I recently spoke to a youth group at a local church about popular music, and I decided to include a well-known new worship song to get their feedback. Since the song had a country-like sound, I thought it would lead to a good discussion about how music genres are blending together. However, the conversation that followed took me by surprise and made me realize that churches might be misunderstanding how young people experience worship music.
As the song ended, several students immediately expressed their dislike for it and similar songs. Three main reasons for their discomfort came up:
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The Music: They complained that the music was too predictable. One student said, “As soon as it started, I knew exactly how it would go and that it would sound just like all the other new worship songs.”
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The Lyrics: They disliked the simple lyrics. One student jokingly summarized the message of many new worship songs as: “I found God, I have hope, and now all my problems are gone. Yay!”
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The Repetition: They were tired of hearing new worship songs so often. When I asked them where they heard worship music, they said in frustration, “Everywhere! At home, at church, in the car with my parents.”
Most of the high school students in the room that night made it clear that they are tired of new worship music. One student even said, “I wish my church would sing more hymns so I wouldn’t have to listen to this type of music.”
Driving home, I realized a significant issue. Many worship leaders choose new songs for Sunday services because they believe young people like these songs and find them helpful for worship. But after talking with these teens, even though it was a small group, I think the opposite is true. Their criticisms about the music, lyrics, and repetition were very insightful. Here’s why:
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Historically, church music has adapted popular musical styles for worship. However, new worship music isn’t using the musical styles that young people actually enjoy. New worship music is often based on guitar-driven country and rock and roll, but most young people today prefer music with sampling, hip-hop, and pop influences.
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New worship music often has short verses, building bridges, and repeating choruses. To be easy to remember and sing, the lyrics often lack depth. These young people want worship songs that speak to their real-life struggles and emotional challenges.
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Young people often don’t get to choose the music they hear in many places, like church, home, and in the car with adults. The more they hear worship songs they don’t connect with, the more frustrated they become.
Finding worship music that truly connects with high school students is challenging. There aren’t many worship songs that use samples, hip-hop, or pop styles. Worship songs that genuinely address the emotions and experiences of young people are rare. In fact, the worship songs that would best serve our youth might not even exist yet.
