Christians worship differently. From a child in Sunday School doing the actions to "Deep and Wide," to a high school student on his or her feet, hands raised, pounding the gates of heaven, or an adult interested in harmonious music and lyrics that focus on worshiping God in spirit and in truth.

Bridging the generation gap in worship is a challenge many pastors and music directors face each week. I once asked a pastor, "What is the most difficult part about pastoring the church?"

He simply said, "Hymns versus choruses."

As we look over past generations, music in the church has changed tremendously. In the 1950s and '60s, the focus was more on a liturgical style with lyrics that talked about the greatness and sovereignty of our Lord. The '70s and '80s saw a music style that centered on the name of Jesus. Today, music is written with more of an emphasis on our relationship with God.

Every Sunday the congregation is filled with people who represent different generations, and every person has his or her own preference for worship style. Some people wish it were formal, others informal. Some people want to sing hymns; some want choruses. Some wish the organ and piano were the lead instruments; others look for a guitar-driven band. Others stand to worship, while some are unable to stand at great lengths. Some long for the days when we sang about the majesty and splendor of God; others want to focus on how they can know God better.

These are only a few of the different items we bring to the table as we worship God each week. How then do we provide a blended worship experience for everyone?

Teaching
One Sunday I was sitting next to a 17-year-old student who had accepted Christ three weeks earlier. The worship began, and we started singing from the hymnal. This new convert leaned over and asked, "Why do you sing songs with so many words I don’t understand?" I asked her which words she did not understand. I was amazed at the number of words and phrases she could not comprehend.

To help bridge the gap between the young and the old, instruction during worship is important. We talked about hymns versus choruses, but there are many students and new converts who do not even know what a hymnal is. There are many books published with stories about the hymns that would help people connect with the lyrics. It might be good to pull out a sentence from the hymn and give some explanation and background.

Teaching by use of Scripture brings a focus to the different styles of worship:

• Why does God deserve our worship? "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen" (Romans 11:36).
• Why do we stand during worship? "Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with very loud voice" (2 Chronicles 20:19).
• Why do we give audible praise to God? "When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God" (Acts 4:24).
• Why do we worship this way? "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks" (John 4:23).
• Why do we lift our hands? "I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands" (Psalm 63:4).
• Why do we use instruments when we worship? "Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing" (Psalm 150:3,4).
• Why do we clap our hands? "Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy" (Psalm 47:1).
• Why do we kneel? "Come, let us bow down and worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker" (Psalm 95:6).

It is important that the focus remains on the worship, but a time of teaching is important to draw us together during our worship experience.

In a worship service, there needs to be a variety of choruses and hymns so when we worship we feel we have had a spiritual feast.

Variety
A story is told of a soul-winning church where the pastor preached the gospel Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. He followed each service with an invitation for the lost to pray and receive Christ.

The pastor and staff visited a pastors’ conference and returned to implement all they had learned. The choir and organ were replaced with praise teams and electronic keyboards. The hymnbooks disappeared, and the words to the praise music were flashed on the screens. Modern dramas were added and announcements were no longer spoken, but only given via large screens.

Everything traditional disappeared. People left feeling abandoned without singing the music they grew up with in the church.

We often feel we must make an either/or choice in style when it comes to worship. A great church music program does not divide the styles but brings them together. Students need to hear the anthems that were written years ago. Adults need to appreciate the heartfelt lyrics of our new worship choruses.

A worship service should be like a banquet with different types of food. In a worship service, there needs to be a variety of choruses and hymns so when we worship we feel we have had a spiritual feast. We need to be willing to grow and incorporate the familiar with the new styles of worship.

Open Heart, Open Mind
Christians are experiencing a growing hunger for worship. They want to encounter God and revel in His presence. As leaders, we must have an open heart and open mind, allowing worship to release people and give them freedom. Jesus offers His people the privilege of touching God in worship and having God touch them.

For 12 years I was the music director at the same church. Following this time, my husband and I became district youth directors and traveled every Sunday to different churches. I had no idea how difficult it would be to sit in different worship services. The songs were new, the instruments changed, the tempos varied, the styles were unique, and each week I found it increasingly difficult to worship. I soon dreaded going to church on Sunday.

I finally made a decision. I decided that the truth of worship was God himself and He never changes. When I took my focus off the music and began to seek the One we were worshiping, I truly began to experience the heart of worship.

Worship is our response to all that God is, says, and does. Even though the generations may respond differently, it is not how we worship but whom we worship. As we blend the different styles of worship through teaching, creating a variety, and keeping an open heart and mind to the Holy Spirit’s leading, we can begin to dissolve the gap of worship between generations.

This article originally appeared in Enrichment Journal and has been used with permission.