Friends, I have to be honest…. I feel bad for worship pastors (don’t worry – teaching pastors you will get your day in the sun). If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone complain about “worship”, I would have paid off my blessed student loans by now. God made us all different and unique . We all have preferences, and that’s a beautiful thing! We would be boring and so much less fun if we all had the same preferences. But…..there is a point in time where your preferences are not what it’s (Church) about. You can not make everyone happy because we are all different and have different tastes. Here are just a few of the phrases that I often hear regarding church worship:
- He or she (heaven forbid we have women pastors – don’t worry we will get to that too) don’t sing enough hymns, or do too many.
- It’s too loud or too quiet.
- It’s not my style.
- That is a 7 – eleven church.
I didn’t know what that last one meant when I first heard it. I assumed the church had a gas station attached to it. I was kind of hoping that it meant they had slushies at their church. However, the response I got when I asked what it meant was, “It’s when you sing the same seven lines, eleven times. That’s not worship music.” I’m sorry, let me just insert eye roll here.
Help me understand something….. when did worship music become about us? Because last time I checked it was about Jesus Christ; the Savior of the world. I didn’t realize that church was about me and my preferences. If that’s the case, I would like to know where I can sign up for pedicures while I sit in the pew and a fresh blow out during Sunday school class.
I have heard people say, “we left such and such church because it just wasn’t our sort of style of music”. I’m sorry, “say whaaaaaaaaat??!” You didn’t leave because of inappropriate teaching or lack connection to community? You left because it wasn’t your worship style? Folks, let’s whip out that Bible and find where it says we should attend the church that meets our perfect worship style, or leave based on that criteria?
We all get to have preferences, again, that is NOT WRONG OR BAD. But, what’s not ok is when you decide that your preference of worship style is the correct one. And when you put down others preferences, you are not honoring the Bride of Christ. That is not lifting up and encouraging your brothers and sisters. I don’t know how to put this any more gently, but …… it’s not about you or me. It’s about Jesus. It’s about serving and worshipping collectively with our brothers and sisters.
So the next time you see a worship pastor… would you do them a favor and encourage them? Because more than likely they just had to endure an individual tell them what they didn’t like, and that’s certainly discouraging to hear. Colossians 3:14 (NLT) says, “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” Listen, I get that “7 – eleven” might not be your style, but that doesn’t mean that we get to make church about us. At the end of the day…. it’s about Jesus.
Sincerely,
The Inappropriate Pastor’s Wife
The Inappropriate Pastor's Wife 