A Language Corner - A Congregation Or A Choir?
Let me begin this presentation by relating to you a story from around the time of my conversion. It seems to foreshadow my warm attitude to church music that I later developed.
It was back in 2000. I was 27 and knew next to nothing about Jesus, the Bible and Christianity. I started dating a woman who was already a believer and a member of a local Christian church. Of course, she witnessed to me about Jesus and invited me to go with her to her church on Sunday.
In Czech, however, the word for church, 'církev', has a very negative connotation in our atheistic society. The reasons are hard to define and probably go back to the tragic medieval events like the crusades or the witch trials. That is why many Christians here today choose to speak about their congregation ('sbor' in Czech) rather than their church.
So I was invited to a congregation, to a 'sbor'. The Czech word 'sbor', however, has also the more usual meaning of choir, an ensemble of singers. So, the first thing that came across my mind when I heard the invitation was, "A choir? Me? You mean singing?" No, I wasn't interested. The confusion was later resolved and the woman I dated succeeded in dragging me into her congregation. There I came to believe in Jesus and, in December that year, I was baptized and became a member of that church. The woman later became my wife. I started out as a "shy singer" in the congregation.
We Are All Given A Voice!
As time went on and I learned how to read notes, I grew to be more confident in singing the new melodies and words of hymns. And I made two discoveries: that I actually had a voice to sing, and that I loved singing! I started singing at home, in the car, on the way to work, in the garden, everywhere. I also listened to recorded hymns and popular worship songs and slowly learned their melodies and words and was able to sing along. I was less and less ashamed to sing out loud in church.
Grown-up men in our culture are not accustomed to sing in public. They would feel embarrassed if asked to sing aloud or before an audience. That explains my initial hesitation and shyness. How many singers are there among us, adult men, who will never discover they were given a voice to sing?
I am convinced it needs to be instilled in children and encouraged in young adults that the voice they have can really be used and trained to sing songs! Not only when they are alone in the shower but also when surrounded by others. Band and choir singing is for the talented, but congregational singing is for everyone.
Professional And/Or Authentic Singing
When our Christian day school children perform their songs in church on Sunday, in front of their parents, grandparents and other people, they always see smiles on their family members' faces and get a big applause. Even when their singing isn't perfect, some of the children are off-key, and a few kids mess up the words while singing, they are all received by their parents with hugs and commendation.
I believe this is how our church singing is received by our Father and our Lord Jesus. I have heard people in church telling me, "I can't sing well enough so I will keep quiet". My typical response in such cases is, "Well, when God wants perfect quality, He tunes in to listen to angelic hosts. We all fail in comparison to their Glorias. But when our Father wants to hear his beloved children singing, He wants to hear you and me, and He rejoices even over our inferior performance. Just sing as best as you can and you will get better with practice."
So don't get discouraged when you hear someone in church, usually a visitor or a "Christmas-and-Easter church-comer", arrogantly making critical comments about your congregational singing. Never forget it is primarily directed to the Lord who looks at the heart, from which all praises come. If people seek to hear professional singing they can attend music halls and concert stages. Church is for the genuine.
Modern and/or Time-tested Music
In their video comedians John Crist and Aaron Chevning make a funny sketch about how modern Christian music is done these days, or is to be done, in order to hit the top of popularity charts. You can hear for yourself what they are saying but, in short, their point is that modern Christian music, which is commonly aired on Christian radios, seems to follow a simple formula, consisting in "three cords (e.g. A-D-G), simple rhymes, and vague struggles (e.g. a storm in life)."
For most young people, there must be something enchanting about the beat and rhythm of music. I never was, even in my youth, a particularly "disco person". And yet, in spite of that, I felt somehow drawn to songs which seemed to resonate with my heart beat. Later, as a new convert, I enjoyed hymns with elementary melodies flowing easily on a few repeated chords. It took me a while before I started to appreciate and even admire sophisticated music of the past centuries.
What I want to say is that diversity in the kingdom reflects itself in and even requires diversity in the church music. For me, there is nothing wrong with any music style or level of complexity, because I am convinced there are children of God who, at the stage in which they find themselves, will be especially delighted and uplifted by such music, and drawn to live each day with the Lord, who is the Inventor of music and of the principles behind all musical instruments. I even recall a period in my life when a Czech Christian rock band's song was one of my favorites, with drums and electric guitars neatly accompanying the frontman's singing about his mom, who had recently passed away and only now her son admired her for raising him in faith and hope in Jesus.
For that reason I believe we should introduce various styles of worship music in church and school. I have heard both complaints about the old songs being "unsingable" and complaints about the modern songs being "one-dimensional". Sometimes a simple change in instruments playing the music (e.g. organ to piano) brings about a renewed or increased interest and liking of a well-known, "chest-nutty" hymn. A modern take on old-time hymns, such as those performed by the band Koiné, is another way of "reconciling" contemporary and traditional music.
