Worship Music in Traditional Versus Contemporary Services
Assignment #4
by Elizabeth Wareham
Music is an integral part of the worship services of nearly every church. However, the
styles of music used in worship services are very diverse. Although there are many different
types of worship music, most church members tend to divide worship styles into two distinct
categories. These categories are traditional and contemporary. The traditional style utilizes
hymns, classical music, and in most cases, organ and choir. I have been very involved in
traditional church music for years so I am very familiar with many aspects of music in a
traditional church service. I understand how to put together music in a meaningful service, as I
have been a service organist. I have played and sung many solos in church, and I have sung in
my church choir for 8 years. Contemporary worship music uses mostly praise songs that are
usually played by a praise band. The typical band consists of singers, guitarists, drums, a
keyboardist, and sometimes other solo instruments such as violin or saxophone. I am a relative
outsider to contemporary worship music.
These two different worship styles have been the source of many conflicts in churches.
I have seen several churches experience controversies over the issue of worship style and I have
even seen it break apart a church. The church I grew up in suffered from worship style conflicts
several times during my lifetime. Church leaders tried several different solutions including
services blending the two styles and holding separate services at different times. Dan Lucarini,
an author who has a strong opinion about contemporary music writes, “I believe that the use of
Contemporary Christian Music in praise and worship is a man-made phenomenon and should be
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exposed as such because it lacks a strong Biblical foundation and ignores God’s instructions for
acceptable worship.”1
I really wanted to better understand why worship music causes so much dissention in
churches. I also wanted to explore the similarities and differences in values and goals between
the two different types of worship. I believed that if I could understand the values and worship
goals of both those involved in traditional worship and those who prefer contemporary worship, I
would gain some insight into the reasons behind the controversy. To accomplish this, I attended
a worship service at Westminster Presbyterian Church, a church with traditional music, and a
service at the Vineyard, a church with contemporary music.
Westminster is a very traditional church in downtown Dayton. Architecturally, it is a
beautiful gothic cathedral. The high arching ceilings, the imposing pillars, and the beautiful
stained glass windows are very impressive and really inspire reverence. Westminster houses one
of the largest pipe organs in the state and it has an 80-voice choir, four children’s choirs, and
three handbell choirs. There is a rich history of music at Westminster and they are very proud of
that heritage. The service began with a carillon peal played on the organ, and an organ prelude.
The bulletin stated that the prelude music should serve as a time of reflection to open up your
spirit to God’s presence. As the choir introit was sung from the very back of the sanctuary, I
immediately noticed the formality of the service. While the choir stood at the back, the pastors
were lined up in the narthex to process to the front behind the choir. Latecomers had to wait in
the narthex until the beginning of the first hymn to enter. This really emphasized the formal, holy
nature of the service. Jerry Taylor, one of the music directors at Westminster, commented that
the processional during the first hymn signifies people coming together around the throne of God
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Dan Lucarini, Why I left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement (New York: Evangelical
Press, 2002), 18.
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for worship. He sees the opening processional as an icon of coming to surround the throne of
God in heaven for worship. The processional also adds an element of pageantry and drama to the
service while providing an organized way to get the choir into the choir loft (Personal
Communication, December 8, 2014). At Westminster, the congregation stood for the first hymn,
pulled out their hymnals, and sang strongly. I noticed that the majority of the congregation
participated in singing the hymn. For people like me who have attended a traditional church
service for years, the first hymn serves as an index of the beginning of worship. It sets apart the
service as sacred and it signals the time of worship. There were four congregational hymns
throughout the service as well as sung congregational responses. The hymns were all
accompanied by the pipe organ. Traditional worship musicians see the organ as ideal for
congregational singing because of its loud volume and because unlike a piano, once a key is
pressed down, the sound is sustained. This allows the organist to breathe with the congregation
and lead them. Congregational singing is valued highly because everyone is collectively
worshiping a holy God.
