by Tim H. Swanson
How does your congregation feel about your music selection? Do you even know, or are you afraid to know? That’s how I’ve felt much of the time. Sometimes people come up to me and tell me they really connect with the music. Other times, people come up and tell me they miss the old worship leader (harsh right?). I like to think those people each represent a broader group of church members.
Sometimes I wonder just how many people from my church connect with the kind of music we do, and how many miss the worship leader before me. Frankly, the idea of knowing that kind of information scares me. It freaks me out to think that people don't like me. Like most people, I want to be liked. And like most musicians, I am terrified of not being liked. I often wish God would just give me the magic recipe for creating music sets that appeal to everyone. The truth is, that kind of wishing just highlights my own selfishness. When I get fixated on pleasing everyone, it’s not because I want to glorify God. It’s because I want to feel okay about who I am. It’s just my own insecurity. Strangely, it’s the same thing that drives me to avoid people’s input about the services. In the same way that I selfishly want people to like me, I’m afraid to find out that they don’t.
Recently, I had a look at my job description. Much to my surprise, the protection of my own reputation appears nowhere on it. Instead, it pretty clearly states that my job is to create an environment where the people of Moon Valley Bible Church can come together and worship God through music. Since my congregation, like yours, is a cross section of different ages and preferences, that means spending some time learning what the people connect with. That means determining the culture of my church. So if you are like me and trying to discover your church’s culture, here are a few good approaches to move you down the path.
1. Become a student of your congregation. I once had a mentor tell me to do this. He instructed me to spend time looking out at the people while I was leading to see what was going on among them. When I did, I learned a lot. I began to learn just how long it took for people to begin singing along with new music. I can see which people sing, and which ones stand their with their hands in their pockets. Some weeks, I get the distinct privilege of watching more people than usual raise their hands, close their eyes, and abandon themselves in worship of their creator. Maybe you’re in the habit of making eye contact with your congregation, but have you ever studied them? If it’s your job to create a place for them to come together and connect with God, shouldn’t you take advantage of an opportunity to just look out and see how things are going? Spend some time from the platform studying your congregation.
2. Spend time among the people. Before the service is great, but after the service is even better. See what’s on people’s mind. At my church, if people are talking about what they learned or how they were challenged then we win. Some of the best preachers I know will even go out into the crowd and ask people what they thought afterward. That’s bold, and it requires guts. But it’s a great way to learn how you can improve. The other week somebody in my congregation called me out by asking, “Why do you dress up when you preach, but not when you lead worship? Do you somehow think you’re more of a public figure when you’re preaching?” #DeerInTheHeadlights. I wisely responded, “I, uh…. well...” Smooth, I know.
3. Gather a cross section of your congregation for regular evaluation. Email addresses are easy to get. So grab the emails of 15 or 20 church members with different ages and life stages. Then draft a simple evaluation and periodically send it to them. My teaching pastor, Bob Kerrey, does this. He doesn’t send it out every week, and it only has three questions. This is an easy way to gather some vital information about your planning. It may not change what kind of material you plan for services, but it may be the thing that helps you see when you’re in a slump.
4. One on one time with new people. What do new people think or your services? When was the last time you asked one? New people have the most valuable thing of all, fresh eyes and ears. While you are consumed with the water stains on the ceiling and how old your carpet is, these people are noticing the things that actually matter. When you see them sitting in one of your seats, go up to them and ask them what they thought. This will give you some fresh perspective.
5. Create regular space for people to give feedback. Make some space on your church’s connection card for people to write their comments about the music during the service. This will give people, who are shy, a safe place to honestly share their thoughts. However beware, things that show up week after week tend to disappear to your regular attenders. This is the type of thing you can do for a week or two every other month, and if you’re feeling brave you can even point it out from the stage.
6. Stereotyping isn’t always bad. Let me start off by saying, that stereotyping can be really destructive, especially if it’s crude and uninformed. But it can do some real good if you are wise about it and understand stereotypes are just generalizations that should be used generally. If you’re church body is predominantly retired, then it is safe to assume they will connect with hymns. If the majority of your church body is people who are returning to church after a long period of time away, it may be safe to assume they have some baggage associated with the church of their youth. In that case, traditional style hymns may not be the best idea.
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