Tune in to listen to a unique take on "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" by the band Promise Keepers.
Catchy Melodies And/Or Profound Lyrics
Now, what about the lyrics? Are songs which speak about "vague struggles" using general, abstract, descriptive words – like storms or floods, light and darkness, etc. – necessarily of lower value? Even if they were there is, I believe, a place for them in the church.
After I became a Christian, I listened a lot to songs written by Mr. Zmozek, a great Czech pop-music composer who believed in Jesus. Many of his praise songs have wonderful melody and simple lyrics, often just two lines that are repeated a few times with the music picking up intensity and richness. Listen to an example of his production "Tebe, Pane můj, chválím a uctívám" ('You, my Lord, I praise and worship'). I was excited (and still am!) about Jesus loving me and dying for me and finding me. Those songs were perfect for me in those "initial years", when I had very limited knowledge of biblical teachings and didn't understand the specific vocabulary and concepts, like atonement, inspiration, or communion.
The problem with elementary lyric is that it has the tendency to wear out quickly. So it did with me. As I grew in knowing Jesus and the details of God's saving plan, I started to listen and sing along to more "textually rich" songs, both traditional and modern.
The authors of "In Christ Alone" make a remark in their interview "How Was 'In Christ Alone' Written?" saying that in modern Christian music we want to see more "hymns that actually help people understand the faith," that are "trying to put into words what it means for Christ to have gone through what he went through, what that means for me as a person and how that completely changes my life." Creedal songs, in which melody and lyrics are equally powerful, seem to be what most of us will find fulfilling and nurturing our soul and spirit in later stages of our Christian walk.
And yet, as if we all go a full circle in life and in the end we come back to our childhood, I have heard about old people wanting to listen to and sing "I am Jesus little lamb." It was all the creed they needed and all the music they craved for.
Two Final Ideas
You have probably discovered that Youtube is a rich source of church music, with instrumental versions of songs and added lyrics to learn to sing along. Two ideas come to my mind as I think about how to make Christian hymn-singing more popular. The first one has to do with learning — or teaching — to play a musical instrument using simple praises. For example, when my daughter was learning to play the piano, she was excited when I brought her some of the worship songs of Michael W. Smith in the easy piano version. Or children in our school who learn to play fipple flute, they enriched the Advent program in our church with some well-known Christmas hymns. You can even find instruction videos on how to learn to play worship songs within a few days. For instance, look at "Learn 10 worship songs with 4 easy guitar chords."
The second idea also deals with combining the hymn singing with another activity which provides extra motivation. Using Christian praises you can also learn/teach a foreign language! You can find English songs sung in another language — those may be easier to learn the words. Languages can also be mixed (e.g. one verse in English, one in German, one in Spanish) to make a multilanguage versions. And then there are, of course, hymns native of that particular language. Let me finish with a few examples:
French Songs of Praise
Dieu de lumiere ('Father of Lights')
A Jamais Dieu Est Fidele ('Forever God Is Faithful')
Spanish Songs of Praise
Cordero de Dios ('The Lamb of God')
A Well-known German Hymn
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott ('A Mighty Fortress is Our God')
A Slovak Song of Praise
Slava Bozich mien ('Glory Of God's Names'), with English subtitles
[Editors' note: This last song, Slava Bozich Mien, is one of our favorites. In the discussion, describe how Christian music, in and out of the church service, has affected your life journey so far.]
Return to original language with "show original" button at top left.
Discussion
Last Sunday I was sitting in the pew (my fellow-pator was leading the service) next to our school's music teacher, who is also an ex-opera-singer, and I knew while singing hymns that I can't compare to her singing abilities, of course. So I again reminded myself of the things that I mention in the essay - I am singing to You, Lord. And I know You know that.
And becoming bold and Christ-confident, rather than self-confident, is really a PROCESS; it doesn't happen overnight. So be patient with yourself, as God is with you. Plus I am not talking here as someone who has mastered it in every situation and respect either. Far from it! I am learning too... ;-)
I also want to correct one thing here - it's not true that I don't care what people think. Because I do. Just not in the way that their thinking would paralyse my praises, but rather I want my praises to relieve their fear. I want them to think it's a great thing to worship and sing to the Lord. I want to affect other people in a positive way, encouraging them and "infecting" them with the joy of the Lord.
I believe our praises to God are also a witness to the world around us.
The tip - We started introducing contemporary spiritual songs in our church as "solo projects" (in addition to our usually three congregational hymns). My wife sang one or two during the service and accompanied herself on the guitar. Two Sundays went like that and than we put the modern piece as a congregational song for everybody to sing. From the early stage on, we also projected the lyrics on the church screen so people could get familiar with the new words.
