"The concert has won. The worship service has lost."

This one hit home, especially after being with 20,000 screaming 20 and 30-somethings, who paid $50 and up to listen to "their kind of music."

Who is willing to stand up for a 2 and a half hour worship service (the length of the concert)? Who puts $50, $100, $1000 in the offering plate for more of the same (the price of the concert)? Something has been lost between the 1950s-60s generation style of church (with all its own imperfections) and today's.



But the link is making a different point, about how the small church trying to keep up with church music trends isn't doing very well. I praise God for congregations that aren't insisting on going down this road yet. But they are heavily skewed to the aged, while the rest look like the crowd at a U2 concert. Sometimes the former group sounds like a Branson, Missouri show, while the latter sounds like Third Day. We are horribly and sinfully age-divided and entertainment driven, as a church.

Parents, elders and pastors need to talk with younger people and explain why we worship how we do. They also need to be open to young people's ideas and resources, including them in worship regularly.