August 19, 2002
Fear of change in musical styles will kill
many churches, Michael W. Smith predicts
___By David Winfrey
___Kentucky Western Recorder
___LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP)--Churches must be willing to "pass the baton" of worship music to younger generations or risk dying, says Christian singer-songwriter Michael W. Smith.
___Smith, in Louisville July 18-19 to record "Worship Again," a follow-up to his wildly successful "Worship" CD, took time out for an interview about worship, the impact of his recording and the state of contemporary Christian music.
___Many churches have embraced contemporary worship songs, but many others haven't. Smith said some of those churches fear change.
___"It's old wineskins," he said. "I think a lot of people who are not embracing some of the songs that are being sung are just afraid of change, and I think it's unhealthy."
MICHAEL W. SMITH
(Morris Abernathy/BP Photo)
___Smith said many of the churches that resist new ways and ideas "are probably dying."
___"They're stagnate, stale," he said. "I've seen them. I've walked into them."
___Churches can't afford to ignore younger people when it comes to worship music, Smith said. "I think you have got to pass the baton, and we've got to have a heart for kids and this next generation."
___But he said such changes can't be forced from the outside.
___"You can beat somebody over the head for days; it doesn't do any good," he said. "Hopefully, you ultimately have a group of people within that church that absolutely are on their faces every day praying for God to break down the wall, and that change will happen."
___Smith said the expanding popularity of contemporary Christian worship songs is one example of God's work among younger Christians.
___"There's a real move of the Spirit of God sweeping across America, especially among young people," he said. "You're seeing people really falling in love with God, and so they're dying to find something that they can sing, something that will express what they want to say."
___In spite of that, Smith said he never expected his "Worship" CD to be so successful. In fact, he never wanted to do the project in the first place. "I grew up on Elton John and the Beatles and Billy Joel, and I just wanted to do pop music and share my faith through that."
___Released last Sept. 11, "Worship" became Smith's fastest-selling recording, reaching gold-record status (500,000 sales) in just 14 weeks.
___Even with that response, Smith said he initially didn't plan to do a second worship album. "I said I never would do a follow-up to it because I didn't want to manufacture something," he said. "But I continue to find great, great, great, great worship songs."
___A lot of worship songs are being written, but not that many are good, Smith said. "You get about 5 percent that will really stand the test of time."
___The award-winning composer and performer said he looks for worship songs that will help listeners develop a deeper intimacy with God. "I think it's just trying to find something that we've said for 2,000 years and to say it in a fresh way," he suggested.
___As the popularity of worship music expands, Smith has some concerns about contemporary Christian artists.
___"I think the biggest need we have for our artists in our industry is accountability," Smith said. Now that he's in his early 40s, he said he finds himself becoming a father figure and mentor to younger contemporary Christian performers.
___"We get a lot of these artists who are gone every weekend," he explained. "They're not plugged into a church, and they're falling off the cliff."
___
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