Many Coming into the Church Without Connection to the Riches of the Church's Worship and Song

 The long-standing controversy about contemporary worship, especially within more conservative traditional church bodies, seems to have largely died down.  It feels more or less like a 'live and let live' detente.  In some denominations, such as the Episcopal or Lutheran ones, you can find the full spectrum of evangelical performance to high church, with blended variations in between.  But it appears that some are living in one realm or the other without any crossover.  It's like multiple churches coexisting within one large group but rarely interacting.

When I grew up most everyone I knew in the church had some substantial exposure to the traditional liturgical forms and hymns.  People knew the words and had familiarity with the music.  That time has now long since passed.  Now you can meet people within a denomination once known for traditional liturgical forms that have no working knowledge of these.  The hymns sound foreign to them and the worship like something out of the misty past.  Pastors themselves embody these differences themselves in the way they dress, from clerical collar wearing ones to those in polo shirts and chinos.  What are the lay people to think?  I suspect they are confused, as are the pastors.  Priests or entertainers?  Self-help gurus or curers of souls?

Children are growing up without any real training in the traditional forms and are likewise confused when exposed to them.  At one time the complaint about certain traditional forms was that they were "too Catholic."  Now, I suspect, the response will simply be: "What's that?"  They will fail to recognize what our forefathers once took for granted.  The former identity that gave us some sense of unity erased for generations to come. 

Of course, there will be 'pockets' or 'islands' where such traditions are practiced and cherished, and children will grow up appreciating them.  But they will become fewer and farther between.  Many years ago I already found it challenging while on vacation to find a church where I recognized what I did on Sunday in my own church.  This challenge has only grown, although now I don't take vacations (which is another issue...)

I will continue to carry on the church's traditions, even if I become only an isolated minority.  It was a gift handed down to me that I feel compelled to pass on to the next generation.  

Should the Church Have Contemporary Services and Traditional Services? - Seedbed


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