Comments on: Worship Music Genre Poll Results

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:03:50 +0000

the hip hop % are probably young kids to teens, who are probably not in the main service during the praise set.
thus, i would say lets take a poll during a regular congregation setting and check those results

By: Music Styles In Worship «

Music Styles In Worship « — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:38:18 +0000

[...] Tony Morgan, one of the “Simply Strategic Guys” had a great post on his blog about music styles. He asks questions like; Are we using the right style of music in our worship to reach our culture with the gospel?, Should we target our music toward the specific group we are trying to reach? (I say a resounding YES!) and Should it really matter. You can read his post here. [...]

By: mateo digs hip-hop? « mateo’s musings

mateo digs hip-hop? « mateo’s musings — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:33:20 +0000

[...] partially why I found this post by Tony Morgan to be particularly interesting. There’s a decent discussion going on in the comment thread. [...]

By: So basically your taste in music sucks… « My favorite thing about science is the siphon.

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:57:28 +0000

[...] Morgan had a fascinating post this week about the genres of music we play in church. Here are the results of his informal [...]

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:03:14 +0000

A more interesting break down for me would be what type of church are you going to that offers a contemporary service (i.e., “seeker church”). Is it suburbia? Is it inner-city? Is it mid-town? I think that just because our “tunes” don’t match that of itunes, it does match, at least in part, our demographics. In addition, we have a more traditional venue to choose from as well.

But ultimately I will say that all music comes from God, it is man who throws the words in.

By: Billy Ritchie

Billy Ritchie — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:05:06 +0000

Very interesting so I though I would check out the downloads for across the pond in the uk.

Pop 36%
Alternative 19%
Rock 12%
Dance 10%
Hip Hop Rap 10%
R&B 10%
Electronic 3%

A little more spread but we are still a church that has predominately a pop / rock style.

Growing up in church 20 years ago changing the style of music was a hot topic that caused many a discussion even arguments. The use of drums, guitars and the like was revolutionary then with a desire to be more relevant to the world around us. Maybe we have got a little too complacent.

By: Dan Staifer

Dan Staifer — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:21:47 +0000

R&B and Rap are hard to translate into a live music format since most of it is looped and processed. Also, I would agree that Rock/Pop is not a good representation of music today in the Church. Adult Contemporary would be better.

A better representation of popularity should be concert ticket sales. Some bands are good in studio but are dogs live. Just a thought. . .

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:17:51 +0000

I think this makes for some great discussion and thought. I would have some of the same thoughts and questions as Mark Bennardo with the demographics of those downloading the songs from iTunes. In my mind that would have to be examined based on the demographics of the community in which our individual churches are trying to reach.

However at anytime I believe its great for a church to add different elements and styles into their services. This is what I like about what Erwin McManus and Mosaic do, they experiment with different styles, and use a wide range of genres.

My final thought or question right now would be, how accurate or comparable is everyone’s definition of a genre to that of iTunes? What one thinks is rock may be considered Alternative to another. What one thinks is R&B may be considered Pop to another. As you said your poll is not “scientific” so this may produce some differences in numbers. Someone like my parents would not know the differences in a lot of the genres, so a lot of things may be considered “rock” when it is something else to me.

By: Mark Bennardo

Mark Bennardo — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:41:18 +0000

I’ve been an advocate of using current, new music in church for a long time and have fought many battles to help make those transitions (I’ve got a lot of scars to prove it).

My question would be, though, “What demographic do those iTunes statistics cover?”. If it’s a general statistic, I’m not sure that it’s representative of the whole of our culture.

While iTunes is pervasive (I purchase from there all the time), my guess would be that the majority of purchases are made by a younger demo. That’s how music sales have traditionally been in our culture.

Different churches are trying to reach different demographics, so to assume that we’re not using the right music simply because the purchasing patterns of iTunes buyers don’t match up, may not be the best gauge.

I think the better question might be, “What kind of music do the people who you’re targeting actually like?” That might take a little digging to find out, but it’s critical to know.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:53:07 +0000

Tony, I really enjoyed this post. I am a Nigerian living and pastoring a multicultural congregation in Orlando, FL, so my eyes and ears perk up anytime I find something that further promotes this concept. I should tell you that celebration church in Jacksonville, FL (Stovall Weems) is the most amazing church I’ve seen in their ability to employ rap, hip-hop, R&B, rock and various other styles in their worship. They have definetely created their own sound and style and it is reflected in their congregations multicultural and multigenerational look. You guys should definetely check out his church.