“It was so fun! We danced to African music!”
Thirteen-year-old Laura Janis’ verdict of her Choir Tool Box session with Dr Eudenice Palaruan was unwavering. She went on to describe how she had learnt several new songs, moved into a big circle to dance and experienced unity in music-making through playing a variety of percussion instruments.
Worship Symposium 2024, hosted by Toa Payoh Methodist Church, is a biennial collaborative effort between Methodist School of Music (MSM) and Trinity Annual Conference’s Board of Worship & Music (BOWM), with Rev Isaac Tan as the organising committee chair. These Tool Box sessions were designed to inspire participants with practical tools and ideas that they could use in their respective ministries.
The symposium’s title, “Worship for Everyone”, was certainly apt as it brought together 155 participants from 37 churches (including 24 Methodist churches)—pastors, worship leaders, musicians, Sunday school teachers and members from audio-visual teams from 30 churches of various denominations across seven countries.
“Intergenerational worship is something close to God’s heart. Throughout biblical times, God has called entire families and households to salvation, and to worship him together,” Ms Clarissa Tan, Executive Director of MSM, explained in her welcome address. “Every generation has something to contribute to intergenerational worship.”
Aside from the Tool Box sessions, the symposium kept participants engaged throughout with thought-provoking content from dynamic speakers and honest discussions in small groups. These segments were interspersed with times for corporate worship and prayer in different styles.
Providing the framework on Day 1 was Rev Dr Tan Siang Yang, an expert in the field of psychology and ministry. He urged worshippers to first come from a renewed vision of God who takes great delight in his children, rejoicing when his children enter communion with him.
Rev Dr Tan pointed out that modern psychology is wrong in its advice for relationships. It tells people to love themselves before they can love others. However, because all are sinners, loving the self becomes the focus. Mark 12:30-31 is a two-in-one commandment that exhorts believers to first love God, and then our neighbour. The Bible does not ask us to love ourselves. And most importantly, Christians need to pray above all things in order to be conduits for God.
How then could churches proceed with this understanding of who God is and what he desires of us?
One of the speakers, Rev Dr Tan Soo-Inn, co-author of the book The Generations Project: Bridging Generational Divides in the Singapore Church, suggested that there could be more compassionate, empathetic listening among members of different generations. Narratives such as testimonies can be very powerful in enabling learning from each other and building relationships.
With regards to services, churches should allow space for some experimentation. Services should reflect unity in diversity, and appropriate music that reflects the best from each generation should not be forgotten or swept aside.
Day 2’s Panel Q&A saw panellists agreeing that relationships across the generations in church must be built, and humility, honour and respect were essential ingredients in building acceptance of one other. The good flow of questions from the floor indicated that while many understood the whys, many others sought ideas for the hows.
With so much information to delve into, participants became engrossed in the small group discussions. A sampling of what participants shared unearthed the myths that exist, and what they felt the Church needed to work on instead:
During the Tool Box session “For Everyone”, a workshop about building meaningful relationships across generations, Mr Ho Wei Hao, co-author of The Generations Project, helpfully distinguished ways different generations relate to each other:
. Multigenerational
The congregation has a number of generations living alongside each other and there is superficial and polite interaction between the generations.
. Cross-generational
There is some sharing, listening and learning between the different generations in a church community but little individual or collective transformation resulting from the interaction.
. Intergenerational
There is comprehensive mutuality, equality and reciprocity between the different generations. This makes individual or collective transformation more likely.
It grew increasingly evident as the time passed, that getting to be an intergenerational church would have to be the overarching aim of churches—where churches strive to deepen relationships across generations, and where discipleship would be key in deepening congregants’ love of the Triune God, the only reason for worship.
When asked what learning points participants would like to bring back to their churches, Hannah Seow, a worship leader at Faith Methodist Church, suggested, “Perhaps we can first take time to encourage grandparents, parents and youth, separately, and share with them the stories, strengths and challenges of others. When we increase our appreciation of different generations, mindsets can change.”
Bryan Ho, Lay Ministry Staff at Cairnhill Methodist Church, hoped that he would be able to share the necessity of reading and knowing God’s Word. He cited John 4:23 as his reason: “To worship in a way that reflects what Jesus talks about worshipping in Spirit and in truth.”
Joan Lim, a worshipper at Newton Life Church felt that churches could do more to align themes throughout the year. “It may help to have a common pulpit series, a theme or topic that runs for some weeks from children’s ministry to the main services so that the young and old can have conversations and really listen to each other.”
With the honest and vibrant discussions that went on, and the renewed energy felt amongst participants who were passionate about their ministries, it was clear God had placed this same burden in churches across different denominations. Congregations that choose to press on to pursue intergenerational worship will surely be more united, more able to bear witness to the world, and more prepared for worship in heaven when the day comes.