ECR, While I came to faith in a traditional Black church context, I currently minister in an ethnically diverse church. And I still wrestle with "cultural trappings" and what is "salvageable" and what things I need to die to culturally. I don't have the answer brother, but what I am finding out is that if we are being biblical and gospel driven in our approach to worship, even if people are "culturally comfortable", the discomfort the gospel brings will be cause for complaint and sometimes attack. Here's one of the things I think we do brother. We commit to keeping one another accountable and encouraged in the work through prayer, fellowship, and discussion. This is because no matter what you do it may not be enough for those who are entrenched. They may never change (the Lord only knows), but you (we) must be innocent of the blood of them all because you (we) refused to shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God. Those are some initial thoughts bro. Irwyn 1

I read a book one time that stated (and this is my paraphrase) that when one's thoughts and assumption are proved wrong, then we are to re analyze what we based those thoughts upon. So instead of trying something different maybe you should take a look at how your approaching the situation. Manis Pierre employee of Logos Bible Software 2

What a concern! Worship is key in reforming black churches; and music and singing is at the heart of things. I grew up in traditional Missionary Baptist churches. One was fairly large with a live radio broadcast with organ, piano, drum, bass guitar, and a large choir that sang gospel music primarily. I never felt that I was to participate actively; I was to "enjoy" the singing and the preaching. Calvin's The Necessity of Reforming the Church is a good template in order to guide reforming worship. The Scriptures teach that New Covenant worship is to done in reverance and fear, and it is spiritual and simplistic. I believe that much of the worship even in traditional Black churches fail to meet these fundamentals of worship. Here my suggestions according to the Word of God: 1. Congregational singing. I truly believe that choirs are a part of the ceremony of Old Covenant worship. In the New Covenant the entire congregation offers praise to our God. This is also in keeping with the covenantal nature of worship in which God speaks to us and we respond to God. The "we" is all of "us," not a praise team or a choir. Also I believe that the singing of psalms need to be restored to a prominent place. With all due respect to my hymn-singing brethren, can Wesley, Watts, Bonar, Dorsey, Tindlay write better than the Holy Spirit? If you will sing hymns of human composition, make sure that they render high prais and our doctrinally sound (of course). 2. Instrumentation. Calvin and the vast majority of Reformers believed that instrumentation was also ceremonial. There was no instrumental accompaniment at the church at Geneva. I believe that New Covenant praise should be unaccompanied. Again, for those who hold to the other position, you should keep the instrumentation as an aid in the singing not an element in and of itself. 3. Prayer. Besides the invocation and other shorter prayers, we need to return to the "Pastoral Prayer." Pastors and other godly men of the church should lead to church in prayer. 4. Centrality of Preaching. This is preaching to the choir. Nevertheless, a church should give 45-60 minutes to the exposition and application of the Word of God. I believe this can be done without any cultural trappings and offensiveness. If Jews and Gentiles could worship together in the First century, all of God's people can do so today. Guess what? The apostles never had to resort to having one service for Jews, and another service for Gentiles, or a "traditional service," or a "contemporary service." They worshiped God in spirit and in truth. 3

I always have wondered whether the rejection of the Old Testament for regulative worship principles is an exegetical move , a historical move (good for Calvin, good for me), or an hermeneutical move. Which is it for you, Brother Washington? Also, I agree that choirs should not make the service a spectator activity. However, why are you assuming that the presence of choirs in the OT meant that the "entire congregation" was not praising God. 4

Hey Lance, I am a church planter here in Conway, Arkansas. Just a little background on myself. I came to Christ by way of COGIC, made my way through the AOG and finally landed in Reformed circles. One of my purposes is reaching out to Black churches i our area to raise the awareness on doing missions in the city, state and on foreign lands. In reforming, man, there is so much that is woven into the culture of African Americans, I think it is going to have to be approached from different angles by different people. Our preaching first and foremost needs reforming. We have such a man centered, self-help gospel in many of our Black churches it is horrible. Some of the greatest voices (Jakes, Long, Blake at COGIC, etc..) are not helping the situation. These men, these churches are pushing a social gospel that is not pointing men to Christ but to obtaining the American dream. It will take for those like you and me to call our fellow brothers to account by calling men to preach Christ and not man. To begin with the surpassing worth of Christ and then man's need for Christ above all else. Look at the music by "gospel" singers. The substance is not about Christ or His work but it is about once again man. The style is great and is not the issue, it is the substance of that music. So it calls for us to call men and women to account, producing music that is Christ exalting. These are just some beginning thoughts. Phillip 5

Not what I was looking for. 6