But It's Always Been Done That Way!

​People like talking to pastors about problems.  And if there’s one thing I have learned, it’s that there is disunity in churches today.  I know that to be a fact because I hear it.  And normally when somebody tells me of some problem that they are having in their church, they want me to side with them.  Ain’t that right preacher!?  Ain’t I right? Ain't they wrong??
 
I don’t get into other church problems.  Pastoring a church entails enough stress on its own.  I don’t need the added stress of getting into somebody else’s business.  That doesn’t mean I don’t listen.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t try to help, at times.   That doesn’t mean I don’t ask them about their own motives. 
 
I cannot tell you the last time somebody complained to me about a purely theological issue.  Don’t misunderstand, there are many people that leave churches today over the doctrine of a local church – and they should leave.  In fact, there honestly ought to be a massive exodus out of many “churches” today.  That’s just not the type thing people usually complain to a pastor about these days. 
 
I hear people grumble about everything from music to pulpits to dress.  And certainly some of those things are worthy to consider.  I’m not saying they aren’t important.  Certainly we ought to sing reverent, God-honoring songs.  And, without a doubt, people ought to be dressed modestly.  But the point of view behind these ideas is the issue I want to consider. 
 
Music is the number one complaint by far…BY FAR.  Young people are frustrated with older folks because they just want to sing older hymns.  Older folks are frustrated with younger people because they just want to sing new songs.  There’s a deeper problem here than music, folks. That’s just a symptom of a much deeper issue. 
 
Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).  Where’s this at today?  So the young folks want to sing a new song?  First question – is it a Scriptural song?  Second question – is it a reverent song?  There are tons of new songs that are both reverent and Scriptural – “In Christ Alone”, “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” and “Behold, Our God” quickly come to mind.  These are God honoring, reverent modern hymns. 
 
Back to the quote from Philippians…why would any older believer not want to sing a God-honoring, reverent song?  OH...because it’s new!  We do realize that every song in the hymnbook was new just a few decades ago, right?  What of the instruction, “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!” (Psalms 96:1).  This is a recurring theme in Psalms – keep writing songs to God because He is worthy!  We clearly are told to sing new songs to the Lord.  So we should!
 
Now before you think I’m on the side of the young folks, bare with me a bit.  Let’s return to Paul’s instruction to the church at Philippi – “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others”.  This is instruction for the whole church.  So, the older folks want to sing older hymns?  First question – is it a Scriptural song?  Second question – is it a reverent song?  Why would any younger believer not want to sing a God-honoring, reverent song?  OH…because it’s old.  Where’s the consistency?
 
Worship leaders are often brought in by churches and pretty much given free reign.  Sometimes these are hired by the pastor.  Sometimes they are hired by the deacons.  Sometimes these are hired by a committee.  They need to be hired by the whole church…but that’s another story.  The man leading the worship singing needs to have a goal of uniting a church through worship in song.  Singing is worship, right?  We do get that don’t we?  And the entire church needs to unite in worship to sing God-honoring, reverent songs – new or old…doesn’t matter.  There are new songs that aren’t worth a flip and there are old songs that I’d just as soon tear out of the hymnal. God-honoring and reverent – this ought to be our goal.  And the church should be united in this. 
 
One of the more recent trends of new worship leaders is to “unite” the church by “splitting them into two separate services”.  Now…just for a moment, let’s meditate on that.  We are going to unite the church by dividing them apart?  It sounds more like a parent that gives their children their own way just to keep them quiet.  Everybody in the church needs to follow the instruction of Philippians – “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others”.  Young folks, be willing to sing old God-honoring hymns like the older people enjoy.  Hey…they built the church.  And if it’s like most churches today, they’re still funding it.  Older folks, there are some newer, God-honoring hymns out there.  Don’t do anything without research.  But don’t be against a song because it was written 10 years ago. 
 
But whatever you do, don’t everybody take their little red wagon and head off to their own service.  Worship leaders have effectively split a church in half without anybody really realizing it.  The bulk of 1 Corinthians 12 shows that a church is to be one body.  All members are necessary whether they are a head or a foot or an eye or an ear.  All members are to suffer together with a suffering member.  We are going to struggle to do such a thing if we have effectively split the church in half.  You cannot cut a body in half and expect it to function.  And yet, it’s being done in almost every town right now.  Now maybe it’s just a numbers issue for you – all of the church cannot fit in the sanctuary at once.  That’s another issue altogether.  But if you are splitting over preferences, you are splitting for the wrong reason.
 
The complaint of the young to me is often, “that’s just how they’ve always done it”.  The complaint to the older believers to me is often, “that’s just how we’ve always done it”.  The complaint is similar but from different perspectives.  But again, this is just a symptom of the real, underlying problem.  We need to get past that.  This is a bigger issue than that.  WE ARE TO BE BIBLICAL IN ALL WE DO.  Don’t misunderstand.  But when it comes to preferences about a song, we need to unite as a body around God-honoring, reverent songs that lead us to adore God for Who He is.