Like U2? If so, you may be interested to read how more than a hundred churches in the States have used their songs to reach a new audience. From New York to Florida, the band’s hits such as ‘Beautiful Day’ are being used as part of a communion service that has been particularly effective with young people.
I think I remain to be convinced, but you can read more about it in Christianity Today’s article here.
Perhaps this is the point where you can respond with your own suggestions of mainstream hits that could be use for worship…
LifeChanging 
Surely you can work a nice little Marilyn Manson single into one of your sermons 😉 😀
By: Justin on May 2, 2007
at 9:34 am
I don’t know. I’m thinking about the table, right now. Is it about U2? or a cause? or is it about Lord Jesus, the God of the table? Is it about meeting every child of God, every son in His gathered family, in a relevant way? or is it a really cool gimmick? Is it outreach to win the lost? or is it a pure “numbers thing”? If it isn’t Holy Spirit-inspired, I don’t know if I would want to mess with it. His table is pretty serious business.
By: kls on May 3, 2007
at 12:16 pm
You are absolutely right – it is a serious business. I have just published a follow on post that touches on similar issues.
By: Hugh Griffiths on May 3, 2007
at 12:59 pm
We did and entire series we called 4U2 In the Name of Love. The focus was simply the belief that what god di for us on that cross he di in the name of Love. We used In the Name of Love one Sunday, We used Vertigo on a different Sunday, We used Where the Streets Have no Name on another Sunday and finally we used I still Haven’t found what I’m looking for on our final Sunday. We would not use their music for the Lords table but did use it as special music each week.
It was a fantastic month and our church added many unchurched people during the series with 35 making a decision to trust Christ. The wired part is that we also worship hard, preach the bible so we are not really a seeker church. We simply believe that when God’s people worship and God’s word is taught with clarity and conviction, lives change.
By: Leonard on May 3, 2007
at 9:30 pm
Hi Hugh,
This (tangentially) reminded me of Easter Sunday. This year, the thing that most caught my mood in the face of resurrection/new creation was the song playing on the radio on the way to our meeting. (OK, I’m not proud, it was Lionel Richie, but it was the celebration vibe that did it for me.) Sometimes the charismatic-evangelical songbook doesn’t have enough soul 😉 And sometimes it’s the U2, etc. songs that catch something for me that most worship songs miss. Not as a gimmick (though I agree there’s always that problem), but capturing what I want to express to God.
By: Paul on May 3, 2007
at 9:54 pm
Superb comments! It is perhaps true that our choice of songs for worship at any given time may not capture what we want to express to God. I think this is particularly true when a church comes to rely on one ‘stream’ of music, whether hymns or Hillsongs. I’m certainly ready for more new music with ‘enough soul’.
By: Hugh Griffiths on May 4, 2007
at 5:21 am
I think that this really raises the question as to what is the purpose of music in our meetings. I adore U2 music. When I was a teenager, going through really tough times, listening to their early albums brought me comfort and a real sense of the Holy Spirit being with me. I would even like the words of October written on my grave as an epitaph. However I think I would find the idea of singing their songs as congregational worship incongruous. When we worship we are surely singing to the Lord and declaring his magnificence before the world. We should be able to do this in unity of spirit so that the Holy Spirit can move and minister to his people and to visitors. Praise and worship are part of our equipment for battle. God can use whatever music we culturally choose as long as it is centred on him and not on ourselves. Do you not think therefore, that using secular U2 songs as part of worship could result in us focussing on the music rather than the subject of our worship? Just a thought. X
By: Liza on May 10, 2007
at 9:45 am