Every congregation has a collective “native language” consisting of familiar and beloved songs, styles of prayers, preaching styles, artistic expressions, and other rituals. These expressions and rituals allow us to speak to God in our own voice. For some churches, praise, contemporary music, and physicality is how they best speak to God. For others, introspective prayers, confession, lament, and 18th century hymnody is how they best express themselves. Whatever expressions are indigenous to a church, it is vital that they do them fluently. However, while I believe it is indeed helpful to be aware of your congregation’s “native tongue”, I advocate that congregations learn to expand their worship vocabulary. This means engaging in worship expressions that may not be “native” to our congregation, but may help us continue to grow in our worship life as a church. Specifically for us, expanding our worship vocabulary may include singing the songs of “others”.

 Some of you may have noticed that we have been singing an increased number of songs in worship from other nations and cultures in the past few months. This slight shift in our congregational singing is intentional and purposeful. We are spiritually enriched by singing songs from what I refer to as “non-dominant cultures”. Non-dominant cultures in this context would include African American, Caribbean, Latino, Asian, African, Indigenous American, and anything else that falls outside of Classical Western Hymnody and Western Contemporary Worship Music. My eventual goal for us is to sing at least one song from a non-dominant culture most Sundays. There are at least three reasons why I believe this is a direction that is good for us.

1. They are good songs! Western hymnody and praise music does not hold a monopoly on what constitutes excellent music for congregational singing. Many songs from non-dominant cultures around the world have very singable melodies and texts that are both accessible and theologically rich. These songs also carry with them theological perspectives that may help us to see the world through a wider lens than our standard, comfortable worship songs may allow.
2. Singing more songs from other cultures constitutes a better representation of the demographics of Neffsville Mennonite Church. About 10% of our regular attendees are considered non-white, including nearly half of the newer regular attendees to our congregation (within the last three years). Our church family includes Haitians, Kenyans, Chinese, Latinos, Ugandans, and African-Americans, amongst others. Singing songs from non-dominant cultures helps us to be more hospitable, both to them and other newcomers. We are communicating that there is room within our circle for core expressions and heart songs of others.
3. Mennonites are no longer primarily European and American. 40% of all Mennonites are in Africa. In fact, there are more Mennonites just in Ethiopia than in all of North America. Expanding our worship language through the use of songs from non-dominant cultures connects us with more of the worldwide communion of the Mennonite Church. Furthermore, The Church is a global communion that not only spans every corner of the globe, but also through all of time. In John’s Revelation, while in the Spirit, he described an assembly of God in this way; “…there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

 ‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’” (Rev. 7:9-10, NIV)

When we get to heaven, we will worship together with every person in Christ who has ever lived, complete with all their varied traditions, songs, and expressions. It is appropriate, therefore, that our worship reflect that reality in some way.