A few weeks back, I saw an interesting thought shared by a preacher friend on Facebook. The post he shared had to do with how we can gauge the health of a congregation by two distinct sounds — crying babies and singing men. The idea stood out to me because these two elements are prevalent at every service here in Mt. Vernon. More than that, the reasoning behind these two elements as being a gauge of our congregation’s health help explain why these things are important.
Crying babies serve as an indicator of good health because it means there is another generation being brought up in the “old paths” (Jer. 6:16, NKJV). Further, as it was stated by one of our elders last week, crying babies and noisy children mean there are dedicated parents or grandparents trying to do what is best for their children and grandchildren. The sound of these children shows a deep concern by parents and grandparents to teach their children and grandchildren about the salvation that God offers by His grace through Christ Jesus. Where there are children, there is a future.
Alongside the sound of crying babies, the sound of men singing reveals the health of a congregation. Singing to God as He desires makes us vulnerable. Many do not want to be seen or heard singing their hearts out because it might be embarrassing. If our hearts are in the right place, however, none of this will matter. We will do our best to worship God with the whole of our being in the way He desires (Jn. 4:24). We will sing out and we will do our part to help warn and teach our brethren through our worship in song (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). When men can be heard singing out, it reveals that there are men who are less concerned with what others think, and they are more concerned with what God thinks. These men who are willing to open themselves up in the worship of God will be more willing to properly lead their homes and even the congregation in the right way. Where there are singing men, there is true leadership and a true heart for God.
We are blessed here in Mt. Vernon. We have noisy children, and we have singing men. What a blessing it is to be surrounded by parents and grandparents who value the spiritual well-being of their families, as well as the future of the church. What a blessing it is to be surrounded by men whose concern is pleasing God more than it is pleasing men. May we continue to grow in our love for one another and for God.