Ross Cobb, the incredible musician behind the Sydney Anglican Cathedral’s various groups, has an interesting article in the latest Southern Cross. (Click here to read the original)

One of his big points is that classical and contemporary church music teams both need to work together to reach the community:

Neither should look down their noses at the other. If we are going to reach 10 per cent of Sydney, then it is inevitable that we are going to have to make ‘horses for courses’ decisions and incorporate as many styles of music as there are people. The gospel is bigger than any musical style, be it old or recent.

It’s a very interesting article. Particularly relevant for us is his indictment on much contemporary music:

[Visitors] are just flummoxed by some of our contemporary Christian songs. They are tricky to pick up and the musical backing we are providing is quite thin.

This is a very real concern - although to be fair it is a criticism we need to consider whatever the style we choose. The melodies of hymns and choruses alike can be inaccessible to outsiders, depending on their musical background and cultural exposure. It is true that many people (whether through their parent’s record players, private school education or ABC Classic FM) have a familiarity with great hymns. Anyone who has been to the rugby knows at least the melody to “I Vow To Thee”. Cobb is right that we must reach these people.

But equally true is that the landscape of Australia’s cultural heritage is getting more and more diverse. You can expect some age and ethnic sub groups will never have heard an organ — my parents’ generation was the one that on the whole stopped sending their kids to Sunday school. The team at Mars Hill Church in Seattle have been openly critical of a Christian music market which assumes that what works in Nashville should work in any continent. I think there is something in that - we need to be asking who is in our neighbourhood and our culture that we can reach out to, and how can music help us do that?

So Cobb is at his strongest, I think, when he calls for excellence and mission-mindedness no matter what the style.

Now, what you do with that hymn is very much up to you. People have a very diverse taste and God has an even broader one. Jazz the hymn up if that’s you. Sing it with a guitar, a didgeridoo, a pipe organ- whatever. But make sure you sing them – the tunes are good and the words are tried and tested and full of gospel truth.

Amen.