by Deborah Bruce
A previous post highlighted one of the critical differences we found when comparing worshipers in 2001 to worshipers today: They’re older. Does that fact mean that there is little interest in contemporary music in worship?
We asked worshipers to tell us which two styles of music they most prefer in congregational worship. From a list of nine options, traditional music was picked most often both in 2001 and 2008, although the figure dropped from 61% in 2001 to 56% in 2008. Nonetheless, a majority of worshipers still enjoy traditional hymns during worship.
| Pick two: | 2001 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional hymns | 61% | 56% |
| Praise music | 33% | 31% |
| Contemporary hymns | 25% | 26% |
| Other contemporary music | 13% | 15% |
But the pattern of preferences is different in congregations from different faith traditions. Today a majority of worshipers in Catholic parishes (53%) and two-thirds in mainline Protestant churches (68%) include traditional hymns among their preferences. The picture changes when we look at conservative Protestant churches—here there is no majority preference! The most common choice is praise music (48%), with traditional hymns (40%) taking second place. Also, worshipers in conservative Protestant churches are more likely than those in other churches to prefer other contemporary music.
| Pick two: | Catholics | Main- line Prot- estants |
Con- serv- ative Prot- estants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional hymns | 53% | 68% | 40% |
| Praise music | 28% | 27% | 48% |
| Contemporary hymns | 26% | 25% | 26% |
| Other contemporary music | 12% | 14% | 25% |
Not surprisingly, music preferences also depend on age. Three-quarters of worshipers who are 65 or older (74%) prefer traditional hymns. That figure drops to 29% among the youngest worshipers between 15 and 24 years of age. Given that the median age of worshipers is now 54, it’s not surprising that traditional music is heard in so many congregations. That fits the preferences of people in the pews.
| Pick two: | 15-24 | 25-44 | 45-64 | 65 and older |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional hymns | 29% | 44% | 55% | 74% |
| Praise music | 34% | 38% | 32% | 23% |
| Contemporary hymns | 22% | 29% | 32% | 17% |
| Other contemporary music | 28% | 21% | 15% | 6% |
| Classical music | 8% | 7% | 9% | 12% |
| Music from a variety of cultures | 12% | 10% | 10% | 8% |
It’s important to remember when looking at preferences for worship music that these results are based on responses of people in worship. They tell us nothing about the preferences of those outside our doors. We don’t know if the people we might want to bring into our congregations like traditional music as much as our current worshipers do.
I think that traditional hymns are the most important part of the music of the church. However, contemporary and praise music is important as well. Without our roots, we cannot remember the past. Hymns like Amazing Grace and A Mighty Fortress will probably live forever. Also, music like from the Gaithers, Taize', or even "Mercy Me" will be rooted in our hearts. A blended style of worship is probably best to fit the needs of each member of a congregation.
Posted by: Mitzi Benfield | 04/04/2010 at 05:31 PM