Is it old vs. new? Not really. Good vs. bad? Not always. Written vs. improvised? I don't know - but many churches are facing a split congregation with different musical values on each side (I like to think I have good musical values)
My church where I am the bell choir director is in the process of adding a service. This new service will be Sunday morning every week, and the format will be different than the existing service. The format we currently follow is an eclectic one, with organ and guitars, praise songs and hymns every week. I actually have liked doing a little of everything, but the minister just told me "you can't please everyone all the time". He said the existing service would remain the same (which it can't, for many reasons) and the new service wouldn't just be for young people, but when I asked, that is the demographic he is reaching out to with his mission.
Is that bad? I feel sad - like what we have now is not valued. "They" keep talking about having a youth band, and younger faces singing...but no one is stopping the youth from having a band, in fact there was one a few years ago but it ended because the kids were all too busy. Although the minister said bells could be part of the new service, I definately got the idea we wouldn't be an integral part of things. Right now I feel like this is going to be the end of good music at the church. By good I mean that people practiced it and care was taken to make it sound good, no matter what instruments they use.
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