Help your people to discern the essential elements of worship and the mere external forms these might take (item 141a), so that they will not argue about what is not important.

Ask the older folks for permission to do what you have to do, to bring their children and grandchildren to church and hold them.

Find in Romans 14 a general rule concerning offending newer, weaker Christians, and apply it to any controversy that exists concerning music styles.

__________________

For particular forms of worship (creed, confession, offering, benedictions, etc.), Leadership Handbooks of Practical Theology, edited by James Berkeley, Volume 1, section 12

For balancing tradition and innovation, section 16

Verify the worship and praise forms that both old and young can embrace.

• Hold separate focus group meetings with each age, gender and socials group within the congregation to learn their tastes and preferences in worship and musical forms.
• In some circumstances, you can adopt the preferences, in others you can use several groups' preferences.
• If you have worship leaders, include some from every group who will model for their group how they can enjoy other groups' preferences.

If people's preferences are keeping others from worshipping, deal with them wisely.

• People's preferences are learned and they can change.
• Most change of preference comes through practicing new forms and finding that the Holy Spirit can give them the same joy as they had in the old forms.
• Sometimes people will have more joy with the new forms, because they adopt them as an act of love for people they formerly neglected.