Adding Creativity Without Losing the Congregation
Howard Stevenson
In responding to God, we should be open to using every expression of beauty and genius, which are reflections of his own nature.
—Howard Stevenson When I came to First Evangelical Free Church, the congregation began every service by singing the first verse of "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." Shortly after I joined the staff, I asked and received permission from Pastor Swindoll to change our opening hymn. It wasn't long, however, before I began getting notes written on bulletins asking me why we didn't sing "Coronation" (often misspelled "Coronashun" or "Cornations"). Although I can see humor in the situation now, at the time I felt threatened. I didn't know how widespread the objections were. The experience pointed up the uneasiness, even fear, people often feel about change in their patterns of worship. We all love progress, but we're reluctant when change is imposed upon us! "You would think that of all places, all communities, it would be in the church where we would most welcome the creativity and freshness and adventure of new things," says Eugene Peterson in Running with the Horses. "But instead that's the very place we are most threatened." Why Change Isn't Always Welcome
Why do people resist change, especially in church? Habit and heritage are two big reasons. We all like to settle back in the old chair, even though there might be a broken spring or two; it's where we feel most at ease. And we all have notions about what worship should be. Often the ideas remain from childhood. Frankly, most of us are as defensive in our Christianity as in any other area of our lives. When someone suggests changes in the worship service, the common response is akin to the apocryphal seven last words of the church: "We've never done ...
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