I noticed a couple of teenagers at church snickering this Sunday. An older woman was singing an old hymn. The song was . . . well, she would not have been asked to sing at any mega-church I know. So that kind of music has got to be a turn off for teenagers, right?

Maybe, but I’m not sure. The truth is, the song reminded me of listening to my grandmother play her beat-up, out-of-tune baby grand and singing “Whispering Hope” at the top of her lungs, begging us to sing along. I think that is the stuff family is made of, but is it appropriate for the church? YES!

I couldn’t help but think of the joy this woman got from singing on Sunday. I pictured her as a timid teenagers many years ago being asked to sing her first solo. She may have stood in front of a group of 60 or 75 people, all of whom knew her. She may have missed a few notes then, too. But I bet she learned something about church that day. It is not about perfection. It is about using your gifts to minister to others.

I don’t mind the kids’ snickering. But I hope they got the point. Church is more family than performance. And a family can certainly enjoy a grandmother singing an old hymn–because of their love for her, if not for the music.

Maybe people in small churches really do understand church.