Let's Bring Back the Practice of Congregational Singing in Our Churches

 

“Worshiptainment” is a new word which I learned this past month. It is the fusion of the word “worship” with the word “entertainment” and is used to describe what is represented as worship on Sunday mornings and other occasions but in actuality is a form of entertainment.

“Worshiptainment” primarily refers to the part of a church service in which the vocalists of a small musical ensemble made up of instrumentalists and vocalists sing while most of the congregation listens. This musical ensemble may be called a praise or worship band or praise or worship team or simply a music group. A few members of the congregation may attempt to sing along with the vocalists of the small ensemble. They usually face a number of difficulties. The words and the tune are unfamiliar. The song may be sung at a pitch beyond the range of the average singer in the congregation. The music of the instrumentalists is electronically amplified and very loud as are the voices of the vocalists, and anyone singing in the congregation does not have the reinforcement of hearing other members of the congregation singing since if anyone else in the congregation is singing, they cannot hear them.

“Worshiptainment” has replaced congregational singing in a number of churches While congregational singing is a form of corporate worship, “worshiptainment is not. Corporate worship is an act of worship performed by the whole congregation and not by a part of the congregation or by paid professionals or near professionals.

When we worship, we show honor and respect to God. Worship is something we ourselves do and reflects our attitude toward God. It is not something that someone else can do for us. We cannot worship through a proxy. We must worship ourselves in order for worship to be true worship. Worship takes many forms. It is not something that we do only on Sundays and other special occasions. It is something that we do every day.

One of the forms of worship is praise. When we praise God, we express our approval of God, his attributes, and his deeds. A second form of worship is adoration. When we adore God, we express our love and admiration for God. A third form of worship is thanksgiving. When we thank God, we say or show that we are grateful to God. The most important form of worship is the way that we live our daily lives. We live our daily lives in a way that show honor and respect to God.

What purpose then does worshiptainment serve? If you ask a pastor, chances are that he will tell you that it is to warm up the congregation and to prepare the congregation for the main act of the service—the sermon. It is to put the congregation in the right frame of mind to hear the sermon. He might also tell you that it is to introduce the theme of the sermon to the congregation or to strengthen the sermon’s theme in the minds of the members of the congregation. This may be how the pastor rationalizes worshiptainment in his own mind, but in actuality what it does is create the false impression in the minds of the congregants that in listening to the songs that the small ensemble is performing, they are worshiping God. To be truly giving honor and respect to God and expressing their devotion to God, the members of the congregation, however, need to be taking an active part in singing the songs themselves and not passively listening to them.

The origin of worshiptainment can be traced in part to the Church Growth Movement of the twentieth century, to the “seeker service” designed by Bill Hybel and pioneered by Willow Creek, the attractional model of the church, and what has been described as “consumer Christianity.” The “seeker service” was “a church service where those who did not have a church background would be comfortable and have the gospel presented to them with contemporary music, drama, and messages all found within a contemporary environment.”

In later years Willow Creek would modify its services after research showed that the people who attended the seeker services did not transition to the more traditional services of public worship as it was initially thought that they would. The seeker services also produced believers whose discipleship lacked depth. Their spiritual growth was stunted.

Sam Horn describes the attractional model of the church in his article, “Choosing a Church: Two Models—Recognizing the Theological Orientation of a Local Church.”

Attractional model (AM) churches believe the primary purpose of weekly corporate worship is to attract lost people, disengaged Christians or the unchurched to come to Jesus, accept the Gospel and reconnect with the church. Many churches in this model believe the primary focus of the worship service is evangelistic and, as a result, work hard to intentionally downplay things that lost people might find offensive or that would be impediments to their accepting the Gospel.

AM churches often strive to create an experience that will make them attractive to a skeptical or secularized audience, and, in many cases, theology is light, commitment is low, and a consumer mentality predominates. Jesus is a useful friend to have—“Just give me three dollars’ worth of God.”

AM churches abound and are often called “seeker-sensitive churches.” The primary poster model of this approach is a church in the suburbs of Chicago called Willow Creek Church.

According to Carey Nieuwof and others, the attractional model has fallen on hard times. While it continues to work for a few churches, it is not working for most churches that adopted the model. More and more churches are recognizing that they wish to reach the unreached and unengaged, they must go to the unreached and unengaged and not expect the unreached and unengaged to come to them.

