No, Our Church Doesn’t Sing New Music to Appeal to Nonbelievers

Our church uses a lot of different tools to reach unchurched people, from personal invitations to community service events and more. But our church’s song list is not an evangelism tool. It’s meant to glorify God and involve the saints in worship. So, if you and your church like singing the great old hymns of the church, go for it! Prefer new songs? Sing them with all your heart. But there’s no reason to keep knocking those who sing a different set of songs than your church does.

October 7, 2016

by Karl Vaters

Oh, the worship wars. Just when you think they’re gone for good, they pop up again.

The subject came up again in a conversation where I wasn’t expecting it.

Not wanting to run over this thoroughly-plowed ground again, I sat off to the side of the conversation.

Then one of them said something I hear a lot – that churches are singing newer songs to appeal to nonbelievers. That was followed by “we’re letting the world dictate worship styles for the church,” and then the dreaded head-turn to me. “Why do you think they do that, Karl?”

I felt like Michael Corleone in Godfather III. “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”

Author

Karl Vaters

Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials.
Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.

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