For this week’s Message About Purpose and Strategy, I will stick my nose into a very controversial topic: worship style.

The issue of style can be very controversial because our musical tastes reflect our individual culture. Our church is demographically diverse and everyone seems to have a preference. It is important to avoid elevating the issue of style to a level of significance it should not have. Really, the worship service is for God, not for us. I view God as the only audience. He is the consumer.

Though no one style is more holy than another, I understand that style is a tool to draw people to the Lord. Everyone needs the Word in his or her own vernacular. Similarly, we must provide worship experiences that hit home with where the people live. If some contemporary styles sound worldly to seasoned saints, remember that the word “vulgar” is related to the name of first translation of the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into the language of the people - the “Vulgate.”

When someone asks me if music in church should be contemporary, I ask him or her if they want to reach people who are contemporary. Ministry must be in the style of “today” to reach the people of today. This is not to say that we sever all ties to the rich heritage of Christian music. But even the famous Vulgate lost popularity as people stopped speaking Latin. Every new generation needs things to be updated. The message is unchanging, but the methods must adapt.