Those songs aren’t “spiritual” enough!

There are frustrations in ministry that baffle the mind. None more than the issue of music for me. I have heard comments from complaining “Christians” and read different posts about how we should continue using the hymnal and such. The arguments are all about how “spiritual” the hymns are and how much meaning that they have to the person. Here are some comments I have heard about new worship:

“Oh, you’re going to sing one of those 7/11 songs. 7 words sung 11 times!”

“That music is from the devil and is not God-honoring.”

“Songs like Friend of God and Blessed be your name won’t be remembered in 50 years.”


Do you know how frustrating it is for a worship leader to plan, prepare, and simply lead worship then at the end to hear these types of things? I know people will critizise anything that they don’t like. I think music is more about personal preference and opinion rather than whether it is God honoring or not. This whole issue has me so frustrated and sick that it makes me just want to spit nails. It has been going on for so long that it makes you wonder if it not something that Satan using to his advantage often.


Here are my assumptions:

1. Who are you to call music that is about God, sung to him and for him not spiritual enough? Really...just because it isn’t the type of music that you came to the Lord under doesn’t mean it can’t do that for someone else.

2. Some hymns are great. Some...not so much. Don’t try and tell me that they are more scripturally based. That is a joke. Both types are mainly based in scripture with both having exceptions. Don’t go there.

3. This battle must be frustrating to the one who died for us. We talk about this, argue about this, criticize about this and leave churches over this.

4. Trying to blend the music never hits the two sides enough. The elders, who pay the bills and have been the foundation of the church, don’t like it when it’s too loud or they can’t learn the song. The younger people, who I’ve been told, don’t pay tithe, are lax in their commitment, and don’t want to be held accountable, feel as though the other peoples songs are boring and are sung out of tradition rather than out of worship.

5. We often forget that God is the audience, not us. We are the participants not the worship leader or band. Lastly, that it is all for God and anything that we call the work of the devil that is actually the work of God doesn’t bode well for us.

6. Don’t tell me what means something to me. I will remember some hymns and some modern worship songs in 50 years. The better question would be, what type of songs will we be singing in heaven? Will it be songs about us and how we have decided to follow Jesus or songs about how great our God is? Chew on that one for a while.