What is the Purpose of Music in the Church?

Church Newsletter: What is the purpose of Music?

I without a shadow of doubt am convinced music in the church exists as a corporate unifying factor – one church, one voice, one text. During the hymns and songs of our faith is the only time in which every single person (should be) lifting their voices to come in unity with the text that we are singing at that time. Whether it be a hymn in which we say “A Mighty Fortress is our God – a barrier wall (bulwark) that will never ever fail us” or “Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death God will never let go of us”; the text exists as a unifying factor.

Because this is my conviction, purpose, and focus of my ministry this is why the “worship wars” over musical styles make me sick to my stomach. These wars that have existed across the nation in the past ten years thankfully are beginning to cease. People on both sides of the arguments are beginning to focus on blended services, understanding that the focus is not what you or I desire. There is a greater cause – that we are unified. The very tool that we have to unify us in our services has been the very tool that has divided us greatly over the past ten years.

Music exists as a unifying factor for one church, one voice, and one text; however you might hear this in any creed or statement made by your local fraternity, club, or organization. What separates the church? Worship. When we sing songs on Sunday Morning it is not only one church, one voice, and one text but yet also with one purpose and one statement: “You are God, we are not; We recognize your supremacy, we recognize our subservience”. This is worship – people can tend to make worship more complex, but it is simply when we say that we cannot make it without God – He is our bulwark that we cannot exist with out, we would be in the valley of the shadow of death, hopeless apart from Him.

Because my conviction for music ministry is that its sole purpose is one that is for congregational unity, you will not see a lot of large productions from me; You will not see a lot of focus on choral perfection – this is not what the church needs. We have plenty of entertainment readily available to us. The church needs men and women who will stand up and say we are unified as a church; we are submissive to God wholly. Would you make a commitment to God to no longer let music be the dividing factor of any church that you are present in – but rather the unifying factor. The times are getting tougher and we must grow closer as the body of Christ.