Churches that have adopted the attractional model may grow but the type of growth they experience is called “transfer growth.” They attract new families that have moved to a community and who attended a church in their previous community, and they attract the members and attendees of other churches in the community. The latter phenomenon is known as “the circulation of the saints or “church hopping.” This kind of growth is not “conversion growth,” growth that results from people becoming believers for the first time.

I was involved in a church for ten years that was based on the attractional model. It was originally a campus church targeted at university students and other young adults, but it discovered that a large portion of the university student and young adult population were not going to give up sleeping late on Sunday morning even if a church provided free breakfast and had great music and great preaching. The church would shift its focus to a different ministry target group.

“Consumer Christianity” is a term used to describe the tendency among churchgoers to treat the church a commodity that exists to serve their wants. For these churchgoers attending a particular church is about what is in it for them, what they will get out of it. They may attend a church for the music, the preaching, the adult Sunday school, the children’s ministry, and the like. They do not attend a church for the opportunities to serve Christ, to serve others, to serve the community. When they are no longer satisfied with what a church offers, they move on to another church. .

The origin of worshiptainment can also be traced in part to the emergence of so-called “Praise and Worship” music as a genre in church music. Originally congregational and participatory in character, it gradually lost that character as those writing the lyrics and composing the music wrote and composed the songs for the performance of a small ensemble of instrumentalists and vocalist and not for use of a congregation in church services. Its style and its performance were also increasingly influenced by the style and the performance of popular contemporary secular music. Instruments used in its performance are typically guitar, bass, keyboard, and drum set, the same instruments used in the performance of popular contemporary secular music.

While a number of other genres of church music emerged during the same period, Praise and Worship music became the dominant form of church music in charismatic/Pentecostal, evangelical, and non-denominational churches. Mainline churches would not escape its growing influence. Although many excellent hymns and worship songs have been produced in these other genres, they are largely unknown in the churches where Praise and Worship music is the dominant form of church music.

Among the major factors used in determining what songs are used in a church service on a given Sunday in churches where worshiptainment has replaced congregational singing is the theme of the pastor’s sermon, the popularity of a song on the charts which keep track of the popularity of the songs in Praise and Worship genre and the few other genres used in these churches, and the preferences of the worship leader. Whether the congregation will be able to sing the song or how they may benefit from singing the song is seldom a consideration in the selection of a particular song.

Why does congregational singing matter? Since the Protestant Reformation and the revival of the revival of the practice, congregational singing has been one of the principal ways that the members of the congregation of a Protestant church participate in corporate worship. John and Charles Wesley recognized the value of congregational singing and wrote scores of hymns for use at the gatherings of the early Methodists. Their hymns were one of their most important contributions to the Evangelical Revival of the eighteenth century, and they represent a watershed in the history of church music in the Protestant branches of the Western Church.. In his Selected Hymns (1761), John Wesley gives directions for singing. These directions are printed in Methodist hymnals to this day. They also may be found in the hymnals of other church traditions.

Congregational singing helps to unite a congregation and to give the congregants a sense of common purpose. It also helps to foster a sense of community.

Among the other reasons that congregational singing is important is that the words of the hymns and worship songs that Christians sing teach them more about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Christian faith and way of life, Their words also reinforce what Christians already know.

Singing hymns and worship songs help Christians to correct one another as they examine their own lives against the words they are singing. We pay more attention to words that we ourselves are singing than we do those someone else is singing. As well as helping us to admonish one another, singing hymns and songs help us to encourage one another.

Hymns and worship songs also help Christians to put into words their own thoughts and feelings about God. They are a form of prayer as well as a testimonial to the faith of previous generations of Christians. They provide a way through which these previous generations of Christians can witness to us.

Singing, psychologists, tell us makes us feel better. It releases endorphins, serotonin and dopamine – hormones that boost our mood and make us feel good about ourselves. This helps to explain why we feel positive, uplifted, and motivated after a church service in which we sung a number of hymns and worship songs. Singing is also an aerobic activity which increases the oxygen in our bloodstream and leads to better circulation and a better mood.

Singing as a group activity has positive social benefits too. It will contribute to the participants’ sense of belonging. We are more likely to remember what we sang as a group, and our attitudes, way of thinking, behavior is also more likely to be influenced and shaped by what we sang.

From a theological perspective, congregational singing is an important means of grace. According to the United Methodist Communications’ article, “The Wesleyan Means of Grace” –

John Wesley taught that God's grace is unearned and that we were not to be idle waiting to experience grace but we are to engage in the means of grace. The means of grace are ways God works invisibly in disciples, hastening, strengthening; and confirming faith so that God's grace pervades in and through disciples.

