WWRN
Finding Our Voice: Why the Decline of Congregational Singing Matters–and
How to Fix It
Bob Smietana ("Facts & Trends," December 30, 2016)
Too many songs. Not enough singers. That’s the problem facing many
congregations these days, says Tony Payne, veteran worship leader and
associate
professor of music at Wheaton College.
Whether a church plays hymns or the latest worship songs, fewer people
want to sing along, he says. “There are a lot of people standing there mute
during worship.”
Congregational singing has long been a staple of Protestant churches, ever
since the Reformation, when “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” was the latest
hit worship song. And today churches have more songs to choose from than
ever before.
LifeWay Worship, for example, has a catalog of 4,000 worship songs, while
Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) has 300,000—all
available at the click of a button.
Yet Payne and other veteran worship leaders worry congregational singing
is on the decline.
That’s bad news, says Rick Eubanks, pastor of worship and students at Oak
Grove Baptist Church in Burleson, Texas. Congregational singing is an
essential part of Christian worship, he says. When churches don’t sing
together,
something vital is missing.
“Gathering for worship is not about watching other people perform,” he
says. “And it’s not about the music; it’s about allowing people to connect
with God.”
How did we get here?
Mike Harland, director of LifeWay Worship, says a number of factors have
contributed to the decline in congregational singing. Among them: the fact
that there are fewer places for congregation members to sing in church, in
large part due to the decline of choirs.
In 1998, 54 percent of American churches had a choir, according to the
National Congregations Study. By 2012, fewer than half had a choir (45
percent).
Larger evangelical churches, in particular, have steered away from choirs—
in part due to finances and in part because they’ve embraced contemporary
styles of music. More than two-thirds (69 percent) had choirs in 1998. By
2012, just over a third (36 percent) had choirs.
That’s troubling, say the authors of the National Congregations Study, as
it means fewer lay people have a role to play in worship.
“The decline of choirs is worth examining in its own right because singing
in the choir is one of the most common ways, along with Bible studies, for
people to become more deeply involved in a congregation, and it is the
single most common way for lay people to participate actively in gathered
worship,” according to the study’s author.
Losing a choir can hurt congregational singing, says Eubanks.
“A choir can be a permission-giving organization,” he says. “They give
people permission to sing along.”
Another factor could be the consumerist mindset prevalent in many churches
today.
“We’ve been taught in our churches and in the Christian marketing
subculture around us to treat music as another product to consume—just as we
have
the rest of our faith,” writes worship pastor Mike Cosper in his book
Rhythms of Grace.
“If something doesn’t meet our preferences, we’ve learned to discard it,
join another church, and buy a different CD. We’ve learned to be spectators
on Sundays—listening, enjoying, and critiquing—but the Bible
unapologetically calls us to be participants.”
If church members don’t come to church with an attitude of worship, they
aren’t likely to engage.
A 2008 LifeWay Research study found many churchgoers feel disconnected
during worship. Almost half (47 percent) of the 2,5000 Protestant churchgoers
in the survey said they were often “going through the motions” during the
singing and prayer portions of worship services.
Harland wonders whether churches unintentionally discourage singing during
services.
About half of white evangelicals attend a church that uses multimedia
screens during services, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.
Turning down the lights makes the screens easier to read. But Harland says
it can send an unintended message.
“When you turn the lights off and you have theatrical lighting on stage,
you’re suggesting to the congregation they are here to watch something
rather than participate,” he says.
Another factor: singing isn’t always seen as a discipleship strategy.
Harland says pastors and music ministers aren’t always on the same page.
The music ministry does its own thing at times, rather than being integrated
into the mission of the church. And pastors in turn don’t always value the
contributions of music ministries. Instead, music is sometimes seen as a
warm-up to the sermon.
“I think some pastors stopped seeing music ministry as a disciple-making
enterprise,” Harland says.
Too many songs, too fast
Then there’s the overwhelming number of worship songs available to
churches.
In the past, churches had a limited number of songs they could sing. A
hymnal might have about 700 songs, and maybe half of those would be used on a
regular basis, says Harland. Now worship leaders can choose from an almost
unlimited number of songs, and the most popular worship songs don’t last
long.
“Musicians like that because they tend to get bored playing the same songs,
” says Harland. “They like to play new music, and congregations get lost
in the wake of a constant song shuffle.”
>From 1995-1999, the most popular CCLI songs remained fairly stable. In
that period, three of the top five songs stayed in the top five, as did seven
of the top 10, and 20 of the top 25.
By contrast, from 2011 to 2014 (the last year data is available), none of
the top five songs remained the same, and only three of the top 10 songs
and 13 of the top 25 remained.
Payne worries about the pace of modern worship music. Learning new songs
takes time and repetition, he says. He wonders if worship leaders try to
rush the process and end up giving up too soon.
