Music for Congregational Singing

Here is an outline of what music, particularly congregational music, should be:

A. Music should be easy for the congregation to sing.
     1.  A “new” song might not be a good song if it cannot be sung by the participants.

     2.  Most hymns and many choruses fit the bill.
     3.  If you want the congregation to engage in worship and praise,           make it possible for them.

B. Music should invoke a range of emotions, including:
     1. Joy
     2. Confidence
     3. Certainty
     4. Life’s difficulties and Christ’s solution

C. Music must center on God through Christ, not on ourselves.
     1. He must always be the point of our singing.
     2. He must always be exalted in our singing.
     3. He must always be revered, honored and glorified in our singing.

D. Music must not feel like a performance
     1. Performance puts the focus on us instead of Him.
     2. Performance emphasizes the wrong values.
     3. Performance ignores our unworthiness outside of Christ.

E. Music must be well done.
     1. Excellence as an offering to God should be the goal of our music
     2. Perfection will never be reached but must be sought.
     3. Well done music requires practice and repetition

F. Music must not have an overpowering accompaniment.
     1. Accompaniment must not hinder worship and praise.
     2. Accompaniment must fit the lyrics
          a) One would never accompany “Be Still and Know that I Am God” with loud brass and cymbals.
     3. A cappella music should be tried occasionally.  

G. Music’s lyrics must be doctrinally sound.

     1. Many hymns are doctrinally sound, but some are not. Know the difference.
          a) Are we to cherish the cross or the one on the cross?
          b) Do we have to invite the Holy Spirit to be present? Isn’t He already here?

          c) Should “I” be the focus of the song?