Modern worship is everywhere—but why do so many churches seem to sing the same songs, use the same sounds, follow the same trends, and even dress the same? In this episode of Fight For Your City, Pastor Jonah Carpenter sits down with Colton Potter, worship leader at Family Bible Church and frontman of A Band With No Name, for a wide-ranging conversation about modern worship culture and the practical realities of leading worship in the local church. Jonah and Colton discuss the growing influence of a small number of major worship movements, including Elevation, Hillsong, Passion, and Bethel, and what happens when churches across the country begin drawing their music, production styles, gear, and inspiration from the same places. They ask whether modern worship has become too generic—and whether originality even matters if the songs are helping people worship. But the conversation goes much deeper than musical style. What makes a song appropriate for congregational worship instead of simply being a good Christian song? Colton explains why singability, biblical content, perspective, and the purpose behind a song matter when deciding what belongs in a Sunday service. The two also discuss whether churches should alter lyrics when they disagree with the theology behind a particular line. They also step into one of the most controversial debates surrounding modern worship music: Should your church sing a song from an artist or ministry whose theology you disagree with? Bethel becomes a case study as Jonah and Colton discuss the difference between evaluating an individual song and rejecting everything associated with the church or artist who created it. Then the conversation turns toward the people standing on the platform. What happens when your most talented musician has a serious character problem? What if they're the only person in your church capable of playing the instrument? What if they aren't even a Christian? Colton discusses relationships, accountability, confrontation, and why the person with the title of “worship leader” isn't necessarily always the right person to handle the situation. Jonah and Colton also talk about communication between pastors and worship leaders, choosing songs that actually complement the message, knowing when a worship set needs to end, dealing with mistakes on stage, preparing musicians well, and creating a culture where worship-team members are actually being discipled instead of simply being used because they're talented. Along the way, they get into Reckless Love, controversial worship lyrics, Lauren Daigle, secular songs in church, Creed, expensive worship gear, smoke machines, Helix pedalboards, church production culture, and the strange reality that churches can spend thousands of dollars copying another ministry without ever stopping to ask why that ministry does things that way in the first place. This isn't a conversation arguing that modern worship is good or bad. It's a practical conversation about theology, music, leadership, discipleship, creativity, and the decisions local churches make every Sunday morning. Has modern worship become too generic? And more importantly, how can local churches build worship ministries that actually serve their own congregations instead of simply copying everyone else?
