Comments on: The Evangelical Liturgy 9: Singing.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:40:54 +0000

And by the way, since Michael encouraged the support and endorsement of good modern hymn-writers, I thought I’d point you to:

Keith & Kristyn Getty http://www.gettymusic.com
Stuart Townend http://www.stuarttownend.co.uk

Townend and Getty co-write much of their music, and they’re creating modern hymns rich in theological and devotional content, and with compelling and singable melodies.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:38:13 +0000

That’s the difference between “sung poetry” and “pop music.” I agree that hymns, or modern hymn-like songs, work best for unaccompanied singing. But with pop music, even if one person plays an acoustic guitar along with the singing, the awkwardness you’re describing is basically solved. You just have to be able to choose and employ songs and styles which are appropriate to the situation and resources at your disposal. If I were planning songs to be sung by a group in a situation where I knew there would be no instrumental accompaniment, I would lean heavily toward hymns, old or new. Good thoughts.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:33:55 +0000

The problem for our congregation is that the room in which we worship doubles as a gymnasium, and thus has very high ceilings and mediocre acoustics. It’s pretty difficult for a group of people singing to even hear one another. Thus having a team of instrumentalists accompanying the singing seems to infuse people with enough confidence and support to sing out boldly. The times that the instruments are not present, or play less, the congregation becomes noticeably timid.

I value congregational singing over instrumental music/accompaniment – but sometimes it’s hard to encourage people to sing confidently without strong accompaniment.

By: Steve Scott

Steve Scott — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:21:52 +0000

I’m somewhat angry about having this avalanche of industrially produced music forced on me for a dozen insufficient reasons

Hymns were written to be sung by congregations in churches. That’s why they work. Melody and harmony. CCM is written to be produced in a studio for an album by an artist, where freedom of personal emphasis in riding the cutting edge is fine. Vibrato, special effects, electronic enhancement, raw emotion. Adapting it to congregations is difficult. There’s nothing worse than trying to sing a contemporary chorus a capella by eight people in a bible study in somebody’s living room. Just plain awkward. I’m not dissing contemporary music at all, just pointing out why it doesn’t lend itself well to congregational worship.

By: Jeri Tanner

Jeri Tanner — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:05:26 +0000

Excellent advice, Ethan, and very timely for me. I have been thinking on and working out this category as well as a way to help with the singing in our church.

By: Randy

Randy — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:33:24 +0000

If King David had had a Fender Telecaster… Sorry.

By: Randy

Randy — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:30:14 +0000

Paul was tentmaker but we pay pastors and for good reason (mostly). I admire pastors that are bivocational but appreciate having full time staff. Why not pay musicians? They often minister to many of the congregation as much as a pastor does in the time they are utilizing their giftedness and talent. Why would we want to muzzle the ox while he is threshing the grain?
Now, why must the volume of the amplified music be so loud that OSHA would require earplugs for any employee of the church? Is this any way to treat the temple that is our body? I first found myself appalled by ear splitting loudness while a “normally aspirated” pipe organ was bleeding my ears.
Finally, I recall my mother asking (fussin’) the question, “Why do we spend so much time singing these little praise songs?” Three choruses sung straight through one time each with barely a pause between each was too much time. Each was pulled from Psalms, these “little songs”. Hard to improve on the work of the Psalmist, Handel’s great work notwithstanding.

By: Bob Brague

Bob Brague — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:45:03 +0000

I checked out the [CCLI] list…it looks like it hasn’t changed in five years.

So then are you saying your beef with CCM music is not that it’s not Christian enough, but that it’s not Contemporary enough?

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:54:18 +0000

I was refering to the comment imonk made that “a singing congregation is a greater witness than a kicking band.” There are alot of comments and I can see where someone might lose my point. That being said I remember reading several posts were people would say that the volume might be too loud or the placement of the band might be distracting. I was just making a general comment that people let outside appearances and sound distract them too much. Since singing is part of worship we should try to concentrate on worshiping in spirit and truth and not whether we are using a hymnal or a power point.
One issue I do have is that you say that I am in a very small class of people. How do you know? I do not think it would be wise to guess at the condition of peoples hearts. I try and do it all the time and most of the time, if not always, I am wrong. I am sure that there are contempary worship bands that have wrong motives, we are sinful humans after all. But the same could be said of anyone not just band members and worship leaders.

By: Dan Smith

Dan Smith — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:32:31 +0000

The problem is that CCLI allows projection.

We have congregations that make their own books. A few even have small folders of just the songs to be sung during that assembly — these have no published hymnals. I have no problem with this, except some (many?/most?) are 7/11 types.