Tuesday Re-mix: This is a popular post from last year, updated and resubmitted for your consideration and comments.
Gathered worship is about approaching the throne of grace together. That’s what makes it a very different experience from personal worship. In gathered worship, the Spirit of the very God I come to worship lives in my co-worshiper. That makes relationships critical to gathered worship. 
When I look across the congregation and see my dear friend profoundly expressing his love for the Lord, it doesn’t matter so much whether I’m loving the music, because my dear friend clearly is. I worship because he is worshiping. All that matters at that point in time is how I feel about God and how I feel about my friend. That is enough.
So here is a bottom line: if relationships among worshipers are everything God wants them to be, worship style will not be an issue. If relationships among worshipers are broken or non-existent, it will not matter what worship style you choose. It will be wrong.
A word to my worship leader friends: spend less time worrying about whether to program hymns or choruses and more time invested in creating Biblical relationships among your worshipers.
© Blake Coffee
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on this website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Blake Coffee.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: © Blake Coffee. Website: churchwhisperer.com
I completely agree. I preached a sermon this week and talked for a bit on this very idea. It seems churches are moving away multi generational worship to accept unity based on common experience and style. What makes the church different than other organization is that our unity is based on our savior, his kingdom work, and a unity founded in our shared part in His body. We must be careful not to make contemporary, traditional, cowboy, motorcycle, or other identities in churches. A cowboy church often finds unity in being a cowboy over unity in Christ. It’s the same no matter what you put before your church title (and this includes being a Baptist) If we place our worth in church in anything but Christ we miss the boat.
Fantastic response, Wes. I love the way you put it. Could not agree more. Thank you for the pastoral perspective!