Tag Archives: The Word of God

Intergenerational Worship: Unique but Unified

June 15, 2022Tagsbaptist, Bible, Biblical, biblical worship, body of christ, communal, community, diversity, Gen-X, generational, generations, intergenerational, intergenerational choir, intergenerational relationships, intergenerational worship, invest, investing in next generations, mentoring, multi-generational, multigen, multigenerational, next gen, spiritual formation, The Word of God, unity, value, worshipDr. Will Whittaker

Intergenerational ministry and specifically intergenerational worship finds its roots throughout the Bible. The themes of unity and being a part of the Body of Christ saturate the whole of scripture, which is at the heart of what it means to be intergenerational. I believe an intergenerational model of worship is truly the only biblical approach. Scripture may not address musical style, specific clothes to wear for worship, or what your worship space should look like specifically, but it does address our need to be generationally diverse, unified, and value all ages and abilities as part of the Body of Christ.

Scripture is infused with words that are compatible with an intergenerational mindset. Words such as: unity, one, humility, Body of Christ, one generation to another, together, one mind, one heart and others saturate scripture and speak of the importance of all ages together, unified.

My favorite passage of scripture that guides my own mind-set related to intergenerational worship comes from 1 Corinthians 12. I’m particularly moved by the syntax of the CEV translation as Paul writes about the Body of Christ.

₁₄ Our bodies don’t have just one part. They have many parts.¹⁵ Suppose a foot says, “I’m not a hand, and so I’m not part of the body.” Wouldn’t the foot still belong to the body? ¹⁶ Or suppose an ear says, “I’m not an eye, and so I’m not part of the body.” Wouldn’t the ear still belong to the body? ¹⁷ If our bodies were only an eye, we couldn’t hear a thing. And if they were only an ear, we couldn’t smell a thing. ¹⁸ But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best. ¹⁹ A body isn’t really a body, unless there is more than one part.²⁰ It takes many parts to make a single body. ²¹ That’s why the eyes cannot say they don’t need the hands. That’s also why the head cannot say it doesn’t need the feet. ²² In fact, we cannot get along without the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest….

²⁴ put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable. ²⁵He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. ²⁶ If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy. ²⁷ Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of his body. 1 Corinthians 12:14-22; 24-27 (CEV)

We were made to live in unity, but are uniquely made. Consider that for a moment. Each of us, with our God-given unique talents and gifts, were made to offer those gifts for the benefit of the whole body of Christ. No one is excluded! All have a place. One of the primary goals of intergenerational worship ministry is to find a place for each person who has felt the call of God to serve. This means all ages, all ability levels, together. The stronger helping the weak and the weak learning from the strong.

COMING LATE SUMMER 2022
MY NEW BOOK
CULTIVATING INTERGENERATIONAL WORSHIP

The Decline of Church Choirs and Lack of Unity

February 7, 2020Tagsbaptist, Bible, Biblical, black gospel, Boomers, Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Builders, choir, choirs in worship, choral, church choir, church leadership, church music, community, diversity, family worship, friendship, Gen-X, generational, generations, hymn arrangements, intergenerational, intergenerational choir, intergenerational relationships, intergenerational worship, invest, investing in next generations, latin american music, leadership, Lifeway Music, Millennials, modern worship, multi-generational, multigen, multigenerational, music, music ministry, next gen, Oregon Trail Generation, praise, praise team, praise teams, PraiseGathering Music, Prism Music, purpose, racial, relationships, southern gospel, spiritual formation, The Bible, The Word of God, traditional worship, training, uncategorized, value, vocal worship, vocal worship teams, vocals in worship, Word Music Publishing, worship, Xennials, youth choirDr. Will Whittaker

A few months ago I wrote an article about the rise of choral singing in America from a study from Chorus America. If you missed that blog post, check it out here: Church Choirs Shouldn’t be Declining Because of Lack of Interest. Last week, I ran across another article called 1 in 6 Americans sings in a choir — and they’re healthier for it.
This article cites the same study, but this paragraph stood out to me:

It’s no secret that America’s social fabric is unraveling. Participation in churches and religious institutions is down. Fraternal organizations are shrinking. Marriage rates continue to decline. Voting is up, but volunteering is down. The differences dividing us seem greater than the similarities.

That last line stuck out to me. Our differences are dividing us and churches are not immune. In fact the enemy has targeted the bride of Christ, who loves nothing more than to create division. This division is contrary to the admonition of Scripture. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesian church urges [us] to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV).

I’m suggesting that our churches have a unity problem. The decline in church attendance is doubtless linked to the decline of church choir mentioned in this study. The decline of the church choir has removed one of the most visible models of unity on display in our local churches. Week in and out, vibrant church choirs demonstrate unity in worship leadership. Further, when we get rid of graded choirs, we don’t have the opportunity to start this “discipleship of unity” early in the spiritual formation of the students. Sadly, I believe many of displaced church choir members are the reason community choirs are on the rise.

Any choral group, by design, must strive for unity in various ways. While striving for unity, our individuality must take a backseat for the good of the whole. Here’s a quick list of some areas where choirs must be unified:

Vowels, articulation, rhythm, consonants, breathing, phrasing, dynamics, etc.
Often, but not always, dress. Concert dress or robes often hide the individuality of each person for a unified look.
Blend vocally. I included this as a separate number because listening and blending is crucial to choral tone. In choral singing we must give up our solo tendencies to achieve unity and balance.
Preferences in music or in other facets of choir ministry. Often we don’t always sing everything that we personally like. That’s okay, the person sitting next to you might love what you hate. That’s the beauty of mutual submission—loving one another more than yourself.

The list could go on, but consider this, I learned more about serving others and working together toward a goal in a choral setting than any other facet of the local church. I believe the task of moving many people toward a unified goal will result in greater effectiveness for the Kingdom.

Let’s Just Call it What it is…

August 22, 2019Tagsbaptist, Bible, Biblical, Biblical Foundations, blended worship, body of christ, choir, choirs in worship, choral, church choir, church leadership, church music, church music styles, churches, communal, community, congregation, congregational, contemporary hymns, contemporary worship, diversity, ethnic, family worship, generational, generations, hymnody, intergenerational, intergenerational relationships, intergenerational worship, invest, modern worship, multi-ethnic, multi-generational, multicultural, multigen, multigenerational, music, next gen, next generations, praise, reachingnextgen, relationships, spiritual formation, The Word of God, traditional worship, unity, worship, worship style, younger generationsDr. Will Whittaker

To divide congregations into groups, style groups, and preference groups is to be semi- or even pseudocorporate. The body of Christ is as chronologically and stylistically whole as it is spiritually whole. Harold Best in Unceasing Worship (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2003).

If music were to be eliminated from so called “traditional” or “contemporary” services, would there need to be different types of services? That’s right, very little. Let’s call it what it is—preference of music is the driving factor for having separate types of musical types at one church. And because music seems to be the driving factor in these decisions, worship becomes less about the preaching of the Word and the proclamation of the gospel and more about preferences of music, which are at best subjective. Hear me, I’m FOR all kinds of music…especially music that fits the cultural context of the church and demographic of your area. Be authentic, but be unified. It’ll take everyone being mutually submissive.

We’ve missed the point of, and driving force of worship, which is the centrality of the Word of God infused in every aspect of our corporate worship. Our churches should crave the spiritual food through the exposition of the Word week in and week out. I don’t want to hear platitudes on how to live my best life, I’d rather hear what the Word of God preached through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has to say about how I need to be daily humbling myself, taking up my cross, and following Him by loving my neighbor as myself.