“Music is a fair and lovely gift of God which has often awakened and moved me to the joy of preaching,” wrote Reformer Martin Luther, who added: “Next after theology I give to music the highest place and the greatest honor. . . Experience proves that next to the Word of God only music deserves to be extolled as the mistress and governess of the feelings of the human heart.” (From Roland Bainton, Here I Stand, p. 351).
The revolution Luther led in the Reformation included sweeping changes in thought and practice regarding music. The same can be said for every major spiritual awakening in the modern church, each of which brought a change in hymnody, from the more emotive songs of the Pietisms to the gospel-saturated songs of John and Charles Wesley.
I have always loved music. I minored in music in my undergraduate studies and met my wife in the a capella choir at my alma mater. I have served churches in two states in my younger days as a minister of music (a rather antiquated term to many today!). I play a little piano and bass guitar and enjoy a pretty eclectic sampling of genres. I once thought I might become a singing-preaching evangelist. Fortunately for those who suffered through my singing I decided to stick to preaching.
Young people have always loved music. I know my generation came up in the early days of rock and roll and think we were the first to love music. Actually I think we just loved annoying our parents with our music. Today, with myspace music and itunes, indie music and garage band, music has arguably a more remarkable influence on youth. Our popular culture is saturated with music. I would submit that if we are going to reach the massive generation known as the millennials we must learn to sing the gospel well to them.
Rather than reducing my discussions with students to criticisms of their musical tastes (and there is much to criticize), I have tried instead to help students to value music as it relates to worship. Helping young adults take their love for music and turning it into an understanding of corporate worship matters a lot to me. That is why I take a band with me. In 2009 I am speaking at over a dozen youth weekends, mostly DNows, seven camps, on several college campuses, as well as many other church events and conferences. In the vast majority of events involving young adults I take the band who will lead worship. Next year I already have almost ten weekends and three camps, and will add at least two more camps and other events. I love students! In the vast majority of these I take with me a band called the Chad Lister Band, composed of students for the most part who are from SEBTS (including Chad Lister, obviously, my own son Josh, and a recent grad named Tyler Mount). Chad and Josh have played music together and traveled with me since they were freshmen in high school. They are now juniors at The College at Southeastern.
I love taking young men and women who love Jesus, music, and students to serve the Lord together. I have been doing this for many, many years. There is a comfort level I have with these folks, and I consider my time with them an opportunity to mentor young leaders. They are outstanding musicians, but they more importantly love the gospel and are teachable, two indispensable features to me.
If you are looking for a band to help with a student event I would encourage you to use Chad and his gang. They lead worship in the contemporary service at our home church, so they are quite committed to the local church, which matters a lot but is too rare among worship bands I meet. They will be leading worship September 22 in chapel at SEBTS when I speak as part of our Student Ministry Summit. Next week we will be at North Greenville University, a wonderful school in South Carolina.
A few times I play bass with them, but most of the time someone who is actually a good musician does that ?. Seeing students worship God through song, the Scriptures, and the teaching of the Bible brings great joy. And as I have said before, young people do not have disdain for hymns, but they do for how they are often sung in our churches. Chad has a new CD coming out September 7 called “To You Alone.” You can check him out at chadlistermusic.com. I highly recommend Chad and his crew for your DNows and especially for camps next summer (of course, the weeks they are not with me!).
I decided several years ago after a worship leader at a camp taught the students a song about maggots (I am not kidding) that I would not do another event involving students unless I had a lot of say in who led the music. I have had the honor or serving with many worship leaders and bands, and feel more strongly about this than ever. The response from the places we minister has been extremely positive, although I confess some are surprised that an evangelism professor at a seminary would have any idea what kind of music would help young people to worship ?. That’s okay, I also handle big snakes, so I am used to confusing people ?.
I am blessed to have a wife who understands all this. She is quite musical herself. In fact, if my whole family were not committed to what I do, I would do far less. Hannah travels with us a lot and actually helped to lead recreation at two large camps this summer. She was also hired to be a photographer at two camps and sang with the band at another. God has so blessed me with a wife who loves Jesus and ministry and two children who not only put up with ministry, they embrace it. This too makes a big impact as I speak to students, as this generation is a fatherless one in too many instances.
As you think about student events, think much about the music. Pay attention to gospel-centered, theologically rich songs, and use musicians who do more than show up and play an then disengage the rest of the time. One of the ways you can help students is to help them understand and value music in general, and in particular help them see how it relates to corporate worship. Most students today will worship Jesus with great passion if we help them to see how.
R. W. Dale said, “Let me write the hymns and the music of the church, and I care very little who writes the theology.” (Nine Lectures on Preaching Delivered at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1952), 271). In our day, the number two place people get their theology in church is from the songs they sing. For youth, it may often be the first. So as you lead students, lead them well both in the Word and in music.
