This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for more information.
(This post was written prior to 2016, in a blog entitled “Jubal’s Jottings.”)
I have recently been in a variety of corporate worship services in a fairly short period of time. I (along with millions of others) have been critical of the amount of repetitions that are common in modern worship services. Sometimes I’m just SURE that we did the last repetition, only to hear the leader say, “Let’s sing that again!” And I have discovered that hearing, “Let’s sing that again!” may not mean singing it again just ONE more time either. Honestly, I shut down after a certain number of repeats – as do many around me. There is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to repeats. I guarantee it! There is only so much breath you can take and keep going! What struck me recently, however, was being in a group of people who were decidedly traditional in their stylistic approach to worship. These are the ones who throw the biggest rocks at those on the other end who do all that worship chorus repeating. HOWEVER, the first corporate worship time with this particular group introduced us all to a short, two-line antiphon. It was a very musically adept group, so a couple of times through it and we all had it. As we proceeded into the worship service, the antiphon kept coming up – and each time was always done twice. Well, after a while I started to feel the same response as I have in a modern worship setting with the repeats. You know, after eight times or so, I shut down! The next morning’s worship service yielded the SAME antiphon – once again repeated at least four times – always in pairs! I looked at the service for the following day and saw the SAME antiphon in the worship order – and didn’t attend. So, why is it that these two groups throw rocks at each other? They both abuse the worshiper!
Why Is That?
I see a trend that is intriguing and disturbing on a few fronts. There is a group of church music leaders who are about 45 years old and older who are having trouble continuing in their ministries. They are being moved out, in some cases, for leaders on the other end of the age spectrum who are not as “well-trained” but have some characteristics of heartfelt leadership that the older leaders don’t have. Why is that? It seems difficult to find a combination of skill and heart both in one person. Churches are forced into choices. When that happens, age and experience seems to lose. Why is that?
Jubal, responses to this question will be interesting, won’t they?