What Makes a Song “Congregational?”

Practical Helps for Worship Leaders

    In any given worship service, some songs “sing” for lack of a better term, while others never seem to get off the ground. Why? There are a host of answers, but one many times overlooked is analyzing the song to see if it is congregational. What makes a song “congregational?”  I’m sure there are more factors than these, but here are some considerations that might help answer the question:

     1. Is the text biblical? The text must be consistent with biblical truth. Today there has been a re-awakening of paraphrased biblical texts and older traditional texts to fresh melodies and “troped”songs like “O the Wonderful Cross”, which adds amplifies Mason’s “When I Survey” and “My Chains Are Gone” which modifies “Amazing Grace.” [Tropes were melodic and textual additions to well-know chant melodies that took on a life of their own during the Middle Ages.] The word of caution here is the need of a “theological filter.” Denominational hymnals are required to go through a committee well prepared to filter theological weaknesses and errors. Some of the songs in the CCM {Contemporary Christian Music} are based on biblical themes, but have not been analyzed for theological content. 
    The music industry itself is partly to blame for this. Record companies contract album deadlines, push tours, and sometimes songs are hastily put together to comply, so if it “sounds ok,” then they go with it. In addition, many albums are designed with a few lead songs that are pushed for air play and the rest are filler. The radio stations depend on market share of listeners, that is, maintaining their nich market of listeners and feeding their wants through the airwaves. Most of the time their emphasis is the “latest and greatest,” not being a theological filter; since that’s how they stay in business.
    With the advancement in home recording systems and the internet, the need for theological filters is even more necessary, since virtually anyone with access to the equipment can put a song on YouTube without any doctrinal accountability. Many of the artists are sincere believers, but have no formal theological training. There are some contemporary artists that are more careful than others. The emphasis here is that before a song in used in a congregational setting, it needs to be checked to see if the theology expressed is consistent with what Scripture teaches. [Another thing to remember is the simple fact that the Bible mentions something, doesn't necessarily mean that it teaches it. The Bible says that Judas hung himself, but that doesn't mean we need to go out an follow his example.]                                                       
    2. Does the text speak to experiences common to believers? The joy of conversion, the greatness and majesty of God are common experiences to those who name Christ as Lord and Savior because they are ones in which the congregation may identify. Songs that tell of a personal experience that are unique to a particular person, or just a small group may serve well as songs of testimony, but may not be the most appropriate for the congregation. We must remember that worship is not entertainment, but the response we give to the greatness of God as He reveals Himself. Congregational song, regardless of style, is that opportunity of the people of God to respond to God in worship and adoration, surrender and praise. It is that expression that reflects the unity of the Body of Christ and is best done through the identity of common experience.
        3. Is the melody of the tune really singable? At first, this may sound somewhat elementary, but in a day when a large portion of worship songs are taken from group or solo recordings, it is a great question to ask. Just because a group records a particular song, does not automatically make it a viable option for the congregation. Some songs were designed to be “listened to,” more than “sung with.” As long as they do not fall into the trap of becoming entertainment rather than worship, they definitely have a place as a testimony of those believers. In evaluating whether the melody of a song is really singable, consider the following:
        A.  Many artists are tenors, and the recordings are done in a range that is comfortable for them, not for the average vocally untrained person in the pew. A quick check is to see how many people are really singing. If a song is too high or too low the majority of the congregation will just not participate.  When in doubt, the leader can make arrangements ahead of time to lower or adjust the key to make it more accessible for the congregation. It may be harder for the leader, but it’s not about the leader, it’s about the majority of the body of Christ being able to express itself corporately.
        B. Sometimes the rhythm and melodic line of the song is so much like recitative, or like spoken text and almost defies everyone singing together.  There again, soloists, or small groups pull it off, but only after hours of practice. In a large group, the textual intelligibility vaporizes as far as understanding the text, and frustration can set in trying to stay together. This type of song is difficult for the congregation, and may not be the best choice if the focus is facilitating congregational participation.
        C. Good melodies are memorable; they have “hooks” that keep pulling the singers back into the song and have some sense of internal repetition that helps the ear in learning the melody. They have a recognizable structure. They have melodies that are sung in the hearts of the congregation during the week when no one else is around. Songs that change structure with each verse or line and unpredictable melodic jumps are much more difficult to learn. [For further study in this area see John Wilson's Looking at Hymn Tunes: The Objective Factors]

        4.  Is the song of lasting character, or is it more of a temporal filler? Songs that are based on cultural fads or are “ear candy” are probably not the best choice as a vehicle for corporate worship. Many times our choices of worship music are driven more by personal taste than service design. Instead of asking, “What is the best and most appropriate song for this service and message from God’s Word?” --we just look for ways of including our favorites. A related point is song association. Some songs become associated with certain movements and take on a life of their own. Many times this has been a great help to congregational worship, but there does exist the danger of using melodies or styles that are so associated with some thing or someone that it is difficult to bypass the association. [For example, for those that remember the television show “Gilligan’s Island,” the melody fits great with the text for “Amazing Grace,” but to use it with those individuals, almost always causes a grin, because in the minds they are thinking about the program as they sing the text.]
  
