The musicians in the church are a key factor.
The musicians in the church are a key factor. They know the culture of the church and are aware of what works and what doesn’t work with the congregation. For the church leadership it is best to start conversations about the worship time in your church with the musicians and members from diverse backgrounds. Speak openly together about what blesses them in times of singing in the church, and about what hinders them or what they miss.
In the case of an intercultural church, the repertoire needs to have a variety of rhythms, musical styles and expressions. Each song always has cultural characteristics. The challenge is to compile a repertoire together with musicians and members, that is accessible to many and in which elements from different cultures can be found.
In this repertoire, it is important to look for songs specific to one given culture – songs that are not only accessible, but that have the distinct flavour of that specific culture. And let us not forget the ecclesiastical culture; the old songs and hymns, the solemn chorales of orthodox churches. It is important to involve the actual cultural groups in this – we can never make their music as well as they can. Practically speaking, the best things will happen when you actively involve the musicians and members of the church in this process.