Redemption Boulevard A Multicultural Worship Ministry

Having songs outside of what your church normally does is definitely a challenge.  And when it comes to multicultural worship songs there is a balancing act that’s involved.  It’s the balance of good theology, language, style, and repetition.

If any one of these dominates the other the congregation may feel extremely uncomfortable or reject a song completely.  We certainly want to stretch people and teach people about God’s heart for becoming a multicultural church, but we don’t want to do it in such a way that it alienates them.  Baby steps are the key.

My friend Dan Adler says that, “We need to be skillful enough not to be a distraction to the congregation.”  And, really, the skill lies in balancing those elements that I talked about.

Trust

This also means you really have to get to know the people in the congregation and be in regular contact with your pastor.  I’m not saying that you should simply take song requests from the congregation.

But by intentionally getting to know the people in your church and allowing them to know you a bridge of trust is built.  As you introduce different ways of interpreting a song to the congregation people will be much more receptive to what you’re doing.  And, perhaps, you’ll be much more open to hearing their feedback when things don’t work in a song.

For example…

I recently revamped the song “Heart of Worship” by Matt Redman.  Here’s the process I’m aiming for as I bring this song to our congregation.

1. Pick a song with a good theme and good theology behind it.
2. Changed the lyrics to the bridge.
3. Changed the chords to the bridge and chorus in order to change the style.
4. Introduced it to the worship team.
5. Introduced it to the congregation.
6. Ask people in the congregation how they felt about the way the song has changed.
7. Pray for discernment in moving forward with the song.  This would be a good time to talk with our pastor.
8. If it seems like we can move forward, then I will introduce a language to this song…most likely starting with the chorus. But the bridge is also a possibility since I simplified this part of the song.
9. Repeat steps 4-7

Question for you

How do you strive to balance how you’re teaching a worship song from a different culture?

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