Bessie is still kicking!

Every preacher knows about Bessie Monday. As a little boy I was first introduced to Bessie at the little church on the dirt road, where our family attended every time the doors opened. When I looked toward the front of the church, Bessie sat three rows from the front on the right side of the white, wood-framed building that only held fifty people and that's if people sat close and were willing to do a very un-Baptist thing, sit on the front benches. People watched Bessie, a gray-haired old lady, about as much as they looked at the preacher. Bessie was noticeable because she always stared at her Bible throughout the entire worship service and never looked up, that is until the day the preacher gave his resignation, then she not only looked up, but smiled.

I best remember Bessie for the stir she caused after a particular worship service during which the pastor did something that had never been tried before: he grabbed a stool and an acoustic guitar and sang a tune. (This was the early seventies and if people called these songs "praise choruses" then, I had never heard of the term.)

The whole scenario was confusing. Before my mom, dad and I were able to make it from our place midway of the church to the door after the service, there was an overwhelming murmur in the center isle: "Bessie says it's sinful to have stringed instruments in the church." The whisper about the strings attached to this particularly worship service would zing off the church walls and around the little community for weeks. I was only six, but I had looked inside of the piano at home, and I had discovered - oh, my goodness - strings! I cringed at the thought of somebody telling Bessie.

Looking back and now looking around, I can see that Bessie, like God himself, has the ability to show up in every church in the world or at least she's always been at the churches where I've played music or used audio-visual equipment. For you, the preacher, Bessie (not her real name, of course) is the unfortunate point of eye contact that dampens your enthusiasm at the height of your outline. For the instrumentalist, she's the one whose cheeks flinch in rhythm with the drums. For the operators in the booth, she's the one who always complains that the sound is too loud, even on the Sunday when the equipment "blew", and unbeknownst to Bessie, there was no amplification at all.

We can't have a discussion about communication and worship without thinking of Bessie. She, after all, is in your church, too. If you're using new-fangled instruments or a projector and big screen, or you simply moved the piano a few feet, then Bessie has probably spoken and has possibly even smiled (if you know what I mean). If so you'll want to sit a spell and take a look at a few communication tips that I've found to work well.

o With technology and change, lead, don't push. We have to meet people where they are in their mindsets. Remember, when people know why they should do something (that is, we should do whatever it takes to lead people to Jesus), they'll usually follow. As leaders, we often forget to start by focusing on the why.

o Eliminate the distractive appearance of equipment. Watching musicians can be disruptive, detractive and to some, even offensive. My advice is to put musicians, audio-visual equipment and operators where they're not distractive.

o Watch the volume. Most often we get in trouble because some instrument obnoxiously stands out above the rest. You'll hear comments like, "We can't hear anything but that the 'ratta, tat, tat of the drum' or the twang of the guitar." If you haven't added non-traditional instruments or audio-visual equipment, when you do, please do this step right the first time. You may not get a second chance. During a period of adjustment, it's also a good idea to lower the volume at first.

o Pastor, lead the charge! As the one ultimately responsible for communicating and creating a worship environment, your endorsement, encouragement and excitement for all of the additional tools to reach people for the Lord should be contagious!

Remember that wood-framed church on the dirt road? It's brick now and the road is paved, and across from it are monuments (grave markers) to many of the people to whom I am so grateful - dear saints who gave me an unbelievable musical foundation and heritage. I take my seven and four-year-old there ever so often. When we walk through that cemetery, I reminisce. I ask myself silently, "What kind of communications and musical heritage am I leaving behind?" But you know what? Bessie ain't dead.