Today’s guest post is written by Clare Evans, you can learn more about her at the end of this article.

Music has always played a huge part in the Christian Church. Hymns, organs, and choirs fill our churches with wonderful sounds every Sunday and help grow our community. In a bid to modernize though, more and more churches and places of worship are introducing new sounds and instruments into the church.

Percussion instruments including tambourines, shakers, bongos, djembes, and electronic drum kits have slowly started finding their way into our services. But this transition hasn’t been a smooth one.

Opinion is sometimes divided over these instruments’ place in the Christian church. Some people support their introduction, and see no reason why we shouldn’t celebrate and worship with their help. Others hold a more sinister view.

Some people believe drums and drum beats invite evil spirits and are the music of the Devil. They believe that these worldly instruments do not have a place in Christian culture, and therefore shouldn’t have a place in the church.

With opinion so fiercely divided then, how can we identify if drums really do have a place in the Christian church? How can we incorporate the music of the world into our services and ceremony’s without causing upset and offence?

Do drums really have a place in the church?

With music playing such a key role in worship, drums and percussion instruments do have a place in the Christian church. The challenge comes though, with seamlessly integrating them into general proceedings.

For the few who particularly oppose drums in church, suddenly bringing in a huge drum kit will certainly cause a few raised eyebrows. Instead, it is best to slowly and surely integrate percussion instruments into different parts of worship.

For example, start by introducing a tambourine or percussion shaker one Sunday and see how well it is received. You can then continue by bringing in a few more handheld drums and percussive instruments. You could even ask the congregation to play during a certain song or hymn in the style of a drumming circle.

Which drums should I choose?

When thinking of introducing drums into worship, you will inevitably want to keep everyone happy. You also need to think of financial implications to. With this in mind then – providing you decide drums are right for your church – you need to decide between electronic drums, handheld acoustic drums, or simple percussion shakers.

To keep your ceremony’s traditional though, we would recommend sticking to handheld drums and percussion instruments such as tambourines. There is no real risk of over-playing and making too much noise. Their natural sound will also fit much better with the traditional music of the church.

Before you make any decision though, everyone in the church needs to be involved and offer an opinion.

You should come to an executive decision based on these opinions, and do the best you can to please the majority. After all, you may find that in your particular church the use of drums is still frowned upon.

Drums do have a place in the Christian church and can be a great addition to your services. Bringing a brand new element into your church’s music is a great way to refresh and modernise, whilst still keeping to your true values.

By selecting your instruments – and the way you use them – carefully, you and your church can really benefit from their use.

Clare Evans is the copywriter for Djembe Drum Shop, an online store selling a range of percussion instruments and handheld drums at competitive prices. They also stock percussion packs, perfect for introducing music to your congregation. Visit the website for more details.

Related articles

• The “Dumbing Down” of Music? (inspirationalchristiansfortoday.com)