As for the distress, I believe there needs to be some teaching, coming from the pulpit, about "honoring one another above ourselves" (Rom 12:10), "in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself" (Phi 2:3). That's the unity of Spirit and bond of peace, that the older honor the younger by singing with them modern hymns, and the younger honor the older by singing with them traditional hymns. Humility is the key to avoid distress in the body of Christ. Without humility no tips are going to help...
So one obvious but important reason why to get involved in a church band or worship team, if you have instrumental talents, is that you will spend time and share yourself with other Christ-minded young people. This is especially significant in an overall anti-Christian society - it's easier, if you are swimming against the tide, to be closely surrounded by others who swim in the same direction.
I may not have understood exactly the point of your question. I thought you meant "playing in a worship band" as opposed to "in a secular band". Now, if you are talking about "not using instrumental talents at all", esp. in a worship band, then it's the Parable of the Talents that comes to my mind - Do I really want to dig a hole in the ground and hide my talent there?
Also important is again the fact that "church grounds are not concert halls" - players there lead the singing congregation, both with their less than perfect performances, in praising the One who was perfect for us and who chose to make us His children!
So if the fear comes from possible failures, I would go along the advice above, just adding that the overall benefits will far outweigh any possible musical defects.
Hope this helps.
The popularity of praise songs provides an awesome teachable moment to engage the next generation of Christian leaders in a conversation about how best to measure the merits of lyrics (and music) intended for worship. Your article is a great example of useful directions that dialogue might take.
A Missouri synod committee reviewed 100 popular contemporary worship pieces, scoring them according to a rubric that examined the text for Lutheran sacramental and/or doctrinal thought related to Communion, Baptism, Confessions/Doctrine, Holy Trinity, Forgiveness/Redemption, and Law/Gospel. The group also evaluated the songs for congregational singability.
That committee’s rubric, results list, and project description may offer another useful starting point for conversations about worship songs with high school and college students.
Results list: http://www.lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=345
Project description: http://www.lcms.org/page.aspx?pid=524
I hope that in your new church you also hear the Word of God there, besides singing hymns to Him. Shouldn't that be the criterion in switching churches? ;-)
Thanks for coming up with your comment.
In other words, people here also need that encouragment to "come out" with their voices...
? Martin Luther
The actual implementation of form-modification is, of course, a thing to be done diligently, carefully, and thoughtfully, trying to include the modern while not excluding the timeless. You don't want to be cut off from your roots. At the same time, you want to encourage talented musicians of today from among the Christians to compose and lyricize praises to their Lord that are suited for their generation. By insisting on "traditional music only" we may stunt their enthusiasm and the proper usage of their gifts! Finding a balance is indeed a fine-tuning process. Church leaders would need to consider the make-up of their congregation, their location/community, the prospects, the sources of music available, etc. I believe that with the music and some overall form-changes we can show the world that Christianity didn't freeze up in the Middle Ages, but is a living, lively and life-sharing phenomenon, revolving aroung a risen Savior and Lord.
You stated that songs referencing "vague struggles" of a Christian can still have a place in worship. Would you say songs as simple and generic as those in Christian radio can be valuable in worship, or do you think they should contain a bit more substance in their lyrics before being used in church? We understand that these simple songs can be valuable personally to new converts to Christianity, but do you think they can ever be too simple and vague for congregational use?
The simplest songs in Czech that I used to listen to a lot - and now I play them to little children in our school during REL classes - they always have at least the basic message of Christianity in them, i.e. that Jesus paid for our salvation with His death, then rose again to live, to be with/in us through His Spirit, and to prepare for us a heavenly home in our Father's house. They don't talk so much about our struggles in this world as our faith is being refined and purified.
Then there are Czech praise songs with more elaborated messages, but mostly the "vague struggles" are overcome in them by pointing to the faithfulness and firmness of God's promises in His Word. They speak e.g. about God being our port/lighthouse in the storms of our lives, about God's open arms to welcome broken sinners, about God's power and grace to break open our shackles, etc. Never do they speak more specifically, in terms of the sheckles being e.g. our excessive alcohol consumption, or drug addiction, or indulgence in watching porn, or fits of rage, or chronic impatience, or doing good things half-heartedly, and so on and so forth.
I personally prefer the figurative description of struggles mentioned in songs, where everyone can insert their own specific storms of life, struggles of faith, or shackles of sin. In a sermon the pastor can and should certainly give examples of such, to make his point personal. I am not sure how it would sound in a hymn though. But again, my experience and knowledge in this area is limited.
