If your church uses contemporary praise bands playing contemporary music, do the singers and musicians in those bands mingle only amongst themselves, only wanting to know each other, as if 'fellowship' with others in the church outside their little cliquish group is off limits? My experiences have been that it's as if a curtain goes up between the stage (aka platform) and the congregation as soon as they're done with the singing portion of the service. In between the two services, they head to the church cafe to hang out in their little group. They won't sit in the congregation like everyone else and listen to the sermon. In the cafe, it's impossible to talk to any of them cause they're only interested in looking at and talking to each other as they huddle together. Some may sit through the 2nd service before leaving, but there's no need to really unless it's to pick up their guitar that still sits on the stage. They don't perform a closing song for people who are on the way out at the end.
You may say, "It's the pastors and greeters job to make people feel welcome, not the musicians." But aren't band members ministers as well? Why do they think that getting to know someone outside their little music circle is beneath them? They might as well just play in bars and secular music venues if all they care about is being seen on stage, like "hey look at me, I'm special. I get to be up here and you don't." Maybe they're frustrated musicians and singers who can't make it in the competitive secular world, so church visibility is all they've got to satisfy their "performing" egos. If that's all it is to them, they should quit.
You may say, "It's the pastors and greeters job to make people feel welcome, not the musicians." But aren't band members ministers as well? Why do they think that getting to know someone outside their little music circle is beneath them? They might as well just play in bars and secular music venues if all they care about is being seen on stage, like "hey look at me, I'm special. I get to be up here and you don't." Maybe they're frustrated musicians and singers who can't make it in the competitive secular world, so church visibility is all they've got to satisfy their "performing" egos. If that's all it is to them, they should quit.
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