ayin jade Posted March 13, 2015 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 44 Topic Count: 6,178 Topics Per Day: 0.87 Content Count: 43,798 Content Per Day: 6.19 Reputation: 11,244 Days Won: 58 Joined: 01/03/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted March 13, 2015 I posted this a few years ago and quite frankly was a bit astonished at the responses. There are many new folks now and other ones have left, so I thought I would ask this again. Can an unbeliever play music or sing in the church on a regular basis as part of the service? I do not mean in the general audience but as part of the choir or musicians. Do you think this is right or wrong? Im curious about your reasoning and/or scriptural support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Patriot21 Posted March 13, 2015 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 27 Topic Count: 338 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 15,714 Content Per Day: 2.45 Reputation: 8,535 Days Won: 39 Joined: 10/25/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/27/1985 Share Posted March 13, 2015 kind of a base by base scenario I would say. You want those serving up there to be a good testiment of the ministry-but on the same note, if you have a unbeliever whos musically inclined you want to witness to them as well. For me personally, I would say as part of your regular sunday sermon-no. But perhaps if you have a small sunday night or wednesday night service or a youth event, if the person is an honest seeker, and isn't an obvious drug addict or sleeping with someone he shouldn't then I would say I would be ok with it in most cases, but it would have to be a case by case judgement call and be agreed upon by the pastors and elders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyAngeL Posted March 13, 2015 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 23 Topic Count: 155 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 7,464 Content Per Day: 1.02 Reputation: 8,810 Days Won: 57 Joined: 03/30/2004 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/12/1952 Share Posted March 13, 2015 I posted this a few years ago and quite frankly was a bit astonished at the responses. There are many new folks now and other ones have left, so I thought I would ask this again. Can an unbeliever play music or sing in the church on a regular basis as part of the service? I do not mean in the general audience but as part of the choir or musicians. Do you think this is right or wrong? Im curious about your reasoning and/or scriptural support. That is a good question jade. Actually I think there are a lot of churchs our there that are filled with unbelievers. I went to a church when I was still in Michigan. It was a huge church a major demoniation. When I got saved at 15 I went to our youth pastor and shared with him. He basically laughed at me. So I would say yes it's possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Patriot21 Posted March 13, 2015 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 27 Topic Count: 338 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 15,714 Content Per Day: 2.45 Reputation: 8,535 Days Won: 39 Joined: 10/25/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/27/1985 Share Posted March 13, 2015 I think the question isn't do they or are they-obviously there are churches they do, but whether it should be allowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LadyC Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 ya know, if you'd have asked me this a couple of months ago, i'd have said no. now i think i'd have to say if God wants to shut that door to an unbeliever, let Him shut it, not man. now let me tell you why i say that. mark and i have recently found a church we can call home after three and a half years of half-heartedly looking. not long after we started, another couple began going there. we have a lot in common with them, although i'd still only call them acquaintances. we're all about the same age, my husband and hers are both truck drivers, my elderly mom lives with us, her elderly parents live with them, yada yada yada. we went to lunch after church on day, just to get to know each other a little better, and we all shared our testimonies. and his was exactly this scenario. he was an unbeliever. he had absolutely no interest in church-y things or church-y people, but one day someone he knew called him up and said they needed a percussionist to fill in at a church in their town. apparently the other drummer had been in an accident or something. anyway, mike said he didn't want to do it, but he felt compelled to help out anyway. thinking it would be a one week gig, he agreed. and that one week gig stretched into months. for the first several weeks, he hated it. he kept wanting to say no, but kept feeling inexplicably compelled to go and play even though he hated it. after a few weeks, his heart started softening and his ears started listening. and it wasn't long after that that he accepted Christ as his savior. that was 15 years ago, and though he no longer plays music at church, he's still on fire for the Lord. what if that church had not allowed unbelievers on that stage? he might never have gotten saved. God knew what He was doing, and that was the exact situation that God chose to use to bring mike to repentance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayin jade Posted March 13, 2015 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 44 Topic Count: 6,178 Topics Per Day: 0.87 Content Count: 43,798 Content Per Day: 6.19 Reputation: 11,244 Days Won: 58 Joined: 01/03/2005 Status: Offline Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 Is it good to make the church more seeker friendly? You are having worship. Should an unbeliever be part of the leadership (worship team) worshiping the Lord? The Lord regulated outer court for gentiles and inner court for believers in the temple. Taking that to church, gentiles can be present in the audience but believers part of leading the church in worship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayin jade Posted March 13, 2015 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 44 Topic Count: 6,178 Topics Per Day: 0.87 Content Count: 43,798 Content Per Day: 6.19 Reputation: 11,244 Days Won: 58 Joined: 01/03/2005 Status: Offline Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 As for the guy who got saved, he could just as easily have gotten saved without being part of the worship team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Summers Posted March 13, 2015 Group: Removed from Forums for Breaking Terms of Service Followers: 0 Topic Count: 9 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 225 Content Per Day: 0.07 Reputation: 27 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/19/2015 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/29/1984 Share Posted March 13, 2015 AJ, we never know what it is that the Holy Spirit will use to bring one to know Christ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LadyC Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 no, i don't believe an unbeliever should be in leadership. he wasn't the worship leader, and he wasn't even a singer. he just played the drums. i don't know where i'd draw the line, jade. my knee jerk reaction would be not to let someone be up there. but who am I to stand in God's way if He chooses to use someone? i'd like to think that in mike's case, the church made an exception out of necessity. maybe they generally don't, but for the same reason mike felt compelled to play, the pastor felt compelled to allow him. that would make sense to me, because it was definitely a God-thing. but i wouldn't really want to be at a church where the worship team didn't believe in the God they were singing to. i would leave if i found out that the worship leader of the team was an unbeliever. i don't even believe unbelievers (or people who choose to actively and openly live a sinful lifestyle, such as shacking up or engaging in homosexual relations for example) should be allowed to become members of a church, much less be in a position of ministry. i think if a church has a lenient policy and doesn't vet those who serve in ministry, then they're making a huge mistake. there is a danger in letting unbelievers in the "inner court" so to speak. but the leadership of the church needs to also not be so rigid that they don't obey when God asks them to do something that breaks the rules. throughout the Bible God does things like that, using people and circumstances that would otherwise be deemed unacceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyKay Posted March 13, 2015 Group: Royal Member Followers: 12 Topic Count: 385 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 7,692 Content Per Day: 1.92 Reputation: 4,809 Days Won: 3 Joined: 05/28/2013 Status: Offline Share Posted March 13, 2015 I don't like this topic. The reason why is how do you go about deciding who is and who is not saved? And since when is church only for those who believe? God can use all kinds of people. Even the unsaved. With that said the question I would ask is any harm being caused by this person? Are they leading people to God or away from God? That would be what matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts