The future of Southern Gospel

[m***@yahoo.com]

Where do we go from here?
At one time, Southern Gospel was THE gospel music of the masses. Then
Contemporary Christian took over the mass market and Southern Gospel almost
disappeared. I can remember when it got to the point that the Quartet
Convention was drawing only a half full house in Nashville. Southern Gospel
has staged a comeback in the past few years.
Around Nashville, for general concerts, The Cathederals are different, the
average age of the audience is 60 or above. I do not know how that shapes up
in other parts of the country. It is a little different in smaller rural
areas.
There are two things that bother me. I personally am not seeing very much
going on that targets people in their 30s and 40s. I am not concerned with
those in their teens and early 20s. They have their Contemporary Christian
Music which our keyboard player calls "Bubble Gum Music". What can we offer
that remains true to the music to attract younger settled family people?
The other thing that bothers me is that we do not reach out to new fans as
we should. What is it about our music that would make the non-believer want
to hear it. There is power to convert in music. Herein lies a problem. I
have friends who are penticostal. I have developed a fairly close friendship
over the past few years with the guys in Heirline. If you know or have heard
Earnie, there is no mistake about his conviction. They have built up a large
following within the penticostal community. This is good to a certain extent
for their business but..........I honestly think that their style of
penticostal singing and preaching would turn off the unchurched and/or
non-believer.
Question? Has Southern Gospel become too penticostal to reach the masses of
people in the non-religious world that need to be converted?
If you have thoughts and suggestions about where the genre needs to go and
what needs to happen, share them. This is vital to the future of our
industry.

I agree. I am a Christian songwriter and have realized that my songs are for Christians. I am now trying to focus my lyrics on the characteristics and love of God while avoiding "churchy" phrases, so I will have material to sing for a mixed crowd, but I have to admit that it is hard to know what a non-Christian would identify with. I guess my litmus test will be the next open-mic. I attend.

[m***@yahoo.com]

The other thing that bothers me is that we do not reach out to new fans as
we should. What is it about our music that would make the non-believer

want

to hear it. There is power to convert in music. Herein lies a problem. I
have friends who are penticostal. I have developed a fairly close

friendship

over the past few years with the guys in Heirline. If you know or have

heard

Earnie, there is no mistake about his conviction. They have built up a

large

following within the penticostal community. This is good to a certain

extent

for their business but..........I honestly think that their style of
penticostal singing and preaching would turn off the unchurched and/or
non-believer.
Question? Has Southern Gospel become too penticostal to reach the masses

of

people in the non-religious world that need to be converted?

Allow me to add a little perspective. If anything, southern gospel music has
become MUCH LESS Pentecostal over the last couple of decades. Of course so
have adherents that follow/attend, to a large degree. There are also many
non-Pentecostal groups/individuals in it, and there always have been
Baptists and evangelicals of other "flavors." I myself am a Pentecostal
preacher, pastored a Pentecostal church for many years in California and
presently evangelize as well as sing with a SGM quartet. I will preach or
sing wherever the doors are opened, and have done so in various Baptist,
Nazarene, Church of Christ, etc. The message, the delivery and the
methodologies of presentation have changed radically from what they used to
be. There is much more commercialism, much more worldliness, much less
concern for ministry and reaching the lost than ever before. SGM, from its
inception was intended and practiced (if you will) to reach the lost and
draw people to a closer relationship with the Lord. There was no thought of
"entertainment", or "making it big" then. I am not saying that there are
none left today with the early ideals, desires and intent to minister, but
the numbers have dwindled significantly. Has SGM become too Pentecostal to
reach the masses? Hardly!! Rather, it has, to a large degree, become so
watered down and commercial as to be known as an "industry" now, and has a
much reduced possibility of ever converting the masses. It is still by the
"foolishness of preaching," and I believe that to include preaching via
music and song, that people will be won to Jesus Christ. Evangelism was the
root cause and birthright of SGM, and it is to evangelism it must look
again, if it is to be redeemed, and to redeem. I am not alone in this
sentiment. I spoke with one of the "biggest" names in SGM today, at the
convention last evening, whose heart is burdened as mine to see us return to
our heritage and first cause. We must be true to the Lord first, and to His
cause, or all the rest is absolutely in vain.
Sorry if I seemed to go on, but this is very dear to my heart, and I never
cease being the pastor that God called me to be.
Elden

Thanks for enlightening me on this. I can't speak for the music groups who have made it big, but I know there are some of the little guys who are also burdened for the lost. I am praying for an open door to share the music I write, and also to write the music that will open hearts. This world doesn't know it, but they need the Lord.