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By most any definition of a multicultural church, Servant House in Lewisville and High Pointe Baptist in Austin have succeeded in reaching the culture in which they live. An ethnically diverse staff is one component that both churches have in common, though their approach to styles of music is very different.
When Will Langstaff sensed God leading him to plant Servant House in 1999, he was determined to reach a multi-ethnic population.
“God gave me a vision,” Langstaff told the TEXAN. “I saw all races and people singing in the choir. I knew from that what I was going to do,” the African-American pastor said.
Over time, the congregation grew to include African-Americans, Asians and Anglos. Langstaff turned to a series of black music leaders, each lasting three to six months, followed by an Anglo who stuck with it for a year.
“We had a Korean drummer, and he decided he would go to seminary,” the pastor said, recalling the opportunity to mentor Insung Lee by giving him more opportunities to serve.
“I found out he had been a worship leader in South Korea so I started letting him lead on Wednesday nights and he did a good job,” Langstaff said. “After about six months I put him in on Sunday, and he did a great job!” Soon he enlisted Insung Lee to become worship pastor, a position he has held since 2012.
While Lee grew up singing traditional hymns, he enjoys listening to black gospel, which accounts for more than half of the songs selected for worship services. Contemporary Christian, Southern gospel and traditional hymns make up the remainder.
“God has trained and prepared me to love and embrace all kinds of worship,” Lee said.
Choir members gather for quarterly meetings and help select songs they love to sing, Lee said. “That helps worship ministry to have more kinds of music styles as well as various theological worship themes.”
The adult choir is featured on the first and third Sundays. A men’s praise team typically offers black gospel renditions for one week, and a youth choir draws from hip-hop songs or Christian rock on the other Sunday.
Langstaff provides Lee with his sermon series schedule far in advance, making it possible for him to select a song like “He’s an On Time God” to reinforce the pastor’s message on the faithfulness of God.
The preached word is the focus of worship at High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin as well. As a congregational church, “We seek to keep our worship congregational as well,” explained Robert Baldwin, an elder and pastor of worship. “Our musical center is hymn-based,” he added, incorporating both contemporary and traditional hymns.
Located in a fast-growing area of Austin that is both ethnically and socially diverse, High Pointe Baptist Church is pastored by Juan Sanchez. Its stated mission is “to see all peoples become whole-hearted followers of Jesus Christ,” according to the website.
Asians make up the fastest growing population in the area surrounding High Pointe with Vietnamese as the dominant ethnic group. Hispanics account for the largest group equaled with Anglos and followed by African-Americans, according to Baldwin.
High Pointe membership follows that demographic with African-Americans and Hispanics “making up a healthy percentage of our congregation,” he said. “Anglos still make up the majority, but not by much. We are also well represented by Asians, both Far East and Indian.”
A Spanish-speaking congregation established years ago is now self-sustaining. High Pointe also live translates their services in Spanish and projects lyrics to music in both English and Spanish.
In another part of the campus, Ethiopians meet to worship in Amharic. They join High Pointe’s service once a quarter, occasionally helping lead music. “They have a pretty typical African style of worship [that is] very expressive and rhythmic,” Baldwin said.
While Amharic is difficult to translate into English, Baldwin said a song like “How Great Thou Art” proved to be an effective means of corporate worship for both congregations.
While High Pointe does not intentionally pursue musical diversity, Baldwin, who is white, finds “that naturally happens as we focus on the gospel and keep our worship focused on what we are seeking to accomplish as a church.”
“We believe worship should be corporate, and we seek to involve everyone,” Baldwin said. As a result, there is no “special music” and very few instrumental or vocal solos. Keeping accompaniment as simple as possible, it is an acoustic set-up of piano, keyboards, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, violin, and both bass and acoustic guitars. The drum set was replaced with congas and a Cajon.
Baldwin asks four questions as he plans the music portion of worship each week:
- Is this song Word-based and theologically and doctrinally sound?
- Is it gospel-centered, dealing with God, man, Christ or our response?
- Is it helpful to the preached text this week?
- Is it singable?
After 39 years in ministry in several Southern Baptist congregations, Baldwin said, “Like any church, High Pointe has been a mixture of peaks and valleys, joys and sorrow, but through it all God has proven himself to be more than sufficient.” The diversity of the Austin congregation has been one of the greatest joys he finds in serving there.
“It continues to be a little taste of heaven every week.”