It is not enough to attend a church service as a passive spectator. We must take part in the service as an active participant.

The act of singing hymns and worship songs together transforms a loose aggregate of people into a worshipping assembly. It draws our attention away from our worldly concerns and focus our attention on God. Just as we make the reality of the Body of Christ visible through our sharing of the bread and the cup of the Lord’s Supper, we make that reality audible singing hymns and worship songs together.

Considering the benefits of congregational singing, churches that have replaced it with worshiptainment are short-changing their members and attendees.

It is noteworthy that the worship music which was used in the chapel during the “Asbury Revival,” was simple, participatory, and congregational. The only instruments that were used to accompany the singing were a guitar, a piano, and a cajon, or box drum. The Holy Spirit moved among those who were present in powerful ways. It is also worthy of note that congregational singing has accompanied all major times of spiritual awakening and renewal in the history of the Christian Church. Fresh movements of the Holy Spirit and congregational singing appear to go hand in hand.

It is my belief that the recovery of the practice of congregational singing would greatly benefit United Methodist and other churches in a number of ways.

I am not suggesting that we do away with the use of anthems, solos, and other forms of special music in church services but that we restore congregational singing to its rightful place in our church services. The primary role of a praise team, worship band, or music group, or whatever we call that musical ensemble is to lead and support congregational singing. Its performance of special music is secondary. This is also true of larger ensembles such as chancel choirs. These ensembles cannot act as a proxy for the congregation. They cannot worship for the congregation. The members of the congregation must worship for themselves—singing and praying in other ways, e.g., reading a Psalm, praying extemporaneously, saying the Lord’s Prayer; reading Scripture; sharing the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper, and living lives that honor and respect God.

If we are to recover the practice of congregational singing, we must first recognize its value ourselves. We are not going to restore congregational singing to its rightful place in our church services if we do not see its value or appreciate its benefits. If we ourselves are convinced of its value, we have a better chance of convincing others of its value. A good place to start in the process of recovering the practice of congregational singing in the church services of a particular congregation is to teach the congregation about the nature of worship.

Many Christians have the misapprehension that going to church and worship are the same thing. This is not to say that attending a church service cannot be an act of worship, provided that a desire to honor and respect God was our motivation for going to church on a particular Sunday, On the other hand, we may go to church for reasons that have nothing to do with God. We may go to please someone else, to socialize with friends, to meet a prospective client, or simply out of habit and a sense of obligation.

Viewing others worship, whether in person or on cable TV or the internet is also not worship. This is a major drawback of broadcasting services live on cable TV or livestreaming them on the internet and making videos of them for future viewing. They do not engage the viewer in the various worship activities of the service. The lyrics of hymns and worship songs and the words of Scripture readings and prayers may be flashed on the screen, using closed captioning or subtitles. However, if the hymns and worship songs are new or unfamiliar to viewer as they are the church member or attendee in the pew, they will have little incentive to join in the singing. They are also unable to interact with the other congregants. Regrettably digital services reinforce the viewer’s perception of the congregation as an audience and not a participant. While digital services meet a need and therefore should not be discontinued, they do have serious drawbacks.

Church services do have an audience. The audience, however, is not the congregation in the pews in the sanctuary or on the sofa at home. The audience is God. The performers are not the worship leader and the praise team on the platform. Or the pastor or the guest preacher. The performers are the whole congregation.

God is not confined to a particular space. God is omni-present. God is with the congregant on the sofa as well as with the congregant in the pew. If congregant in the pew and the congregant on the sofa are believers, they are united to each other and to Christ by God’s indwelling Spirit, and form together the Body of Christ even though they are separated by space. The Body of Christ is more than the manifestation of that Body at a particular time and in a particular space.

What steps can we take to restore the practice of congregational singing in our churches?

We will first need the cooperation of the worship leader and the praise team and whoever else may be involved in planning the music for church services. Giving back the primary role of singing the hymns and worship songs of a church service to the congregation requires that the worship leader and the praise team properly understand what their role is—to lead and support the congregational singing, This may require the repeating of hymns and worship songs more frequently than to what they have become accustomed. Worship leaders and praise teams will quickly tire of a new hymn or worship song long before a congregation has mastered the hymn or worship song. They will be ready to move onto something new when the congregation is just beginning to become familiar with a hymn or worship song. This explains why many congregations are treated to one new song after another week after week and given little opportunity to learn them. Congregations, on the other hand, have a greater tolerance for repeating the same song week after week for several weeks in a row. They do not have an opportunity to rehearse a song outside the church service like the worship leader and the praise team do.

