An American Myth - Worship Leaders need to be young, guitar-toting rockers with cool hair and tight jeans.

I just heard of yet another friend of mine who was asked to leave his position as worship pastor at a church where he had served for many years. That makes four of my contemporaries in the last year or so, all of whom were told the church is "going in a different direction." What do each of them have in common? They all recently turned 50 years old. And now, they are all looking for work, and finding it hard to find. They are all questioning whether they have a place in the church at this stage of their lives or if they are all washed up.

What causes a church to make such a decision? I can tell you what it wasn't. It wasn't moral failure, lack of excellence, character issues or spiritual shallowness on the part of any of these men. Each of them are excellent musicians who love the Lord and His church, and have dedicated their lives to serving Him with their musical gifts.

So what was it that brought their ministries to an end? Each of these churches have bought into a new philosophy of worship that has been sweeping across churches in America. To attract more young people, they have concluded they need to emulate what they see at the trendy, successful mega-churches: they need a young, guitar-toting rocker with cool hair and tight jeans to lead their worship. They believe that, for their churches to really grow, they need a worship make-over. And so it is out with the old, in with the new.

What these churches fail to recognize is that their gain is also their loss. They trade the known for the unknown, thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. They trade a worship veteran for an inexperienced and often ego-driven youngster. They trade someone with a life time commitment for someone looking for the next step up the success ladder. They trade someone with a proven ministry mindset for someone who frequently doesn't understand what being a pastor really means. They trade a mentor for someone who needs to be mentored.

The only other church ministry position where being older means being obsolete is the area of youth ministry. That has been true for quite some time, and almost universally so, although I have seen a growing number of youth pastors who are surviving (and thriving) into their grandparenting years. I applaud this for many reasons, first and foremost because with their increased age, these men have now parented their own children through the teenage and young adult years. That gives them real-life experience no twenty year old can bring to the spiritual care of teenagers.

Running after the latest trend in worship reveals the heart of a church's worship philosophy. Remaking worship in order to target the younger generation seems like a good idea on the surface. After all, what church wants to fall behind in terms of staying relevant? And if younger people aren't coming, or are visiting but not returning, and then blame the worship, doesn't that warrant the change? 

I don't think so. To focus on one generation is to neglect the others, and that just doesn't describe how the Bible views the Body of Christ. Our love and care for one another is what will draw people to the Kingdom. We are described as having many parts yet all are valuable and useful. Which is why I believe so strongly that the best model for worship is an inclusive, multi-generational approach. One where grandparents and grandchildren are both able to worship together in the same room, learning and growing as they see how the other's worship language and needs are being met.

I believe a multi-generational worship approach can be achieved by a worship leader of any age as long as he understands that worship needs to include a variety of generational preferences, is willing to stay current with a part of the worship  being offered, and is willing to share his worship leadership with others of different (usually younger) generations. It also requires the complete support of church leadership, including the senior pastor. Another must is regular, consistent, and intentional teaching about worship so that the church's worshipers don't fall into a consumerism, me-centered mentality.

The damage caused by tossing out an older worship pastor and pursuing a younger one just to follow a trend is something I believe God will hold church leadership responsible for. The Church is not the business world, where change for change sake is often quite acceptable, and where phasing out older workers for younger ones helps save money on salaries. This is the Body of Christ, where every member is of value. Including fifty-year-old worship leaders.