The choir was dressed in long, flowing robes and the congregation was dressed in
traditional church attire. The congregation had a wide range of ages and they did not clap or say
“amen” during the service. Music was spread throughout the service in the form of choir
anthems, hymns, and responses. The service concluded with a loud, dramatic postlude. This also
served as a reverent close to the service, formally signaling the end. Nobody in the congregation
clapped, they just left reverently.
From my own experience and from talking with traditional worship participants, I think
that the most important values of traditional worship services are depicting the holiness of God,
collectively worshipping Him, and powerfully presenting the message of the sermon through
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music. The overall goal of the traditional worship service is connection with the divine and these
values help to achieve this goal. The drama, and pageantry of the processionals, prelude,
postlude, choir robes, and anthems uphold these values of reverence, the holiness of God, and the
majesty of being able to worship Him. This is also reflected in the behaviors of all of the
different participants. From the robed choir processing slowly to the silent, reverent
congregation, everyone shared the goal of reverent worship.
My experience at the Vineyard was very interesting because I had very little previous
contact with that style of worship music. The first thing I noticed when I entered the Vineyard
was the large coffee shop. They sold specialty coffee and also offered free coffee and tea. I
walked around for a bit to look at the building. I got a cup of tea and headed into the service. The
worship center looked like a large gymnasium with a stage in one corner. The main floor was set
up with chairs facing the stage and the balcony featured stadium type seating. Prominent screens,
which displayed a welcome message, hung on the walls next to the stage. There was no bulletin
with an order of service. I noticed a very wide age range in the congregation and most were
dressed in jeans or other casual clothing.
The service began with praise songs, which lasted for the first 40 minutes of the service.
There were three songs and several of the songs were repeated after the song leaders shared a
verse or a story. The songs were led by a praise band consisting of a drummer, a lead male singer
and guitarist, a solo female singer, a keyboardist, and a bass guitarist. The singers moved around
a lot and the solo singer often raised her hands high in the air. There was a lot of emphasis placed
on the congregation participating in the songs. The singers often told the congregation to sing or
to raise their hands. The lead singer would ask the congregation to sing with him at the beginning
of many of the choruses. As the service progressed, more and more people arrived and the
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congregation started singing more. Some of the congregation lifted their hands, waved, or stood
in the aisles during the songs. The words of the songs were displayed on the screens, which were
color coordinated with the spotlights.
Even with the emphasis on congregational participation, the distinction between the
performers and the congregation was clear. The stage and spotlights set the performers apart
from the congregation, although the performers were casually dressed like the congregation. For
the first part of the service, I was surprised at how little I heard the congregation sing, but later
on, the lead singer dropped out for a chorus to let the congregation lead the singing and then I
was able to hear them. The leader singers were amplified, so I could not tell that the
congregation was singing. Since I had heard that contemporary churches emphasize
participation, I was expecting more of a participatory event, but many aspects were clearly
presentational.
After the service concluded, I went up front and found the pastor. I introduced myself and
told him that I was studying music in churches for a school project and asked if he would be
willing to talk to me about what he values in worship music. He explained that to him, the goal
of worship music is to connect with God. He stated that music should be excellent so that the
quality enhances the congregation’s ability to connect with God. He said that when people listen
to worship music with tears in their eyes, the goal has been accomplished. As a church, the
Vineyard values inclusiveness. The casual dress, coffee, and relaxed atmosphere all contribute to
this goal. I asked the pastor if he has ever dealt with the conflict between traditional and
contemporary worship music. He explained that he grew up in a traditional Lutheran church so
he is very familiar with both sides. To him, both styles are equally valid ways of creating a
connection with God in worship. When I asked him why he thought there was so much
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controversy if the overall goal of worship music is something that both sides share, he said that
he believes that the controversy happens because people have a very personal connection with
music. He gave the example of a couple that begins dating and they identify strongly with the
music they hear at important points in their relationship. He talked about how many couples call
a particular piece of music “our song.” He said that in our relationship with God, we identify
similarly with music that helps us create the divine connection (Personal Communication,
November 22, 2014). To me, the pastor was describing the process of forming an indexical
connection with a type of music. When someone grows up with a certain type of music in
church, that style of music possesses a strong indexical connection of divine contact, sacred time,
and worship for that particular person. If they are asked to worship with a different style, they are
being asked to give up many years of indexical associations with music.
