Some Thoughts about "Worship" Music
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I asked recently for suggestions about songs for Advent/Christmas. I got me thinking about song selection and I thought I would share some thoughts about philosophy of music and how I choose songs for congregational singing.
1. It must be theologically sound. Now I want to be clear...that doesn't mean that there is nothing that can be disputed. If you search the internet, you're going to find a host of articles criticizing songs. Often they are doing it from a particular theological perspective. Other times people are just nitpicking. For instance, there are multiple sites criticizing "Reckless Love" for the use of the word "reckless" describing God. The truth is that I can probably criticize almost every song written by a person unless it is just Scripture directly set to music. What I am looking for is to make sure that there is no major error. In the previous example, saying God's love is reckless is a perspective and won't lead someone to a false faith.
2. It must be singable. Church singing is meant to be done corporately. It isn't a concert. A lot of music is done in keys that are difficult for the average voice to sing. This includes old hymns. Many hymns were written for a time when everyone in the church could sing in parts, so the melody line is meant to be sung by a soprano. A lot of modern music is sung by people with a much higher vocal range than most people can sing. Chris Tomlin is a good example. None of his music is singable by the average person in the original key. In addition, the melody line needs to be simple enough that it is singable by the average person.
3. It must be written with coporate singing in mind. There is a lot of music out there that I love, but it is not meant to be sung by a group. It is too complicated and the lyrics are not suited for it. A good example is "Speak Life" by Toby Mac. I pastored a church and the choir director kept using this song for Sunday morning singing. I don't hate the song, but it's just not written for Sunday morning church singing.
4. It must clearly be about worship. There is a genre of music that is often called "Jesus is my boyfriend" music. It is very popular with female musicians. A good example is "Your Love Is Extravagant." The imagery is clearly from the Song of Solomon, which I know because I've been a follower of Jesus for a long time. I love the song, but I know what I'm singing about, and I understand the imagery. For corporate worship, I have to consider the person who has been a Christian most of their life, the new follower, AND the person who does not know the Lord. I have to consider women (who typically relate to these types of songs) AND men (who usually struggle with the imagery). Frankly, if I can take the song and place it in the mouth of Taylor Swift without changing any or just a few of the words, it's not appropriate for church.
Now I am not saying that any of these songs are wrong (unless their theology is impossible broken). There are songs that might minister to you personally. I still sing "Your Love is Extravagant" to myself at times. There is a version of "Break Every Chain" that I love, love, love. I will never do it in church because it is 17 minutes long and very repetitive. It ministers to me, but is just too much for Sunday morning. So, let the songs you love minister to you. Just know that if I don't pick your suggestion, it's not because your song is bad. It just doesn't fit what we're trying to do on Sunday.
SONGS FOR SUNDAY
Great Things
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4CY3nf1Mvw
Yes and Amen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuZ7PeN1TQ0
Great Are You Lord
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpb02shcAis
I Exalt Thee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFRt6apaGuQ
...and we are learning:
Names