Following worship yesterday I was approached by four different people, all of whom wanted to express an opinion on the same part of the worship service. All four had a different thought to share!
Of the four hymns we sang yesterday only one was from the hymnal, two could be considered contemporary and the fourth was Wesley's, "And Can It Be" which I believe should be in the hymnal and I was shocked that only one member of our choir had ever heard of this classic hymn.
So what did people have to say? The first person told me how much they enjoyed the music in the service and where delighted with the direction we were taking. The second person asked that we get a song leader to lead the newer songs for the congregation. The third person complained about only using one hymn from the hymnal explaining that the hymnal is full of good songs that we could sing. The fourth person didn't like trying to follow the repeats in the printed music for the non-hymnal songs and was delighted when I told them we would start putting lyrics up on our new screen soon. All four people were seniors.
So what is a pastor to do when he gets conflicting suggestions?
First of all I believe a pastor has to be clear on the mission of the church and continue to share that with the congregation and not be swept along by individuals thoughts and opinions.
Second the pastor needs to listen to these voices to see if there if they represent a broaden current of discontent and then be willing to address it.
Third the pastor has a difficult responsibility in leading worship in such a way as to honor the generations that are present, so that all who come can meet with God. That being said for the sake of the future of the church there is a need to lean toward the younger upcoming generation.
How do you or your church handle things like this?