The two services have many contrasting elements including the casual atmosphere of the
Vineyard and the very formal, ceremonial atmosphere of Westminster, the use of music
throughout the service at Westminster and the clear music time at the Vineyard, as well as the
postlude at Westminster versus recorded music when the Vineyard’s service ends. However,
especially after interviewing the music director from Westminster and the pastor from the
Vineyard, I can also see many similarities. Both of them value touching people and inspiring
them with the message of the music. Praising and glorifying God is paramount for both churches.
After experiencing both sides, I can see that they have more in common than many people
realize. Some of their values and approaches are very different, but the overarching goal is
shared.
Perhaps like the Vineyard’s pastor said, the conflict between worship styles exists
because of the immense power of music. Music has the power to influence the subconscious
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mind through semiotic signs and people feel strongly about music in worship because of these
subconscious connections. Music has the power to help us better understand ourselves and to
form individual and collective group identity.
Because of strong indexical, personal connections, perhaps there is no real solution to the
controversy between contemporary and traditional worship music. Maybe this conflict is
inevitable and we need to realize that the mere existence of a conflict is the thing that shows us
that worship music is effective and beautiful. It is the power of music that uplifts individuals and
communities to accomplish the shared goal of creating a connection with God.
Reflection Essay
I chose to attend these particular musical events because church music has always been
extremely important throughout my life, and the controversy between traditional and
contemporary music has been strong in my own church. I have heard both sides of the conflict
many times since I grew up in a church that was very passionate about their music ministry. I
learned how to be a musician in church. I played my first prelude for church when I was 11 years
old and from there, I have been a violinist in church orchestras, a member of handbell choirs, a
singer in the church choir, a service organist for a few services, and I have played and sung many
solos. My church was built around the organ and an acoustics expert was consulted before the
architect. This history of musical excellence explains why so many members of my church feel
very strongly about worship music. However, there has been a group of rather vocal people in
the church who thought the music should go in a different direction. They wanted to change our
services to all contemporary and significantly change the overall feel of the church. In my
church, this tension escalated to more of a power struggle than strictly an issue of musical style,
but the impact on me was still strong. Church music will always have a special connection to me.
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I have many indexical connections to church for many different pieces of music that I have
played for church. For example, whenever I hear Handel’s Messiah, I will think of my church
and the times I have played or sung some of the choruses there. In fact, when I recently had a
few months when I was not in a church choir, I struggled with how I was going to worship
without participating in the choir. For me, being part of church music has such a strong indexical
connection with worship that sitting in a pew does not feel like worshipping to me. It was an
interesting experience to go to a church where I was an insider to the style of music, but an
outsider in that particular congregation. I sat in a pew and experienced the service from an
outsider perspective. If I had attended my own church, it would have been much harder to
disconnect myself from my association with the music program.
When I think back on my past experiences with the conflict between worship styles, I
realize that my opinions and decisions about worship music were largely determined by the
opinions of my parents and other role models in church. None of those people forced my
opinions, but as I grew up, I naturally accepted those opinions as my own. As I grew older, I
examined these issues for myself, but this assignment allowed me to explore my own thoughts
and beliefs on the subject. My exploration in this project helped me to see more of the
complexity of the issue. Rather than a black and white, right and wrong situation, my
conversation with the Vineyard pastor and my own reflections have allowed me to see that both
sides truly have the same goal, which is to collectively connect with God. The Vineyard pastor’s
explanation of the way in which people identify with music really resonated with me after taking
this class. There is so much more I could analyze and learn from this experience than I can write
within the limitations of this assignment, but I learned a lot about both sides of the controversy
and I definitely gained a greater understanding of contemporary worship music.
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