Worship, Music, and Spirituality: Popularity
It’s one in the morning on Sunday, and I am practising the latest youth ministry fad—something to do with pool noodles and Bibles.… It’s like spaghetti, I remember one book saying, just throw things against the wall and see what sticks. I was willing to sacrifice the weeks of preparation and planning I had done for Sunday if I thought this new, cool object lesson would stick. After all, the main philosophy of my ministry in those first few years was “pray, try, see what sticks.” I was desperate to share the gospel with the youth in my church; I really wanted it to stick with them. If that meant cutting pool noodles at one a.m., so be it.
However, coming up with multiple things to try was leading to more and more late nights. Chasing the perfect hook is exhausting, and eventually, mediocre ideas start to sound brilliant.
Pharrell Williams is a visionary musician, music producer, and artist who is a master at dropping beats, hooks, and catchy pieces that stick with people. In his Lego-animated documentary Piece by Piece, Williams admits that his worst album was the result of trying to be hip and relevant, instead of being himself. Relevance is a highly addictive drug. When I was an aspiring pop musicologist, I knew this to be true. The greats, from Joni Mitchell and Sly Stone to Taylor Swift, always have something to say and a way of saying it that is appealing, authentic, and enduring. Even if it isn’t totally relatable, their message is respected, and that gives them credibility in the fickle quest for popularity.
It is such an easy thing to do, to lose ourselves to the high of popularity, influence, and “stickiness.” Ironically, focusing on popularity often ends up with more focus on the packaging than the actual message. The tipping point comes when we are too busy maintaining our popularity (spending all night cutting pool noodles) to hone our message. Our popularity starts to wane. People stop listening because we aren’t saying anything (anymore).
My tipping point came the Sunday I planned an epically amazing confirmation class and only one youth showed up. I couldn’t do what I had planned with one participant, so instead we went to a local coffee shop and talked about the laws, the prophets, and faithful living. I remember wishing that I had spent less time painting the fake tablets and more time in prayer on the scripture. This has always stuck with me.
Looking back, the stickiest moments in my ministry have always been the simple ones: breaking bread, sharing a pot of tea, going for a stroll or roll with a congregant. In a world where popularity is currency and church often feels like the B-side of an album competing for the attention of listeners, it is easy to fuss over ways to grab people’s attention and forget that the message we are sharing is timelessly irresistible.
We don’t need to be cool; the gospel has us covered.
Love,
Alydia
Alydia Smith, Program Coordinator, Worship, Music, and Spirituality