        5. Can the congregation follow? When a song is new, the congregation must learn both new text and melody. Obviously the words may be on some screen or printed text, but rarely any more is there any written music. Even when hymnals were in use, the majority of the congregation really couldn’t read the notes. This means that the congregation is dependent on learning the melody from hearing it sung and played. In guitar-driven worship, the learning of the melody is limited to the ability of the singer to lead with the voice, since chordal accompaniments lack melodic support. A great aid in correcting this deficiency is to use the piano, keyboard, or organ, which can help carry the congregation’s melodic line. The less familiar the song, the more important melodic support for the congregation is necessary. Sure it can be done without it, but melodic support makes it more effective.

    Now What? Corporate worship is different than gathering a group of individuals together just to sing. Corporate worship is dependent on a group of believers focusing on the worship and adoration of Almighty God. Something very special happens when that group comes together to express praise as the Body of Christ. Effective corporate worship is not dependent of a set of steps that guarantee success. There are no magic buttons to press that results in the corporate focus on God and His nature and character. Corporate worship means that the Body of Christ is participating. It the congregation is not participating, it is not corporate worship.
    As far as the leader is concerned, personal preparation is indispensable; we cannot take people where we have not been. Corporate preparation is indispensable; congregations don’t just flip a switch and transform into a body of worshipers without conscious action. There are some things we can do to facilitate corporate worship, one thing is to make sure that what we use in worship is “congregational.”  A wise worship leader is aware and continually evaluates each song of each service with these things in mind.




                                           

Worship and Entertainment

"The church that can’t worship must be entertained. And men who can’t lead a church to worship must provide the entertainment." -A. W. Tozer

As a worship leader, Tozer’s words make me really stop and think. His quote could have been said this last week instead of 45 years ago, and made me want to explore what he said further. This exploration is done with fear and trembling, since Tozer was one of God’s giants and I don’t feel as if I could add anything to the power of his words. [I would encourage the reading of his What Ever Happened to Worship and Worship the Missing Jewel for some background.] Of the many discussions that could be made from Tozer’s comment, I just would like to briefly focus on the “entertainment” aspect and do it in a Q & A type format.

Q: What so wrong about entertainment, anyway? I listen to the radio all the time and when I go to church, I want to hear my favorite songs there too. Couldn’t it be both worship and entertainment?

A: The first thing we need to clarify is what is meant by the terms “worship” and “entertainment.” For simplicity, let’s define worship as that obedient response to the revealed nature and character of God. Remember in Isaiah’s experience [Chapter 6] God revealed Himself as Holy and the prophet saw himself as sinful, confessed and was forgiven. He was then able to hear God’s voice and responded in obedience, “Here am I, send me.” The focus of biblical worship is always God and God alone; Scripture calls anything less than that idolatry. Entertainment may be defined as “An activity designed to give pleasure or relaxation to an audience, no matter whether the audience participates passively as in watching opera or a movie, or actively as in games; a show put on for the enjoyment or amusement of others.” [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/entertainment] In both the intent of those performing and of those in the audience, the implied focus is, “How much does it please me?” Success in entertainment is measured in how well the audience found the performance personally pleasing. By nature it’s designed for that purpose. The central focus of worship is pleasing God. Personal likes and dislikes are laid aside as the worshiper seeks to focus on thanking God for what He has done and praising God for His nature and character. Entertainment and worship are polar opposites in relation to their focus and purpose.

In a consumer-driven culture, we are accustomed to having everything cater to our personal desires. However, rather than being salt and light and a reflection of biblical values in the culture around us, many Christians have allowed the attitude of “have it my way” infiltrate worship in the church. One might expect this from a believer new in the faith, much like a baby who is unaware of anything but his or her immediate needs. The tragedy occurs when the baby never moves beyond this point, – as a human being or as a worshiper– each day living as if the world revolves around “I want this,” and “I only like that.” Unfortunately, our culture certainly provides little encouragement toward more mature attitudes.

