Change is one of the things that upsets people most in the area of Christian music.
Holding to tradition is the main reason that there is such opposition to modernising music in church, especially as there are no clear instructions about musical style in the New Testament. I say that without all the necessary caveats!
Tradition that hinders
In some cases, cultural or emotional attachments to traditions are so strong that, even if they could be shaken off, there’s little incentive to do so. Often these traditions are passed off as being an important part of a church’s identity, which is a good thing — it would be dull if every church was the same. However, in some instances there are very clear dangers if there is no change at all, because occasionally, if a tradition becomes the norm, then that tradition can become a real hindrance to hearing the truth.
I was woken up to this by a good friend who took over as the pastor of a church which had been blessed with firmly evangelical preaching for many years. If you had downloaded the sermons from the internet you’d have had no hesitation in recommending the church to visitors. However, historically, the church had held on to many traditions like full choral evensong and robes, which, though in no way contrary to the teaching of Scripture, had formed the focus and identity of the church. Because of this, the Word of God, though clearly taught, was difficult to hear.
Deaf to God’s Word
This became clear when the new pastor made some changes. He kept the choir and the robes, but took a more active role in deciding when and what the choir sang. He made small changes to the order of services and to the position of the church furnishings. As a result he was abused by members of the congregation after every Sunday church meeting except for two in his first year of ministry. These people had sat under faithful Bible teaching for over 20 years, but had been so focussed on the music and all the peripherals that they hadn’t listened to the Word of God calling them to serve their brothers and sisters in humility and kindness. The gospel had been preached but it had fallen on ears deafened by tradition.
In fact, some of the congregation had deeply Roman Catholic convictions, and had felt completely at home until the new pastor came. One man’s anger was such that when the Lord’s Supper was celebrated under the new pastor, he jangled his keys when the bread was supposed to turn into the body of Christ.
Traditions are important. Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to hold on to the traditions he’d handed down to them (1 Corinthians 11.2), but he was always careful to make sure that those traditions were there to serve the wider purpose of the gospel being heard, understood and obeyed. Similarly, musical traditions have often been introduced by churches for good reasons, to protect the church from bringing the gospel into disrepute (for example, one of the reasons organs were introduced into London’s City churches was to help control congregational singing, which had started to get out of hand). However, these traditions are still simply traditions — thought up by men for good reasons at the time. The traditions aren’t the gospel, and it’s dangerous to think that they are, because when we get attached to traditions — musical or not — we start becoming deaf to the gospel. Not only that, but it becomes difficult for visitors to hear the gospel as our meetings proclaim to them what is most dear to us.
We often say that we shouldn’t change things for change’s sake, but every now and then change is a good and healthy thing, especially if it protects our ears from becoming dull to the gospel, and if it gives us the opportunity to learn self-sacrificial service.
Has our tradition of using a band or music group to accompany our congregational singing made our ears dull to the Word of God? Maybe, for the sake of change, a robed choir and an organ might wake us up and help us hear it again!
Richard Simpkin is Director of Music at St. Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate, London.
