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Cultural Sensitivity in the US Church
Posted by
Bob Fetherlin
,
05 October 2007
·
777 views
Recently I learned of a church where a rapid, sweeping change was made in worship style. Exit piano, organ, and hymns. Enter drums, guitars, keyboard, and worship choruses. It all happened quickly. Sadly, more than one hundred of the faithful (mostly over fifty-five) exited.
Culture is changing . . . worship teams and choruses are in . . . so shouldn't we expect these people to adjust? Why shouldn't they learn the new style of musical worship? Aren't they being the insensitive ones?
The issue is culture. For these sincere followers of Christ, the hymns they've been singing for decades touch their hearts. They feel a connection with God when they sing them. If this opportunity is insensitively ripped away from them in one church, they're likely to look for another where they can feel comfortable and connected once again.
Wise, culturally sensitive church leaders have figured out how to offer opportunities for hymn lovers and chorus lovers to co-exist peacefully. They don't alienate either group. Instead, they have a mix of traditional and contemporary. Or they have one service designed for hymn lovers and another for chorus lovers. They're being culturally sensitive.
Sadly hymn lovers have often felt alienated, even forced out. Many of them are faithful supporters of Alliance missions. Too often they're leaving Alliance churches so offended that they discontinue their investment in Alliance missions. For sure, they've not always been gracious in this process. But can't we avoid this painful scenario by being culturally sensitive?
It's not a matter of one style of worship being right and the other being wrong. It's giving everyone opportunity to worship in a style that feels comfortable, that connects them with God. My plea is this: Let's be culturally sensitive! This helps everyone win.
Culture is changing . . . worship teams and choruses are in . . . so shouldn't we expect these people to adjust? Why shouldn't they learn the new style of musical worship? Aren't they being the insensitive ones?
The issue is culture. For these sincere followers of Christ, the hymns they've been singing for decades touch their hearts. They feel a connection with God when they sing them. If this opportunity is insensitively ripped away from them in one church, they're likely to look for another where they can feel comfortable and connected once again.
Wise, culturally sensitive church leaders have figured out how to offer opportunities for hymn lovers and chorus lovers to co-exist peacefully. They don't alienate either group. Instead, they have a mix of traditional and contemporary. Or they have one service designed for hymn lovers and another for chorus lovers. They're being culturally sensitive.
Sadly hymn lovers have often felt alienated, even forced out. Many of them are faithful supporters of Alliance missions. Too often they're leaving Alliance churches so offended that they discontinue their investment in Alliance missions. For sure, they've not always been gracious in this process. But can't we avoid this painful scenario by being culturally sensitive?
It's not a matter of one style of worship being right and the other being wrong. It's giving everyone opportunity to worship in a style that feels comfortable, that connects them with God. My plea is this: Let's be culturally sensitive! This helps everyone win.
