I hope these blog posts about church music have been encouraging and informative. We're moving into the second half of the list, and after today we'll look at three more questions. Today, we're going to focus on two separate questions.
6. Is your church music performed with excellence?
Last week the question focused more on excellent lyrics. This week we will talk about the other aspect of worship songs, the music; specifically, performing said music with excellence.
Last week the question focused more on excellent lyrics. This week we will talk about the other aspect of worship songs, the music; specifically, performing said music with excellence.
You can have the greatest lyrics in the world, and yet without a solid melody nobody will want to hear them. You could even have a great melody, but its power can be lost if not performed well. Just this morning I was leading at my home church and forgot the lyrics to our very first song in the very first service. We kept going and things ran smoothly after that, but I felt that I had done a disservice to the song and, more importantly, to the congregation.
In this instance, preparation is key for the worship team. If you don't put enough time in to practice your part, it can hinder the effectiveness of the song. I obviously had not prepared enough to sing that first song (which has a lot of words that can easily be mixed up), and it showed. The worship team can function as a microcosm of the Body of Christ: if one part suffers, then the rest of the body will suffer. When the whole body is functioning as it should, it really shows.
Also, the church's music should not seek to stay exactly the same from week to week. You shouldn't pick the same tired songs all the time. I am constantly listening to new congregation-oriented worship music, looking for new ways to repeat the themes we proclaim each Sunday. The Psalmists tell us persistently to "sing to the Lord a new song," not because the old ones are bad, but because we have a tendency to hear the same song over and over and forget its true meaning. New songs about old themes remind us of the great heritage of the Christian faith.
Also, the worship team (more specifically, the worship leader/pastor) should be seeking to grow in their musical excellence and encouraging the congregation to do the same. If you sing from any hymnal, you'll probably notice that the key for each song is much higher than what might be comfortable. This is because the hymn writers (and the editors of the hymnal) want the church to be excellent in the way they sing praises to God. As I was taking voice lessons at The Master's College (a fine institution), I saw that my vocal range was growing as I kept singing. My teacher kept giving me harder, higher music so that my range would continue to grow. If we want to make a joyful, beautiful noise to our God, we need to put in time to grow in our music.
7. Does your church music prepare your people for the preaching of God's Word?
Let's go back to the lyrics really quick. I touched on this kind of subject last week but want to develop the topic more. Most churches today, whether they mean to or not, divide the church service into two distinct sections: the music and the sermon. There are many times, unfortunately, where there is a total disconnect between these two. In reality, the music and the sermon ought to join together in mutual encouragement of the Body. The music prepares our hearts for the teaching of Scripture, and then gives us an opportunity to respond to the sermon we just heard. (This may vary depending on what church you attend -- some have music after the sermon and some don't.) For the worship leader, it is important to know where the sermon will head so that they can plan the set accordingly. For the congregation, it is important to understand how the songs connect with the sermon being preached.
Let's go back to the lyrics really quick. I touched on this kind of subject last week but want to develop the topic more. Most churches today, whether they mean to or not, divide the church service into two distinct sections: the music and the sermon. There are many times, unfortunately, where there is a total disconnect between these two. In reality, the music and the sermon ought to join together in mutual encouragement of the Body. The music prepares our hearts for the teaching of Scripture, and then gives us an opportunity to respond to the sermon we just heard. (This may vary depending on what church you attend -- some have music after the sermon and some don't.) For the worship leader, it is important to know where the sermon will head so that they can plan the set accordingly. For the congregation, it is important to understand how the songs connect with the sermon being preached.
One thing that helps bridge this gap is spoken transitions between the songs. Leaders, speak to your congregation about how you chose the songs you did, how they connect to each other, and how they connect with the theme of the service. If we want to make the service a complete whole, we must take this step to bridge the divide that we have created.