I believe that there is nothing more personal in church
than the musical aspect of worship. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “I was convinced that worship at its best
is a social experience with people of all levels of life coming together to
realize their oneness and unity under God.” Dr. King was correct, when we
worship our hearts are open to the Lord and we can see the heart of worship
within our fellow believer.
If we were honest with ourselves we have a musical
preference for worship time in church. If you close your eyes and think of
musical worship, you’ll probably be lead to think about your favorite hymn,
chorus, gospel song, or Latin praise. I believe if someone is striving to
diversify a church ministry the greatest stumbling block will be musical
preference. Musical style is the greatest way to determine what the ethnic composition
of a church will be.
So what should the
music of a multi ethnic church be like?
There is no one-size-fits-all method or approach to
multicultural worship. Each congregation and combination of cultures is unique.
–Gerardo Marti
We should be aware when selecting musical style and
leadership that music affects every ethnicity in different ways. For
mono-ethnic churches that are still fighting the Worship War remember music
affects not just ethnicities, but also every believer in unique ways. So, when
it comes to worship be mindful of personal desires and needs with connecting.
I'm not suggesting that you rid of your personal music preference. I am suggesting that you help your new brothers and sisters worship the Lord.
I'm not suggesting that you rid of your personal music preference. I am suggesting that you help your new brothers and sisters worship the Lord.
