The picture above is of Tyris and a man who we love greatly, Pastor John E. Coleman . He was on the show check out all four parts listed below. Click on the link above and you can see the site. Scroll down to April 11 and check it out. A few good questions:
1. Why and how to establish a blog.
2. What is expected by young black Christians in a Pastor?
3. Worship and Expression of Black and Reformed Christians and the clash with White Worship Music.
4. How is Worship a Secondary Issue?
You will love it. God bless.
Tyris, I enjoyed this interview. I was especially interested in your perspective on being a young black man and trying to find a good Bible teaching reformed church. (btw, I’m originally from KC myself but live in VA now)
The conversation about worship music was a very interesting component of the discussion. Give me some advice.
I’m an elder, and the youth pastor at my church (PCA). There is only one other reformed church in this county (rural Virginia), and I honestly don’t know much about it, but I gather their worship music is more “traditional” (piano and organ) than that at our church. We don’t do traditional in that sense. Our music, unfortunately, tends to lean more toward ‘top 40 prom songs to Jesus’ stylistically. To be honest, I don’t like it and have a hard time ‘connecting’ with it and worshiping by it. The lyrics are often trivial and shallow. And the music sounds like 60’s and 70’s folk music (that’s the era our pastor grew up in and he leads the music).
With the youth, I’m constantly trying to get them to invite their unsaved and/or unchurched friends from school, or sports, to church. They do a good job of this and we’ve had several young black men attend youth group. It’s been obvious that they were not comfortable with our worship music though. Last summer I took to meeting outside with the youth for our Bible teaching. These young men would show up for the teaching, after the worship music was over. Once the weather turned cold and we had to move inside, they stopped coming. When I saw them around town after that and asked them about why they stopped coming, they said they just didn’t feel like they ‘fit in’ inside the church, with the worship music and all.
How can I reach out to these young men and make sure they are getting solid Bible teaching and discipleship, when they feel so out of place in our ‘worship’ service? How can I connect with them? I’m concerned that they aren’t connecting with the body of Christ at all, because of the music. What a tragedy…
Hello Brance. Sorry for the delayed response. Thanks for checking out the site and the interview. I sure miss that California weather. We were in Cali at 92 degrees and when we came back to KC it was 33 degress with snow flurries. Crazy!!
Regarding your questions, you said
“The lyrics are often trivial and shallow”
I would have a major problem with this and would talk to the pastor about this in detail. It seems insidious to be super theological when it comes to the exposition but on the same token be ridiculously shallow regarding the worship music. Sort of like preaching reformed theology but prior to that singing a bunch of arminian songs. I also had a hard time adjusting myself. Personally I do like the music that “Sovereign Grace” makes, i think it is for anybody with the content and the style. I would recommend this to him since you(I assume) have all ages in the church and everyone does not want to get down with the KING.(Elvis)
I wholeheartedly think that worship music style is secondary when it comes to the Gospel. The Gospel saves as Romans 1 says not the musical style. So if those kids are God’s elect they will be converted based on the preaching and not the music. Secondly I think you and I would probably differ in evangelism and the purpose of the church. I tend to shy away from trying to get people to bring all their friends to church. I say share the gospel with them in detail wherever you are. The church is for the body of Christ not for the world. Purpose of the church is to edify one another in Christ. Nothing wrong with inviting people to church(don’t get me wrong) but you are the living temple of the Holy Spirit and in essence are the church, so you(I say) need to show the children who are saved how to share the Gospel in detail versus having a slew of non-believers coming in the church.
You said, “they said they just didn’t feel like they ‘fit in’ inside the church, with the worship music and all.”
At this point I would have asked them, “what about the Gospel message” did you understand it? We have so many cultures in our world but when we come across true believer’s we regardless of muscial style have one thing in common-that is the blood of Christ and his efficacious propitiatory work of the Cross for His elect. That is the heart of the issue for me. Now I think worship is important but really minor when it comes to the gospel. To answer your questions, reach out to them with the gospel-for IT is the power unto salvation!!! It could be just me because I was searching for a true church doctrinally speaking and music was secondary. Hope that helps brother God Bless
On point, Brah