Drums, Guitars, Keyboards
Where are USA churches headed? What things do the new church-plants seem to have in common? In my last blog we looked at the first unanimous item: contemporary music. Before I leave that thought, let me add one more detail here. Even when churches use the old hymns, they don't sound the same, nor are the harmonies as pronounced. The instrumentation is different, though the song is an old one.
2. Drums and guitars seem to be omnipresent. Keyboards aren't far behind. I foresee no changes in these being the lead instruments in churches for the foreseeable future. They provide the cultural sound which marks our society, and in Christianity, music is the one place where our faith can morph to the culture around it. Elvis drove drums into our psyche with "Hound Dog"; the Beatles brought guitars to professional prominence. By the way, I love telling the story of how Decca Records turned down the Beatles for a contract due to thinking guitars had already passed their prime, and were beginning to lose ground. That has to have been one of the worst marketing decisions in world history. Keyboards are gaining ground due to their versatility and transportability. Pianos and organs are hard to lug around.
3. No Sunday evening services. This one breaks my heart. Sunday night was through the years my favorite worship service of the week. "Only God's good folks were there. The preacher didn't have to worry about shallow listeners. Put the Bible on the pulpit, and preach!! And then, after church, go out with friends and enjoy the down time before Monday brings another work week." Those days are over. In the USA, Sunday evening is now "cocoon" night, when people get the children ready for school, and adults get ready to go to work, for another week.
I have more history/future items to discuss. I'll pick up the conversation in my next blog. I covet your comments on my Facebook post about this blog.