When the Music Gets Loud, So Do the Opinions

This weekend was one of those weekends that reminded me just how crazy, unpredictable, frustrating, and honestly amazing working in Christian music can be. We had artists out playing shows. Videos were going up. People were sharing posts, commenting, tagging friends, discovering new bands, and paying attention. And then… the comments started. Some were supportive. Some were excited. Some were asking questions. And some were for sure not kind.

A live video from a few of my artists performing at a church started getting a lot of attention, and suddenly people were debating what Christian music should sound like, what should or shouldn’t happen inside a church, whether rock music belongs in ministry, and everything in between. Apparently, guitars and drums can still make people nervous in 2026.

But while this weekend brought the conversation back to the surface, this is definitely not something that only happened this weekend. I have seen this for YEARS.

And I have never understood why the style of music sometimes becomes more important than the message, the ministry, or the people being reached.

Years ago, I worked with a Christian rapper who would go into schools during the day and do anti-bullying assemblies. He would talk to kids about bullying, choices, their value, and the things they were dealing with in real life. Then that same night, we would put on a completely free concert for the students then at the concert, he could share the Gospel.

Part of my job was calling churches in whatever area he was in. Sometimes we needed a church building because the school wouldn't allow us to hold the evening concert there. But there was another reason I called churches that was even more important. We wanted youth pastors, and people from local churches at those concerts.

Why?

Because we didn’t want to come into a town, share the Gospel with a bunch of kids, pack everything up, and leave. We wanted those kids to have somewhere to go afterward. We wanted them to meet a youth pastor. We wanted them to know there was a church nearby where someone would know their name. We wanted the ministry to continue after the concert was over. And I cannot tell you how many churches said no. Not because they disagreed with the message. Not because they didn’t care about kids being bullied. Not because we were charging them money. They said no because…

“We don’t allow rap music.”

This happened more times than I can count. And has stuck with me for years. Because somewhere in that town could have been a kid who would never willingly walk into a traditional church service. A kid who would never go to a worship night. A kid who wouldn’t relate to the music playing on Christian radio. But that kid might come see a rapper. That kid might come see a rock band. That kid might stand in the back of a room at a hard rock concert because a friend convinced them to come. And while they are there, they may hear something that reaches them in a way nothing else has.

That is why I struggle so much when Christians immediately dismiss an entire style of music. Because the people we are trying to reach are not all the same. So why would we expect ministry to always look or sound the same? Some people connect with worship music. Some connect with southern gospel. Some connect with contemporary Christian music. Some connect with rap. Some connect with rock. Some connect with music so heavy that half the room probably needs earplugs.  And that is okay.

Because God can use all of it. That is one of the things I love most about the artists I get to work with today. They are not all the same. They do not sound the same. They do not write about the same things. They do not minister the same way.

Some are rock. Some are hard rock. Some are metal. Some are rap or hip-hop. Some lean more contemporary. Some write songs that could fit inside a church service. Others write songs for the person who probably hasn’t stepped inside a church in ten years. Some write about hope and worship. Others write about addiction, grief, depression, anger, PTSD, loss, brokenness, redemption, and the really messy parts of life. And I LOVE that.

Because the people listening are not all the same either. There are people who may never walk into a traditional worship concert but will absolutely walk into a rock show. There are people who need to hear someone sing about something dark because they are living through something dark. There are people who need to know that being a Christian does not mean pretending life never hurts. There are people who may hear the Gospel for the very first time because a band sounded like something they were already willing to listen to. That is ministry too.

Which brings me back to this weekend. While some people were busy criticizing what they were seeing, something else was happening at the exact same time. More people discovered bands they had never heard before. People shared the video. People talked. People watched. People paid attention. And that is something I have learned over and over again working in music: Attention is does not always seem good at first.

 Sometimes growth looks exciting. Sometimes it looks uncomfortable. Sometimes it looks like a bunch of people arguing in a Facebook comment section.  That doesn’t mean every criticism should be ignored. There are always things we can learn. There are always ways we can grow. And there are conversations worth having. But we cannot allow a handful of negative voices to become louder than the reason these artists are doing this in the first place.

And this weekend was bigger than a few bands.  It was bigger than a few videos. It was bigger than one concert. The picture and videos getting the most attention right now only represent some of the incredible artists I am blessed to work with.

There were other artists playing other concerts this weekend. There are more shows coming. There are singles being released. There are songs being sent to radio. There are booking opportunities being chased down. There are artists writing, recording, traveling, loading equipment, playing in small rooms, playing in churches, playing festivals, talking with people after shows, praying with people, and doing the work when almost nobody sees it.

Between Resurrection Records, Lameris Promotions, radio promotion, social media, booking, releases, interviews, press, shows, and everything else happening behind the scenes, I get a pretty unique view of how much work goes into all of this. And I wish people could see more of that part. I wish they could see the artist who stays after a concert talking to one person who is hurting. I wish they could see the band praying together before they walk on stage. I wish they could see how many of these artists play shows for little or no money because they genuinely believe in what they are doing. I wish they could see the messages that come in from people saying a song helped them through one of the worst periods of their life.

Because when you see that side of it, suddenly whether the guitar was too loud or whether somebody rapped instead of sang doesn’t feel quite as important.

One of the hardest parts of what I do is knowing there are only so many hours in a day and so many artists and projects I care about.

I want to help every single artist I work with as much as I possibly can. I want their music heard. I want radio stations to know who they are. I want people at their shows. I want churches to see the ministry happening. I want the right doors to open. And I want people to understand that Christian music is a whole lot bigger than one sound.

This weekend reminded me of something I have actually been learning for years. Sometimes the very thing somebody criticizes is the thing that reaches somebody else. Sometimes the music someone says is “too loud” is exactly loud enough to reach the person who needed to hear it. Sometimes the kid who would never walk into church will walk into a rock concert. Sometimes the teenager who rolls their eyes at worship music will listen to a Christian rapper.Sometimes ministry looks like a pulpit. Sometimes it looks like a youth group. Sometimes it looks like an acoustic guitar. And sometimes it looks like, drums, stage lights, long hair, tattoos, screaming vocals, or somebody standing on a stage with a microphone rapping the Gospel.

God is a whole lot bigger than a genre. So yes, this weekend got a little loud, but underneath all that noise, something really good is happening. People are listening. New people are finding these artists. Radio stations are paying attention. Doors are opening. The Gospel is being shared.

And there are a whole lot of incredible artists out there willing to go where people are and meet them with music they understand.

That is something worth celebrating.

And from where I’m sitting…We are just getting started.

photo credit: Alex Clayton

Church that held concert: Where The Church Meets