Art of Follow Thru 2
12 January, 2004 
i can be brief this week, because last nught was a pretty “traditional” service. corporate singing both before and after the message. the final song of the opening set, the one leading into the message, was broken up with some scripture - a collection from the psalms on god’s faithfulness and perseverance - from the front. the two guys, ben and josh did a good job passing the focus with one leading the singing and the other doing the readings. (one technical note: the sound was a little off volume-wise. not a big deal though.) our video icon/symbol continued to run.
last night was also our monthly “leadership gathering.” once a month the family (those who attend regularly, give financially, etc.) sit down to discuss the busness of the church. feedback on the first week was the major topic. two things jumped out at me like a ghoul at a haunted house:
(1) music - particularily song - must be incorporated in some fashion every week. music, with its familiarity in a church setting and in the culture-at-large provides a much needed touchstone for folks. no matter how much other elements might throw them off balance, song helps to comfort and stabilize. also, music bridges a number of sacred pathways. it can engage both the left and right brain. its power should not be under-estimated.
(2) i was taking notes, and saw comments from different people that directly contradict one another. e.g. the metronome was a great aid to some, but a distraction to others. the moral: you can’t keep all the people happy all the time. don’t try. you can keep everybody happy some of the time, and teach them to appreciate the elements that dont’ ring their bell (so to speak.)
the worst comment to come out of our leadership gathering: a couple who had been away from church for a long time were visiting with friends. they won’t be returning. it was too weird. on the one hand, i was hurt, because i put a lot of myself into the evening, and i feel a bit rejected. (…by total strangers, i know; but rejection is rejection.) on the other hand, i was angry that they’d make such a snap judgement on the basis of so little information. on the third hand (or perhaps that’s my foot) i know god can/will use this in some way. kerri suggested, “perhaps they’ll visit another church in the future, and they’ll stay there, ’cause it isn’t as weird at that other one.” works for me.
I’m interested to hear you say that you will use music every week.
I agree it is powerful, but we have chosen to use it sparingly because it is not common for the people we live amongst to sing in public - its almost weird to them.
I’m wondering, how does congregational singing reflect your missional context?
good question, andrew! let me do some thinking, some discussing with my fellow pathmakers, and (hopefully) some “experimenting” with those we are attempting to engage with. it can be so easy to forget for whom we exist.
my initial thought is for the moment unchanged. music is still strongly connected with church, and for the time being i believe that comfort-factor is important. it sounds as if our communities are very different in this regard.
nevertheless, music is a powerful tool to communicate. it can engage both the left and the right-brain. i didn’t mean to imply congregational singing in particular, though at the moment that is one of the few tools we have that actively engages the entire congregation (vs. passively, such as listening to a song or sermon). i simply mean music and song in some form need to be used.