“We’re constantly learning songs that have a limited shelf life,” says
Payne. “In a few months they’ll be gone forever and we’re on to something
else.”
No one wants to sound bad
There’s also the reality that most people don’t often sing in public.
Church attendance has become less frequent, so people have fewer chances to
sing in a group during a month. And corporate singing of any kind has
steadily declined in American culture the last half century.
It’s not surprising people don’t sing when they’re in church, says Keith
Pipes, a veteran worship pastor in Nashville. Singing in a group can feel
awkward these days, he says.
“There are people who have never sung in an organized group before,” he
says. “Then they show up to church and they are asked to sing with a couple
hundred people. They may feel that is really odd.”
If people don’t feel comfortable with a hymn or worship song, they’re
unlikely to sing, says Rita Ruby, a voice teacher and worship leader from
Chicago.
Singing in public is hard enough, she says. Singing a song you don’t know
well in public is worse.
“No one wants to sound horrible—especially with someone sitting right in
front of you,” she says.
Moving an unengaged audience to full engagement is not an easy task. It
may take some time, patience, and intentional training. There’s no magic
formula or even one style of worship that will convince people to sing.
Fortunately, say Harland and other worship pastors, there are some steps
church leaders can take to help congregations enjoy singing and participate.
Don’t sing a worship song like it’s on the CD
Finding the right key is essential, says Eubanks. Most worship leaders, he
says, sing in a key that fits them, so they can lead out as strongly as
possible. Unfortunately, people can’t always follow them in that key.
Instead, he says, pick a key that has the widest appeal.
“A song will be in the key of B flat on the CD, but most people can’t
sing that high,” he says. “If we can bring it down to the key of G, that will
be OK for most vocal ranges.”
Take more time to teach a new song
Few people can hear a song or hymn once and be ready to sing along. So
break down a song into smaller pieces, says Pipes. Take a few minutes to sing
the chorus a couple of times until people become familiar with it. Then add
the verses.
Repetition is also crucial. Don’t be afraid to sing a new song two or
three weeks in a row until people learn it, Pipes says.
Tell church members what they will be singing ahead of time
Let church members know in advance what songs will be sung on Sunday and
provide links to the music in a church newsletter, email, or post on the
church’s website. Churchgoers can listen ahead of time and be ready to sing.
Let the congregation win
Harland tries to include a favorite hymn or worship song in every service.
It’s usually a song the congregation knows well, one that is set in a
comfortable key, and one the congregation loves to sing.
With enough wins, the congregation’s confidence will grow. Plus, people
will learn to trust the worship leaders—and will be willing to follow them.
And don’t forget the power of a familiar hymn—one that’s lodged in the
collective memory of a church. Those songs can help a congregation sing
without having to worry about remembering the words or how the tune goes.
Engage the congregation
Want people to sing? Turn on the lights. Having the room even somewhat
illuminated can help the congregation engage in worship.
Frank Byers, media director at the Bridge Church in Spring Hill,
Tennessee, says church leaders can learn from secular musicians who
intentionally
take steps to connect with their audience.
One of those ways is to make eye contact with audience members. By
contrast, he says, many worship leaders close their eyes during the service.
That
can shut them off from the congregation.
“If I don’t look at them, how can I welcome the congregation into worship?
” he says.
He sees the role of worship leader as a facilitator—helping the
congregation as a whole connect with God through singing and worship.
“As facilitator, my job is to keep the conversation going,” he says. “My
job is to facilitate this conversation between God and His people.”
Body language also matters when leading music, says Payne. Worship leaders
should guide the congregation through a song—giving them cues and
encouraging them to sing.
“Something as simple as a smile on your face can give the congregation
permission to sing,” he says.
“Good pastoral leadership will include wise decisions about songs and
dynamics, ensuring that services create space for the congregation to hear
themselves, to hear one another, and to join their voices in song,” writes
Cosper.
Remember why you sing in the first place
Pastors, worship leaders, and congregations have to believe singing
matters, or they won’t ever want to sing, says Harland. Churches sing, he
says,
because Scripture expects them to.
They also sing because it’s a powerful form of discipleship that marries
truth and melody and imbeds that truth in people’s souls.
“Melody helps people to remember,” Harland says. “Singing is a powerful
tool for developing followers of Christ.”
Pipes says singing also strengthens the community of believers.
“In Ephesians 5, Paul writes that we should speak to one another with
psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,” says Pipes.
“When we gather in corporate worship, we’re not only singing to God—we’
re singing about God to one another. Through song, we can encourage and
instruct our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Our worship through song
also serves as a witness to non-Christians sitting in our pews.”
There’s a joy that comes from singing in church, says Payne. “It builds
community and helps churches learn spiritual truths and live them out.”
Harland agrees: “The gathering of the body of Christ is a body that ought
to be singing.”
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