Conviction or Opinion?

Let's think of the planning part of worship ministry when pairing these two words: conviction and opinion.

Is your opinion that this is the right song for the right slot on the right Sunday? Or do you feel a sense of conviction--compelled by Christ-in-you--that it is the best song for the best slot on the right Sunday? 

I wish I could say I've always (or even mostly) chosen by conviction, but very many times I've picked songs because I wanted to. My opinion was that we should use it. 

This distinction is especially important for churches walking through "conversations" about worship style. It is impossible to please everyone with a scorecard of songs. For example: from the hymnal vs. those from elsewhere. Some would prefer 5-0, others 4-1, others 3-2, or 2-3, or 1-4, or 0-5. And some would actually find a different opinion, though it seems there can be none. Song choices can't be based on the scorecard of what keeps others happy. Indulging preference won't cultivate deference.

But there is a place where choosing content for worship can be done with a sense of Shalom. It's the place Christ's love compels us to choose. (click on the link to read 2 Cor 5:14 ff)

Key in this whole idea is Christ's love, specifically His love is for the church. He loves His Bride. And He wants His Bride to be able to sing from Her heart to His heart. So when we choose songs, we want to give voice to the Bride of Christ. Part of that requires that we learn the heart-song of our congregation--how we can use the texts, the melodies, and the sounds that unleash the love of the church.

Also key is that Christ's love compels. We don't live in the past. Jesus is not compelling us backwards. He is doing a new thing! He wants to reach new people in your community. He died for them, remember, just like He died for us. So each church needs to, in its uniqueness as a faith community, determine how the language of those they are reaching will be part of the worship gathering. Compelled by the love of Christ to reach those far from Him, each church should decide how to speak the language of her town--which texts, melodies, and sounds can connect with the hearts of those they want to reach.

When we begin to choose music based on those two aspects of Christ's love--for His Bride and for the lost--the scorecard becomes totally different from a "hymnal vs. non-hymnal" one. 

A word of caution--knowing this in your office at church is inadequate. Taking it to the worship teams and choir is stopping short. The church needs to know this. They don't just need to be told. They don't simply need to hear. They need to KNOW. 

And that's a process, a journey. It requires conversations. Most reasonable Christ-followers can embrace the love Christ has for His Bride and for the lost. When we use that context as a way to talk about how to choose songs, and how to include other worship elements, we take the emphasis away from our preferences and move toward the heart of Jesus. 

So let's lead by conviction, not opinion. Sound right to you?