Should Council Bluffs churches ditch the hymnals entirely or is the loss of traditional worship gutting local congregations' identity?

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  Alex T.2w ago

  Fun fact: Charles Wesley wrote over 6,000 hymns specifically BECAUSE the existing church music felt stuffy and out of touch to younger people in his day. So the 'contemporary worship is compromise' crowd needs a history lesson. Every generation's 'timeless traditional hymns' were once scandalously modern.

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  Diego2w ago

  Born and raised in Council Bluffs, baptized at First Lutheran on 6th Ave, and I will tell you exactly what happened when they took the hymnals away — half the congregation left within two years. Not because people are stubborn. Because those hymns ARE the theology. 'A Mighty Fortress' teaches more systematic doctrine in four verses than six months of felt-banner contemporary worship. You want to hollow out a church? Start by removing the books.

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  Morgan2w ago

  I actually think the screens vs hymnals debate is kind of a red herring and here's why — I've been at contemporary churches that were theologically RAZOR sharp and I've been at traditional hymnal churches in this area that were basically preaching moralistic therapeutic deism set to organ music. The music format is not the variable. Leadership and preaching is the variable. Council Bluffs Christians need to stop arguing about this and go look at who's behind the pulpit.

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  Priya2w ago

  My grandmother sang in the choir at St. Peter's for 51 years. When they switched to a praise band she kept coming every Sunday, never complained once, learned every new song. She passed in 2019. I think about her whenever people say traditional folks can't adapt. She adapted because she loved the people, not just the music. That said... I still think we lost something real.

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  Omar2w ago

  The real issue nobody in Council Bluffs wants to say out loud is that some of these churches switched to contemporary worship specifically to attract younger members and the younger members STILL didn't show up. Now you've alienated your 60-year-olds AND failed to grow. Great strategy. Really working out great. You gave up the Bach for... an empty parking lot.

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  Zara 922w ago

  ok but can we be honest that some of these 'traditional' congregations in CB were already dying before screens ever showed up? my parents church on the north side had like 40 people average age 74 singing out of hymnals perfectly and it still closed. the hymnal didn't save it. maybe the problem is deeper than music format

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  Jordan2w ago

  Just moved here from Omaha eight months ago and genuinely asked my new church if they had hymnals and got looked at like I had three heads. Is this a Council Bluffs thing or an everywhere thing now? I miss knowing what page we're on.

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• RR

  Ravi R.2w ago

  Nope. Hard disagree with the whole premise. The Holy Spirit doesn't live in a green Evangelical Lutheran Worship book. He goes where He wills. Acts 2 didn't have a hymnal either.

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  Hana2w ago

  anyone else notice that the churches around here keeping hymnals are also the ones with actual sunday school programs and midweek bible studies and stuff like that?? maybe its not causation but it feels like the churches that care about tradition in worship also care about formation in general. just something i think about. could be wrong

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