Me: Hi, my name is Tylan Blansit.
Stranger: What do you do for a living Tylan?
Me: I am the pastor of Mtn. Creek Baptist at the foot of the "W" road.
Stranger: I know where your talking about. How many you running on a Sunday Morning?
Me: We run between 55 and 70 each week.
Stranger: What is your worship style?
Most conversations that I have with people in the community get right to the worship style question. Many want to know because that will be the deciding factor for coming to worship at Mtn. Creek. Therefore, one must answer this question well.
We are messed up on how we decided worship style. We grade worship style on the wrong scale.
Existing Scale: Traditional - Blended - Contemporary
Proper Scale: Fake - Shallow - Authentic
Arrangements can and should be all over the board. God has gifted us with the notes of A through G and the creativity God gave us allows us to give back to Him every kind of worship we can create.
Our worship leader, Andy Highlander, just pointed out this past Sunday how the music manipulates your emotions. If it is a fast song then the group can get pumped up and excited. If the song is arranged slow and soft the hearers can be influenced to be calm and relaxed. We all can take note of that when we are driving. The faster the music the more we get worked up and the softer the music the more relaxed we can become.
There are fast songs, slow songs, happy songs, sad songs, crazy songs, hard songs, soft songs, and on and on. All of these types of songs work for worship because of the lyrics that bring glory to God and not the style.
Satan loves it when we all get caught up in the things that keep life change from occurring in people. Not many argue or debate over the type of doctrine or theology that is being presented. Not many discussions occur on the style of prayer vigils or how we share our faith with others.
There is much more to say on this subject, but the scale that we use to define style is the issue on my mind today.
Back to the conversations.
Stranger: What is your worship style?
Me: Authentic and real. You should come and worship the living and true God with us.
