Next week, the Cape of Good Hope District gathers for Synod. I have accidentally fallen again in to the task of being one of the precentors. While I'm not that great at getting the songs in on the right key, I’ve learned that my true task is to help bring diverse voices into harmony—through prayer, song, and spirit.
The Methodist Church, though proudly declaring itself “one and undivided,” is anything but uniform we are truly one - yet divided. Across our District, we worship in Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, a little bit of Sotho or Tswana and increasingly, Shona. My own congregation sings in English and Xhosa with some Sotho and Tswana, while others lean into different rhythms and tongues. Each community carries its own rich musical tradition—yet Synod calls us to sing together.
This is no small task. We live in a world shaped by echo chambers—where we gather with those who look, sound, and think like us. Our churches are no exception. Worship, language, culture—all can become spaces of comfort or exclusion.
But the word Synod, from the Greek syn-hodos, means “finding the way together.” At its best, Synod is not just about decision-making, but about shared discernment: listening across difference for what the Spirit might be saying to the Church.
As precentors, we try to weave a shared song from these many voices. Sometimes the harmonies clash, the rhythms tangle, or the words stumble in translation. Sometimes half the room is praising God with joy while the other half stands confused or disengaged. And still—we try.
Because worship that only reflects our own culture is not Synod—it’s separation. As we journey from Easter toward Pentecost, we remember the vision of every tribe and tongue gathered around the throne, singing:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain…”
Leading worship across cultures is challenging. But I believe there is an audience—Three in One—who delights whenever the Church reaches beyond itself and finds its way together. We won’t always get it right. But in our faltering, our off-key efforts, we make space for grace.
The world draws lines. The Spirit draws people. May we continue to be drawn—not by preference, but by love—into the multilingual, multicultural, messy beauty of God’s community.
