Got your note. I don't have it in front of me, but the gist of it (as I recall) was something along these lines: "Why don't we sing more songs from the hymnal? Why do we even have a hymnal if we're not going to use it? And please, get rid of the guitar, please, please." (That last part I'm pretty sure I've quoted almost exactly. That's the sort of thing that sticks with a guitarist like me.)

I'll assume that you attend our blended worship service, not our contemporary worship service. If you are attending our contemporary service, you're clearly in the wrong service (for you). But since we recently introduced the guitar into the first service, in an effort to move from a more traditional style of worship to a somewhat more blended service, combining traditional and contemporary music, it seems safe to assume that this is what you're taking issue with.

Quite frankly, I'm tempted to ignore your comment (and have been advised to do so), but I won't, since I'm the guitarist in question here, and as a contemporary worship leader, I take these things pretty seriously.

First, let me point out that in our blended service, about half of the songs we sing together are traditional hymns from the hymnal. Many of the contemporary songs that we do are also versions of traditional hymns.

I'll concede one point here at the outset--some of the contemporary worship songs in wide use in the church today are not as theologically rich as some (not all) of the hymns in the hymnal. This fact is not lost on many of today's contemporary worship songwriters, and many of today's songwriters are composing modern songs, with modern styling, melodies and instrumentation (and yes, even with a "beat") that are as theologically rich as anything written by Isaac Watts or Charles Wesley.

But I'm guessing that your objection to the use of the guitar is not based on theology, but rather style and personal musical taste. I've heard others reason that the guitar is too "informal" for corporate worship, or that the guitar has been too long associated with rock 'n' roll music and lifestyle choices that are ungodly and unbecoming of true followers of Jesus. Is it necessary to point out that the organ and piano are also instruments that have been widely used in rock music for decades?

Seriously, though, let's move this discussion away from specific instruments. For every person you might find who finds the guitar offensive as an instrument for accompanying worship, I can find just as many who find the organ (and traditional hymns) an impediment to true worship. "There is a fountain, filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins..."--that's the sort of lyric that might be flush with meaning for you, but virtually incomprehensible to a 26-year-old who was not raised in the church.

The real questions here are questions of culture and relevance. Have you been in one of our contemporary services? I doubt it--if you disapprove of the guitar in worship, surely the electric guitar, electric bass and drums would not please you. But there is a generation of worshipers in our church and around the world for whom the contemporary style of worship was a major factor in drawing them back into the church, or into the church for the first time.

I fully expect that in my lifetime, the contemporary style of worship that I have given so much of my time, energy, talent and labor to will be outdated and unappealing to the generations of my children and grandchildren. I, for example, have a difficult time understanding or even listening to what is commonly called "rap" or "hip-hop" music. It comes from a culture that is not mine, and it is a musical style that I can neither appreciate nor participate in fully, and yet there are whole churches in our country in which no other style of worship is used. And yet it is meaningful and significant to those who are immersed in that particular culture, and I cannot argue that they are not engaged in true worship of their Creator.

I recently worshiped with a Burmese congregation, in which the Scripture readings, the music and every other aspect of the service, included the printed bulletin and the posters and banners on the walls were in a language that is wholly unknown to me. But there is no question that these beautiful Burmese believers were worshiping the same God I call my Father.

For me to insist that their guitars or their electronic keyboard with pre-programmed songs playing, or their Burmese lyrics were somehow not appropriate for worship would be absurd. Fortunately, for me, there are many other churches in which the language of my culture is spoken, and in which the musical style that I appreciate and relate to has been appropriated for worshiping the Father.

But back to our church. We once had a traditional service, one in which the guitar only rarely made an appearance, and in which the only instrumental accompaniment was the acoustic piano and organ. Unfortunately, the attendance at that service was dwindling, while the attendance at our contemporary services was growing. You can draw your own conclusions about this, but it is the conviction of our church leadership that if we are going to continue to be a relevant factor in our culture, we're going to have to be both anchored to the rock and geared to the times (paraphrasing Billy Graham).

I am not unsympathetic with you--my son, who also plays the guitar, is into a style of music that I find frankly grating to the ears and incomprehensible. Yet it moves him and inspires him. And I expect (and pray) that one day he will be in a church where even that style of music is used to give glory to God, and that he will find ways to express his love and devotion to the Father using the music that makes sense to him. My sort of music, which you are pleading with our church leaders to stop, is as incomprehensible to him as mine is to you.

But it isn't about me, or you or him. It's about giving glory to God, singing praises to His name, making much of who He is. And for those of us whose musical styles are rapidly becoming the styles of the past, it is important to make room for the styles of the present and of the future, so that future generations of people continue to worship God in new and creative ways.

I am willing to step aside and allow the future leaders of the church to explore and nurture and develop their creative expressions of devotion to God. I will not insist that they worship in the way that I am most comfortable with. Are you willing to make that same sort of commitment with me?

If the style of music we use in our worship service offends you, I sincerely hope you will look elsewhere and find a church where the music encourages you and helps you focus your attention not on what's happening on the stage, but on God and His glory. But I have an even greater prayer for you--that you would take to heart what the apostle Paul recommends in Philippians 2:4: "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." That's what we're attempting to do in our blended worship service, by using music from both past and present generations, and that's what our church leaders, many of whom do not necessarily prefer contemporary worship music, are trying to do by providing a contemporary worship service for younger generations.

Having said all of this, it occurs to me that perhaps I've been mistaken--perhaps you've been offended not by the presence of the guitar, but rather by the way I play it. If that's the case, I assure you I'll keep practicing.

Sincerely, Doug