Bluegrass and Missions: An Untapped Platform of Pickin’ Potential 5

For those of you who know me, know I am a bluegrass fan.  Now, I do not know if such is the case because I am a child of Appalachia, or because I consumed too much of The Beverly Hillbillies at one time in my life.  But truth be told:  Foggy Mountain Breakdown just rocks! 

While I used to teach guitar and play in a hard rock band, recently, I thought I would add something new to my repertoire.  I purchased a banjo about a year ago, hoping to become the next Stringbean and/or Earl Scruggs.  Of course, I do not have time to teach myself to play, for I’m writing all of these blog posts for you. 🙂

At least I can still listen to the music. 

Recently, I decided to do something I had been wanting to do for a while–go to the International Bluegrass Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky (about 2 hours from my house in Louisville).  While I had a great experience there, one particular exhibit caught my attention  (And, no, it was not the Granny Clampett photo I wanted to take home.).  

I walked into one room dedicated to the global reach bluegrass music has developed since its beginning in the 1940s.  I saw two maps on display, one of Europe and one of Japan.  Each of the maps had numerous pushpins stuck in them where bluegrass events/festivals take place, most on an annual basis.  Western and Central Europe were filled with them.  And there were about 35 locations scattered across Japan.  Upon seeing all of these pushpins, representing numerous locations and multitudes of people, I pondered the question: “What is the potential for communicating the good news of Jesus through the platform of bluegrass music?” 

This question has actually been on my mind for some time.  It first came to my attention when I was 35,000 feet over the North Atlantic.  I was returning home with a short-term mission team from Newfoundland, Canada.  I had been in the province twice before, and knew the Newfoundlanders had their own unique style of music, consisting of Scotch-Irish influences.  Knowing the music from Scotland and Ireland had also influenced bluegrass, I began to wonder about the potential of a bluegrass band returning to the province to play and work with the missionaries. 

I shared this thought with my friend and colleague, George Martin who led a bluegrass band and team back to Newfoundland the following year.  The Long Run Players were very beneficial to the missionaries on this trip.  Later, they spent time working with missionaries in Asia by touring and playing.   

Why Bluegrass, why Now?

1. While there is much contained in the lyrics of traditional bluegrass music that is ungodly, there is much gospel proclamation that can be found there as well.  Gospel music was one of the major influences on the development of bluegrass music. In other words, you can play bluegrass and share the story of Jesus and His love, with people wanting to hear it communicated via this medium.
2. There is a revival in “roots” type music taking place across the globe.  This may simply be a product of a globalized world that praises multiculturalism.  As long as the nations of the world are interested in hearing the music of other cultures, then we need to play while the time is ripe. 
3. Bluegrass is a unique genre of music.  Everything from the instruments and how they are played, to the melodies of the songs, make this a unique musical style.  There is something just not “ordinary” about it.  (No, wise-cracks, please.).   Go into a community of the world and start street preaching, and you may be told to head for the hills.  Go into the same community with a mandolin, upright bass, and guitar, and a crowd will gather wanting to hear music from the hills.
4. While not unique to bluegrass, but music in general, is the fact that music tears down social barriers, starts relationships, and opens up numerous opportunities for conversations.  It is a bridge-builder. 
5. Some of the world’s least reached peoples are interested in bluegrass music.  For example, the Japanese are one of the world’s largest and least reached peoples.  Also, the percent of evangelicals living in Western and Central Europe is minuscule.    

As I drove home that day from the museum, I could not help but wonder why and how an American musical style could develop in a tiny area of Kentucky, and become a global phenomenon in thirty to forty years, before satellite TV (and much television at all) and the Internet. 

Could it be while many of the world’s countries are (and becoming more and more) closed off to traditional missionary approaches, many of the least reached peoples have a facination with bluegrass music, and the world continues to grow with the global ethos of multiculturalism, that the Lord permitted something so unknown to become a global bridge-builder so the Church would capture this moment in salvation history and begin to send traveling bands to preach the good news via the banjo?  Just a thought….

Pastors….do you have any pickers in your congregation?  If so, what are you doing to equip and send them?

What do you think?