Contemporary Music and Adventist Preaching
Yesterday I posted on contemporary music as a means to growth. Often connected to contemporary music is generic preaching devoid of who we are. Charles Bradford notes in his book Preaching to the Times that the Adventist church was “preached into existence.”
Today, many of us are looking for methods of growth that are not in line with our own unique identity. But in the end, if you want to be heard, you have to say something worth saying.
Let’s Have Both
Personally, I would like to have both contemporary and traditional music. If I can have C. D. Brooks, Charles Bradford, E. E. Cleveland, or some of the younger preachers preaching our message, the music will contribute to the atmosphere whether it is a praise team singing contemporary praises to God or whether it is a chorister leading a historic hymn.
James Doggette Preaching the Message
This weekend I had to stay at home during church time. Whenever I do that I look at a number of church services. I turned in to Pastor James Doggette who was preaching about the need for holiness and a coming back to God. It reminded me of the old days when calls for holiness were common. There was contemporary music, and there was a call to holiness.
Carlton Byrd is Preaching Our Message
This weekend, on ChurchPond, I also looked at Pastor Carlton Byrd of Berean Seventh-day Adventist Chruch in Atlanta Ga. He had some contemporary music going, but you know he got up there and preached a message that would have made those who “preached this church into existence” proud. Preaching our message is why his church is growing at a tremendous pace.
The Generic Alternative
Then I turned my browser to another church. Once again contemporary music, but this time I heard another one of those same ole “How to get your blessing” messages. In that case, it didn’t matter to me whether the music was “Holy, Holy, Holy” or “I Lift my Hands in the Sanctuary” when generic preaching that makes no call on the life is preached.
Preach the Word and Sing the Songs. Don’t try to replace either with the other.
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“Often connected to contemporary music is generic preaching devoid of who we are.” Wow! You must have been to my church! “Devoid!” Now that’s the word of the day! YOU hit it on the head. How can a preacher call himself a preacher and collect tithe money and preach a message that can be heard from every other Sunday church in town. We heard the Message from Rev. 14:6-12 a month ago in my church. It was watered down to the point that nothing was identified. Babylon was called “worshiping a false god.” He would not identify the beast or her daughters.
Where have all the pastors gone who are willing to preach our distinctive message? Does Andrews University produce these pastors any more? Please, Send some faithful pastors to the Oregon Conference! Send some who are willing to preach our historic Adventist message. Send them soon! The Mega-Church, no message, message is present and growing.
We have pleaded with the pastor to “say something worth saying” but to no avail! The people starve and as a result many will be lost. Yes the drums are present. The alternative peace, peace, love and more peace is present each week. We are not an emerging church, we have fully emerged where I worship. We are so culturally conditioned that we have no theology at all. If this trend continues, if compromises continue my local church could join hands with the papacy and nobody would even care.