by Matt Clifton

According to news reports at Brotherhood News and an interview with The Oklahoman, Quail Springs Church of Christ in Oklahoma City, Ok., added an instrumental worship service on Sunday, Jan. 27.

The congregation’s pulpit minister, Mark Henderson, said in the interview with The Oklahoman that he understands fully the lack of biblical authority for the use of musical instruments in the New Testament. However, he and the elders of the congregation are interpreting the silence as freedom to do what they please in the worship, and thus begins the slippery slope.

There are plenty of theological arguments against the use of mechanical instruments of music in the worship. Some can be found on this site. What I would like to discuss is the boldness with which congregations like Richland Hills and Quail Springs are acting, alienating brethren. They are calling to mind the 1906 split with their actions, when faithful brethren were told “accept the instrument or leave.”

Henderson says that out of their approximately 900 member congregation, 300 walked out, many in tears, the day the instrumental service was announced. Henderson also says that the leadership’s position is that people are “free to worship with or without the instrument.” What it amounts to, then, is that Henderson and the eldership at Quail Springs are willing to watch 300 Christians walk out so they can have their instruments.

Why do they want the instrument? Henderson gives two reasons:

One is we want to keep more of our people that were leaving to go to instrumental churches. One of the ways I would describe it is the way we handled it doctrinally. We essentially said you are free to worship with instruments and you are free to worship without them. From just a doctrinal biblical standpoint, we, for a number of years, have treated this as a nonissue. And so to me it seems like we were giving our people freedom to leave. We were saying you’re free to worship with instruments “” just not here. So one of things we’re trying to do is for those people who really connect more with instrumental music, even of our own people, we’re trying to give them a greater opportunity to stay and to worship and to serve and be a part of the church here.

In a desire to retain members who want to worship in a non-authorized manner, the congregation decided to add a worship service with a non-authorized practice! How’s that for shaping oneself after the world?

Henderson offered another reason:

The other thing we’re trying to do is to reach some people that we’ve been missing. We don’t do polls and surveys or exit interviews with people who are guests here, so all I can share is anecdotal evidence from some of our members. It’s interesting: One member will say, “I brought a guest, and they didn’t have any concerns about our worship style. They said the singing was beautiful, and they couldn’t believe how impressed they were with the a cappella worship.” And another member would say, “I brought a guest, and they really liked the church and everything, but they’re asking us what’s the deal with the musical instruments, and I really can’t get over this worship style.”

So once again, the reasoning is that Quail Springs can grow if they allow the instrument in! What they’ve done is trade 300 faithful brethren for a possibly larger group with itching ears.

What’s next for Quail Springs? Now that they have allowed an unauthorized practice into the worship in order to draw people in, what else will they add to draw the masses? Perhaps “lighten up” on the plan of salvation? Quarterly observance of the Lord’s supper? Where will it end?

With the slippery slope Quail Springs is on, it is clear where it will end: Quail Springs will be just another denomination, failing to adhere to the New Testament pattern. Let the elders and Henderson be accountable for what they have done.

And let all Christians be in prayer for these men that they may repent of this action.