I strongly believe the elder should always get the benefit of the doubt.  "Helping the little old lady across the street" is not just a Boy Scout story....it's supposed to be engrained in our cultural and Christian ethos.

Job 12:12 (HCSB) states: "Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life."

Unless they wish to share their wisdom in song, I suppose.

2. Shifts in church 'worship' programs

From a Baptist perspective and mindset, the 'music leader' for years looked like this: Title: Minister of Music; Skills: Some degree of training; Activities: Choosing hymns for worship service and 'special music' after the offering; usually the organization of a choir; Attire: Shirt and tie, often a jacket; Conduct: Introduce each song, wave arms in some semblance of conducting, and hold the arms up high for all the Baptist fermatas.

Then things changed.....

We adopted technology; we got rid of hymnals; we got rid of 'special music'; we surplused our church organs; we started calling it 'praise and worship'; our suit-clad Ministers of Music became flannel wearing, flip flop wearing, guitar strummers; we started endorsing and singing any song put out by a modern, 'industrialized' machine of praise and worship music; we developed praise bands; we developed praise teams.....

And we got 'professional' and started making our efforts 'exclusive' in many respects.  The modern praise/worship went from largely participatory to largely spectating and listening.  It's really sad.

And although it's always 'been there' in rare churches at low levels, I noticed upward trends in selection measurements to be involved - auditions for 'special music', auditions for 'praise team', auditions for 'worship band', and for churches who retained them, even auditions for choir.

When my friend told me his disappointing news, my VERY FIRST thought went to this old Gospel quartet song.  I think my parents had a cassette tape that played this song on side B all the time.  (As I'm returning to learning blog skills, all I could do was link to it, instead of embed it.)  

"Please Let Me Sing in the Choir"  (YouTube link, opens in new window)

The song "Please Let Me Sing in the Choir" musically tells the story of the man with a rough voice and no musical skills seeking to join his home church choir, unsuccessfully auditioning "34 years in a row."  In the climatic verse and chorus, this man finally is a no-show at church.  He has passed away, but miraculously, his heavenly voice is heard during the church's worship service where he sings from heaven: "I've found me a church that will let me sing....now I'm singing in the choir."

Sad, but miraculous.  Fictional, but illuminating.

To be fair, my rejected friend sings very well.  That part of the comparison does not fit.  But, his being rejected by his church is what resonated to me.  He - and no one - should have to wait until they get to heaven to be allowed to sing.  Please let me sing in the choir....indeed.

The song story is sad....he was rejected so often.  It's also miraculous, but note the TWO miracles.  I'm sure you noted the obvious miracle - his voice coming into the church auditorium miraculously from heaven.  The second miracle is much more subtle - that miracle is the duality of the patience of a man who would try out for the choir '34 years in a row' and even more, that a church with that set of practices would even exist for 34 years.  A church that would deny a man 34 years in a row from singing in the choir just cannot exist for 34 years.   And though the song story is clearly fictional, it is illuminating that there exist churches that would fall all over themselves to present a professional, rehearsed worship service BEFORE they would let someone sing publicly who might cause someone to cringe, to change the channel, to snicker, etc.  

But, I think that's what happened to my friend.  Though his singing is more than adequate, I believe there were conscious decisions and priorities that exclude anyone that might hinder the church from reaching the consumer mindset of so many potential parishioners.  After all, the Sunday morning worship service is THE primary consumer product - if it's slick and full of talent, those churches tend to grow (numerically).  I think they wanted a fifth praise-worship song led by the praise band as opposed to an old man working his way through "Mary Did You Know?"

It's sad. It bears reminding that the church leader who made the decision did not provide a reasoning.  One can only assume that failure to provide reasoning likely translates into a rationale that is weak and potentially embarrassing if one were to admit to it.  This leader had opportunity to provide the reasoning.  Though my piece includes much speculation, I write with an inner conviction that I'm right.  The leader was just too embarrassed to give his reason.

So, to return to my second point, church music programs have changed.  Much change has been needed and useful.  The technology is amazing.  Getty's modern hymns will stand the test of time.  Some of the modern praise-worship music may also be long lasting.  Contemporary musical styling with praise bands is overall neutral to good, and certainly appeals to a different demographic.  But the unwelcome changes are largely centered in the exclusivity and implicit appeals to professionalism.