Confusion also exists between entertainment and inspiration. Look at this definition of “inspirational” and compare it to that of entertainment: “[a] a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation [b] the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions...” [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inspirational ] That which is inspirational can help move someone beyond selfish motives. It may or may not be spiritual in nature; as in the inspiration received watching the Olympics and the fruit of hard discipline and practice, and it may even motivate to be more diligent in exercise. Some music may inspire people toward a deeper relationship with God, but the focus remains on the receiver. A person being entertained with music might only want more entertainment for their own personal fulfillment. [Some may consider that inspiration is related to worship, since it might result in some kind of response, while others may debate it still would be too tied to personal feelings and not solely centered on God. That is a debate best saved for another time.] Suffice it to say that there is a confusion between entertainment and inspiration and it seems wiser to err on the side of caution, and maintain that worship finds its center in and on God, His nature and character and what He has done.

As we look at these considerations, we also need to reflect on why we approach God in worship in the first place. If we worship God so that our needs are met, we are focusing on ourselves. However, when we really focus on God in worship, somehow in God's grace, He meets our needs; the focus is on Him, not my needs or desires. We aren’t to pretend we haven’t needs when we come in worship. God invites us to bring our needs to Him; it is part of the model prayer that Jesus taught: “give us this day our daily bread..” At the same time we must remember that in that same prayer Jesus begins with a recognition of God’s nature [hallowed or Holy is Your name] and a complete submission to God’s will and purpose: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Even in the context of the Model prayer, it is a matter of priority. In worship, as in prayer, the priority of our focus must be on God.

Q: How do we measure what is entertainment or not? Is it dependent on style or tempo? Should we question motives of those leading? Can those that lead worship do it in such a way that it is worship for them, but received as entertainment, or led is such a way that it is entertainment, but received as worship?

A: Judging or trying to discern whether or not something is “entertainment” is problematic in at least two points: First, our responsibility in worship is to focus on God, not measure how pleasing it may or may not be to us personally. We are not to approach worship from the standpoint of entertainment in the first place. Secondly, if we are focusing on God’s nature and character, we are not trying to judge motivations of those participating.

Those leading worship who approach the service as “just another gig” are clueless as to their responsibility. While hypothetical situations are not always the best models to attempt explanation, I believe that there is less of a possibility of an entertainment-driven model producing worship, simply because the goal and the focus of the performers would not center themselves in God and would not be driven and controlled by the Spirit. I don’t doubt that such a situation might produce a myriad of emotions, but our measure of worship is adherence to biblical truth, not feelings, since the “heart is deceitful above all things.” [Jer. 17:9] As to whether a group that has lead worship in truly biblical manner might be perceived as entertainment, I believe that it is certainly possible if those on the receiving end are ignorant of what worship is and unprepared for it.  

Worship should not be defined in terms of emotional expression, though such expressions are sometimes a result. The danger arises when we begin to measure our worship experience in terms of an emotional response. Consider the following statement: “I don’t think I really worshiped today, I only got to like a ‘5,’ instead of the “10" I had last week.” Although few might say this out loud, the number of worshipers that “church hop” from church to church seem to express the intent. Let’s review again the definition of worship: that obedient response to the revealed nature and character of God, not some predetermined level of emotional response. However, worship is not the annihilation of our personalities; reading through the Psalms confirms the myriad of expressions David had in worship.

Q: How are we to deal with our emotions, then, in worship?

A: Consider this illustration: A father goes on several business trips a year and each time brings a gift for the children. After a while, the children would meet him at the door when he returned, but they really didn’t want to see him as much as to see what he might had brought them. Their focus has changed from their father to what might be given. If we are not careful, our worship can shift from waiting on “Daddy” to the “gift.” Whether or not there is a gift of emotion, that should not become the measure of our worship or the change of our focus.

The depth of our knowing Christ is related more to our experience with Him, than just our feelings of emotions. The broader and deeper our life experiences, the wider and more profound the depths that God can take us to show us more of Himself. I can only know Him as “Comforter,” when as I experience sorrow. I learn to know Him as my “Refuge” when in storm; as my “Healer” in sickness, etc. I may know mentally that He is my “Teacher and Guide,” but when I am faced with a difficult decision to make or direction to take, as I trust in Him, I learn from experience who He is those areas. True depth of our knowledge of Christ is much more profound than our feelings and help us learn the multitude of facets of His nature and character.

The role of the worship leader is not one of providing great entertainment. Churches that demand such only reveal how bankrupt they are in their understanding of biblical worship. Leaders that succumb to the temptations of entertainment miss the joy of pleasing the One who really matters. May God keep us focused on His priorities and grant us the desire to remain grounded in a biblical understanding of worship.
  

Ed Steele