More Than Praise

Perspectives & Encouragement on the Role of Congregational Singing

“Through Congregational song the Church not only proclaims the Kingdom of God but participates in its reality,” writes Christopher Ellis.¹ For the modern Christian trained to see singing in church as merely praising God, this statement must seem odd, even if the reader finds it interesting or encouraging. Ellis is right to frame congregational song as weightier than just so-called “praise and worship” between individual believers and their Creator. Therefore, Ellis casts singing as a much larger corporate activity. Similarly, Steven Guthrie argues that singing is “both an enactment and an exposition of the church’s unity—Singing, we might say, is a sounding image of the unified church.”² When we sing, we are doing several things at once, and most people rarely if ever consider what happens when the church sings. That is why it is good to occasionally remind ourselves of some of these things so that we might not grow weary in our singing practice as Christians. For that reason, here are several points that I hope will encourage more enthusiastic and participatory singing.

To and With One Another

The modern church does not need more emphasis on the personal relationship aspects of singing in worship. Instead, we need the corrective focus to see that singing the Psalms and hymns together is also an act of singing to and with one another. To put it another way, our worship is horizontal and vertical. When we sing, we publicly proclaim the greatness of our God and His work. We call on the name of our Father and ask Him to act. But we also exhort one another in the process. This is helpful because it is easy to write off trying hard to grow in your singing ability if you think only you are being affected. But if, as Ellis suggests, we are participating in the Kingdom, then that’s a different level of motivation. After all, the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:21 eliminates the possibility of saying to one another in the body of Christ, “I have no need of you.” As such, we find another exhortation of why we should see our participation in congregational song as vital. With agreement here, the next question can be addressed—who can sing?

Everyone Can Sing

It is a bold claim to say, “Everyone can sing,” but only if you do not define what you mean. If you have working ears, voice box, brain, and cooperation of all three, then “yes, you can sing” in the most basic sense. Now, don’t think that is your automatic justification for sending your audition piece to The Voice or American Idol. Instead, be encouraged that you can indeed learn to sing, barring some physical malady or trial. It may not be easy, but the best things in life rarely are. Many people I interact with who want to sing have often bought into the idea that singing might as well be some mystical activity that “some people are born with, and some are not.” While I do think that the Lord gives different people different gifts and circumstances to develop those gifts, that’s not the same thing as assuming you’ve not been “gifted” with the ability to sing and, therefore, you are exempted from the responsibility. If you have not seen John Wesley’s singing exhortation from his 1761 Select Hymns collection, I encourage you to check it out, especially his exhortation to “Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it (singing) is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find a blessing.” Below is the link to a previous Musically Speaking Substack post with Wesley’s complete exhortation.

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Maybe singing will be a burden or trial for you for a time because you are just now coming around to the idea that it is necessary and vital for the Christian. If it is burdensome, then we know what to do—count it all joy. That’s very easy for me to type and harder to do. But that is the faithful attitude we should have. The Christian church must not give ourselves any more excuses for why we cannot sing. Instead, we should cheerfully and faithfully pursue singing with the “good courage” Wesley rightly prescribes. While on that path, we can also grow in our understanding of what we should sing.

You Are What You Sing

You’ve undoubtedly heard the expression, “You are what you eat.” I suggest the same is true in music. You are what you sing. In my job directing choirs, you are considered a masterwork chorus if you regularly sing classic repertoire standards from Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Mozart, and others. Similarly, you’re a jazz or show choir if you primarily sing jazz standards or jazz arrangements of well-known music. What are we going to be as Christians? Well, what we sing. Do we sing a limited repertoire of music style and substance where we can be easily pegged as this or that type of church? Or are we careful, thankful, and considerate of the idea that what we sing matters?

Some may be reading and assume the point of my discussion is primarily concerned with the words or lyrics we sing. Yes, indeed, that is important. However, keeping with the masterwork or jazz ensemble example, I suggest giving as much attention to the music as the words. So, as Christians, we are given God’s word to sing back to Him and one another. But we must not be complacent. We must grow in maturity in the forms and styles of that singing. If, as Ellis and Guthrie seemingly suggest, our participatory singing enacts a kingdom reality, then the forms and styles of music are not insignificant. Form and content must Amen one another. This means that we must grow in wisdom and thankfulness in what we sing and how we sing it.

Conclusion

This is why I’m thankful to be in a church that seeks to incorporate psalms and hymns into worship, which requires participation from the pews. Not all types of music are built with the same level of participation, enactment, and embodiment that Ellis and Guthrie describe. Wisdom is needed when considering the forms and the types of instruments to best undergird congregational singing. More could be said on those specifics at another time. But for now, we must continue to grow in our resolve to not only “sing lustily with a good courage” but also in a greater understanding of what we are doing when we sing together as God’s people.

1. Ellis, Christopher J.. Gathering: A Theology and Spirituality of Worship in Free Church Tradition. United Kingdom: SCM Press, 2004, 167.

2. Steven R. Guthrie, “The Wisdom of Song,” in Resonant Witness: Conversations Between Music and Theology, ed. Jeremy S. Begbie and Steven R. Guthrie, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies Series (Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011), 385.