Guest Blog: Mark Black
We “discovered” Mark Black sitting anonymously in a seat when The ROCK met at Conway High School. Jerimiah 
got to know him because they are neighbors. And pretty soon we found out that Mark was a 1st-Class professional musician. I’m old enough to remember the original The Embers, and Mark rocked some beach music as part of that group. He has sung, and played, and taught music for years. Now he commutes to the Charleston area as a businessman, but with a foot in the music biz as well. He also runs our sound mix (sometimes after virtually NO sleep the night before). He weighed in on our blog-convo about music and worship “styles”, and it was worth turning into a guest blog.
OK, so this (the music “style” discussion) is the subject that will get the musical peeps out in force. The only thing is, it took me a long time to get used to this style of music. I grew up as a Presbyterian (God’s Frozen People) and the musical presentation took me a long time to feel a part of.
Music is such a subjective thing and each person has his/her favorite genre. Why should church music be any different. I agree that “our” genre of sacred music does reach folks that normally do not attend church and that’s a good thing as it is our chief focus to bring the religiously lost to Jesus and signthem up as followers. Music as entertainment? say it ain’t so! Music has ALWAYS served to a degree as entertainment. Bach held concerts weekly
showcasing new sacred tunes for his community. He also used those “shows” to capture new choir members, new musicians and to capture new believers through music. He also introduced for the first time in history the use of
the Major 7th into the chordal structure. Why do I bring this up? Because,our musical style is a a part of a movement to change how we do church. Martin Luther made his changes, in the 1800’s little country churches all over our country modified their music, and then again in the 70’s with the Andre Crouch’s and Bill Gaither’s of the world. Obviously now, it is time to change and do what will bring in more people to Christ.
I’ll end this by saying that if some see it as entertainment, so be it. If some see it as a means to an end, so be it. Whatever brings people to Jesus, I am all into, down for and completely submerged. We do not need to justify music
and it’s intent.
Amen, Mark. I call it “inner-tainment,” and I make no apology for it. I encourage anybody in any church using any “style” to do anything but sin to reach those farthest from God.