"If we design our service experiences for a younger audience, we’re more likely to reach that younger person and we’ll also reach older folks. The reverse is not true. If we designed our service experience for an older audience, the younger crowd would not show up."
http://tonymorganlive.com/2008/08/24/are-you-comfortable-with-being-uncomfortable/
Do you:
a) Strongly Disagree
b) Somewhat Disagree
c) Don't know
d) Somewhat Agree
e) Strongly Agree
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You've had me thinking about this all week. I think I have an opinion, but I want to hear yours too. Maybe I'll get brave and bring it up next Saturday... I have a feeling we may disagree? eeek. In that case maybe I'll just keep my mouth shut :-)
ReplyDeleteBarbara,
ReplyDeletePlease don't ever think that just because you disagree with me means you need to keep your mouth shut. I purposely didn't weigh in on this because I want to hear the breath of opinions out there. I'm also not really saying this is a WLA policy blog...I just read it and was interested in what people would say about it. We at WLA aren't really in a place to focus on young people in our services...it would be too much of a change all at one time.
So, after the group conversation on Saturday I think you see my hesitation in commenting on this. The tension in the talk we all had is exactly my concern with "designing the service for youth" or for any one specific demographic. If we are overly concerned or focused on any one style, preference, generation... we are missing the point.
ReplyDeleteI understand what a heated and complicated thing this is. Just a few of the things to consider (and I know you are weighing all these things in the balance): Honouring the elderly in our Body; Not 'boring' away the youth; not 'entertaining' the youth either; not being rigid and 'stuck in tradition'; not being afraid of tradition; using the gifts and resources the Lord has given; wanting to hear and follow Him wholeheartedly; leading in a 'relevant' way; respecting and serving those in the congregation; not further dividing the congregation on the basis of music preference....and so on.
As soon as we start "designing services" for any one demographic, I think we have stopped listening with fully open ears to the Lord. "Well I was thinking of a hymn today, but that can't be right because we are designing for the youth"...
The young people in the church need to know that loud and distorted is not the only musical style of value. They need to be taught to hear from the Lord and worship Him with a new song (which for them is the "oldies"). The older generation needs to be taught that organ and choir is not the only musical style of holiness. They need to be taught to hear from the Lord and worship Him with a new song (which for them might be an electric guitar solo). Thankfully it is you and not me in the position of working out how to do that. :-)
Tim, you have a very difficult job, and from what I've seen so far you are doing a wonderful job at it. I hope you know me well enough by now to know that this comment here is simply a discussion on the link you posted and not a complaint of how things are at WLA. Looking forward to hearing what you thought of the discussion on Saturday.
Thanks for reading all this! :-)