We will also need the cooperation of all who are involved in music planning for church services. 

A number of considerations are key in selecting hymns, worship songs, and service music for congregations. 

First the music of a piece must be within the vocal range of the average singer in the congregation. If music is outside that range, members of the congregation will not be able to sing the piece. 

Second, the lyrics and the melody should not be difficult for the congregation to learn over a reasonable period of time. 

Third, the piece should fit in the part of the service where it is to be used. Singing the piece at that juncture in the service should make sense. The congregation will not be invited to sing nonsense. 

Fourth, every piece does not need to be related to the theme of the sermon. This means that familiar hymns and worship songs which are unrelated to the theme of the sermon may be used where in the past new and unfamiliar ones were used because they were related to the sermon’s theme. The suitability of the hymn or worship song for a particular juncture in the service, the season of the church year, and the occasion will be the more important considerations in selecting the hymn or worship song. So will its accessibility.

Restoring the practice of congregational singing in a church also requires taking a more deliberate approach to introducing new hymns, worship songs, and service music. 

The first step is to identify a congregation’s repertoire—what hymns, worship songs, and service music that it knows, what it is learning, and the stage at which the congregation is learning it. This must be done for the congregation of each service that a church has on its Sunday and weekday schedule. Each service will have its own congregation of “regulars,” those who prefer a particular service for various reasons, and each such congregation will have its own unique repertoire. It is a mistake to assume that if one congregation knows a hymn, worship song, or piece of service music that other congregations know it too. We apt to think of the congregation in the terms of the combined congregations of these services but the congregation of each service will have its own unique characteristics and we need to be mindful of the differences between these congregations. 

The next step is to weed out the hymns, worship songs, and service music that has outlived its usefulness and may need to be retired from use. This must be done with sensitivity, retaining a number of hymns and worship songs that are old favorites for more than a few members of a particular congregation. Some hymns we may choose to keep but sing to an alternative or new tune.

A third step is to identify what hymns, worship songs, and service music we wish to add to a particular congregation’s repertoire. Before undertaking this step, we may want to sort the hymns, worship songs, and service music that forms this congregation’s existing repertoire by their suitability for the various junctures in the service, for the various seasons of the church, and for various special occasions, e.g., Mother’s Day. This will give us an idea what new hymns, worship songs, and service music are needed. We may discover that while we have plenty of hymns and worship songs for the opening of the service, we have few good sending forth hymns and worship songs for the service’s conclusion.

New hymns, worship songs, and service music can be introduced to a congregation in a number of different ways. The setting of the new hymn or worship song may be performed as an instrumental piece at the beginning of the service or at the ingathering and presentation of the people’s offerings or during the distribution of the communion elements, exposing the congregation to the new tune. A brief congregational rehearsal might be held before or after a service at which a new hymn, worship song, or piece of service music is taught to the congregation and the congregation is given an opportunity to practice it. Depending upon the lyrics of the piece a new hymn or worship song might be performed as special music by a soloist or ensemble before the service, as call to worship at the beginning of the service, or later in the service as a part of a worship set, at the gathering and presentation of the people’s offerings, or as a response to the sermon. Unless it has a refrain or repetition in which the congregation can join, new communion songs are best sung by several voices rather than a single voice. A solo at this juncture in the service can draw attention away from the liturgical action. A children’s ensemble or a youth ensemble may be used to introduce a new hymn, worship song, or piece of service music.

A number of the simpler hymns, worship songs, and service music can be introduced in a service without any kind of advanced preparation. They are the kind of song whose melody is so infectious; the song appears to sing itself. A good example is “Praise, Praise, Praise the Lord (African Processional) 2035 in The Faith We Sing.

An old-fashioned hymn sing on a Sunday or weekday evening, preceded by a meal, can be used to teach new hymns, worship songs, and service music to a congregation but also to stress the importance of congregational singing. Be sure to warm up with some old favorites first.

Modern-day digital technology can also be used to teach new hymns, worship songs, and service music to a congregation. A separate page can be created on the church’s website with the lyrics and videos of new hymns, worship songs, and services and links to downloadable mp3s that those visiting the page can listen to in their car or while jogging, walking, or working out.

In an upcoming article I plan to examine a number of things that we will want to consider in sizing up a congregation’s existing repertoire of hymns, worship songs, and service music and in making additions to that repertoire.