Far above in this ever lengthening essay, I indicated I believed these movements were systemic and widespread.  I served as a ministry intern at a church while in college.  Though this church had a board of elders and some ministerial staff, it was really 'run' by one man - the pastor.  I had a good friend who also served with me as a ministry intern, and he had recently performed a 'special music.'  For a church that regularly had "Miss Oklahoma" winners provide the 'special music', his musical offering was decidedly a step down in quality.  To my pastor supervisor, it was way too many steps down.  One day, he privately confided to me: "I don't want ___________ to sing solos any more; we need to have some polish on our Sunday morning service."  I was shocked then.  I'm more shocked now (and embarrassed) that I didn't have the courage to call him out.  But, I add this additional story to show that I've now indirectly observed the mentality twice, and I have suspected it hundreds of times over.

3. "Brothers. We Are Not Professionals"

This third, and concluding point, is headlined by the quoted phrase, which originates from Pastor John Piper's book with that title.  It's a book I've only skimmed, so I cannot comment with great specificity on this book and its contents.  From the Amazon blurb on this book comes this explanatory excerpt:

We pastors are being killed by the professionalizing of the pastoral ministry,” he writes. “The mentality of the professional is not the mentality of the prophet. It is not the mentality of the slave of Christ. Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of the Christian ministry. The more professional we long to be, the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake. For there is no professional childlikeness, there is no professional tenderheartedness, there is no professional panting after God.

“Brothers, we are not professionals. We are outcasts. We are aliens and exiles in the world. Our citizenship is in Heaven, and we wait with eager expectation for the Lord (Phil. 3:20). You cannot professionalize the love for His appearing without killing it. And it is being killed.

- end excerpt -

When it comes to a church choir requiring an audition to join.....when it comes to a church leader turning away his very own 40 yr, retired Minister of Music from singing 'special music' at his HOME CHURCH....."Brothers....We Are Not Professionals." 

As mentioned and implied above, I have a LONG history in Baptist music ministry.  I've been a church pianist in 4 churches, provided voice and instrumental 'special music' in many churches, served as a ministry intern, spent 3-4 years in music ministry in Baptist Student Unions, served as part time or fill-in music minister, served as part of a small, touring youth and music ministry performance troupe, and play several instruments.  I've seen all sorts of quality when it comes to people participating in church music programs.  And through all of this experience and observations, I will shout this conclusion from the rooftops: "I'd rather listen to a person sing in church that has 30% talent and 100% sincerity ANY day over someone who has 100% talent and 30% sincerity."    

I believe I am an accurate judge of the character of people who are 100% sincere.  I further admit I likely misinterpret motives of some who I judge to be less than 100% sincere.  But, across hundreds of those observations, I am certain I have seen more than a handful of people who are up on stage because they sing like a bird and look great in a dress, but haven't otherwise been involved in the church they are singing for. 

Beginning to close, I've had this argument before with well-meaning and very sincere people who are equally involved in church music.  For balance, I need to acknowledge and attempt to include the opposing view.  The counter-argument usually goes thus: 

1. God wants our best.  Shouldn't that also apply to the quality of events in the worship service? 

2. It is disrespectful to people who practice and rehearse to let someone on stage who is untrained. 

3. Those people have other talents - they should utilize the talents they do have instead of the talents they do not have.  After all, we don't let any Tom, Dick, or Harry come up and preach!  (My counter-argument:  Apples - meet oranges.  Don't compare a public worship effort with a spiritual gift and church office as prescribed in Titus and elsewhere.) 

 Bottom line:  I'm sad for my friend.  He is an elder statesman that should be respected and given the benefit of the doubt.  He is an accomplished musician whose only musical fault is that he has essentially failed to fully adopt the modern praise-worship movement.  He has essentially fallen victim to the 'professionalism' mindset that has infected so many of our churches.  For his desire to sing "Mary Did You Know?", his talent and appeal to the audience demographic the church leader targeted may have been too low, but I promise you that my friend's sincerity was 1000%.   

I'm sad to have heard this story.  I'm sad to relate it to you.  I'm relieved to record my thoughts onto a blog none of you will read. 

As I conclude, I have this final post script thought:  My friend's experience is the musical equivalent of the widow's mite story.  She put her two coins in - all she had - and several quietly mocked or snickered as they gave more money from their larger wealth.  My friend - musically trained, but older and not possessive of "The Voice" level of talent - put his 'two coins' in (his desire to sing for Christmas) and was quietly rejected without the dignity of an explanation.  The main thing my friend's story lacks is Jesus coming along and rebuking those with the incorrect attitudes. 

Finis.