Cross Generational Worship: A Call To Maturity

The worship wars have unfortunately created an ‘us vs them’ mentality within the church as older generations might feel threatened by younger generations worship preferences (and vice versa). Church have been dealing with this problem in several ways including blending the worship styles and having multiple services.

Paul Baloche advocates doing one newer song, one familiar song and one hymn to keep a church cross generational. I have a huge respect for Paul but I want to share a different idea.

First of all, the worship wars do not have to be so divisive. There are of course young people that like and maybe prefer hymns and there are also older folks who like the contemporary music. One thing that is also commonly done these days is take a hymn and modernize it. This seems like a method to try and keep both sides happy. So the issue doesn’t always have to please one side and displease the other.

But even if a worship leader incorporates these methods, inevitably, someone will be unhappy. What should we do in these situations? I believe that we should call some to sacrifice their preferences for the good of the body as a whole. I don’t think it is reasonable to expect to be able to please everyone so sacrifice is inevitable.

IF one side is going to have to sacrifice, which group is more likely to have the maturity for such a challenge, the younger generation or the older generation?


I am now 43 years old. I don’t want to grow old but the only other choice is death. And while I might sing “When we all get to heaven, what a wonderful day that will be”, I’m not interested in going tomorrow. As I get older, I expect my music preferences to have to make way for the next generation. If my grandchildren are being reached because my church is doing music that I don’t like, I’m all for my church doing that music.

I absolutely love the guitar. It is my favorite instrument that I play. But I keep hearing rumblings that electric guitar music is going out the door. If modern pop music is any indication, that might be true. As one might survey artists such as Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and others, one will find very very little electric guitar. I’ve even noticed this in the music of Israel Houghton, and maybe half of what you hear on K-Love.

As I grey, if this trend persists, I will mourn that loss but God is still worthy and worship was never about me. I believe that a mature believer can worship God to styles associated with any generation. Couple this with the fact that Scripture doesn’t give us any prescriptions on music styles, it seems to me that music styles are a tool, they are NOT the substance of our worship. Therefore, this tool should be used to reach the immature and the seeker. The mature in Christ can give God the glory whether it is in the form or How Great Thou Art, How Great Is Our God or even the EDM style of Hillsong’s Young & Free. Once one is called to a maturity in Christ, the calling of the cross is one of sacrifice.

Christ fed the multitudes loaves and fishes but that food was never his goal. It was simply a means to get people to seek the greater spiritual food He had to offer. I’m not a seafood person but I’m willing to put up with the fish fries if we can reach more people as a result. What about you?