"The second idea also deals with combining the hymn singing with another activity which provides extra motivation. Using Christian praises you can also learn/teach a foreign language! You can find English songs sung in another language — those may be easier to learn the words." In what ways would you recommend including foreign language in worship music? This was a very intriguing concept to us, as we are both a part of choir at MLC, and we sometimes sing in foreign language. However, it's rarely included in actual worship, probably because it's harder to follow the ideas and depth of the lyrics. We think integrating foreign language into worship would be highly beneficial; the question is how to do that gradually while including the congregation.
Integrating foreign language songs into worship -
Several ideas come to my mind but not all will be applicable in your situation, of course. In our elementary school, for example, the children learn English as a second language so naturally they also learn songs in both Czech and English. Then they occasionally present their Eng-Czech songs in church during Sunday service - see an example here> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8BIX7l5GIM
Another possibility is to use foreign language songs to attract minoroty people to church. For example, if there are Hispanic neighbors in your community, they can be invited to a special singing program with praises in Spanish.
Or, if you have visitors from abroad, the church assembly can sing a hymn in their language (if they know the hymn in English, they needn't be worried they are singing words without knowing their meanings). At our international CELC pastoral conferences we often sing hymns in different languages - English, German, Latvian, Russian, Bulgarian, Portugese, etc. Of course, we are not all familiar with every language.
Also, if your church does some mission work in a foreign country, again, singing a song in that country's language can help people recognize the universality of the Gospel and appreciate the mission work in general. In addition, colleges have international students and they can again prepare special presentations for church services in their native language.
In other words, it may not become a regular part of every Sunday, but there are ways to incorporate foreign language songs to enhance the awareness of local believers that the Gospel is far from being just a local good news...
While everyone is encouraged to sing in our churches, we do feel that there is an underlying obligation to sing as beautifully as possible all the time. You said that you've "heard people in church telling me, 'I can't sing well enough so I will keep quiet.'"We've found that in our typical setting, this striving to sound heavenly, in the end, detracts from the message since so much of the congregation is thinking solely about the notes and not the words. Since the melody by itself can do very little for our faith, the message is something we all need to focus on, whether the message was aimed at the new Christian or the seasoned Christian. Sometimes this "wanting to sound a certain way" comes off as an attitude that implies work righteousness. This seems to be a weakness in our churches-do you have any similar weaknesses in your congregations that you'd like to work on in connection with praise through song?
I agree with what you said about the underlying obligation or expectation to sing heavenly, or at least like the singers in the opera house. Is it due to the misunderstanding of the command "Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect"? It pertains to our relationship with Him and with our neighbors, not to the quality of our singing or handwriting or any other skill we learn. We grow in these skills and it's not a sin to sing off-tune or to make a grammatical mistake in writing, etc.
In our church we have the same challenge with respect to congregatinal singing. People think it's better not to sing at all than to sing out of tune. I try to encourage them at least to mouth the words and chew on them, if singing is such an obstacle for them. Unnecessary obstacle.
I especially appreciated your point that "church is for the genuine." Our praise and thanks to the Lord is what matters and the kind of music or sounds of singing voices are just logistics of church going. My WELS home church is very traditional and does not deviate much from the red hymnal. However, I have attended other churches and contemporary services and have enjoyed the differences. I believe the music can vary as long as the true message based on God's Word does not change. Like you said, diversity in the kingdom of believers essentially requires meeting people's spiritual needs and each individual is filled up through the Word and through an array of different musical arrangements.
I personally like contemporary Christian music, especially the rock and pop genres. I know that it tends to get a lot of criticism, and I will admit that it is not perfect. Especially as a Lutheran, there are those disagreements in doctrine, and I do think it is important that the listener is aware of these. It is still a good alternative to a lot of the mainstream music that is on the radio these days. So much of secular music focuses on negative elements and emphasizing all things sinful, all things bad. I do like that Christian music is positive and uplifting and is a reminder of the ultimate Good that always exists! You mentioned a Czech Christian rock band… Is it similar to what you might hear from an American Christian rock band or different?
You talk about our use of gifts and you say very well that "we should emphasize what we can do with them". Indeed, what we are asked to do with God-given gifts is not to use them PERFECTLY (who knows what it means in case of individual gifts?) but to use them FAITHFULLY - that is to actually use them for the purpose they were given, even if that use means putting the talents "on deposit with the bankers", as Jesus says in Matthew 25:27. Such use may not produce much, maybe a tiny interest, but it will be commended by the Giver.
Ad popular Christian songs as a good alternative to mainstream music - I agree completely with what you are saying. Upper graders in our Martin Luther School in Pislen listen to so much junk music that one reason I have them listen to popular Christian music in REL classes is to show them there is an alternative which is, as you said, positive and uplifting, while also appealing to their "young and modern ear".
As for Czech Christian rock music, there is no way to compare it to the American one. Simply because there are so few bands here that play Christian rock (even the band I mentioned is no longer in existence - they just produced 8 songs for 1 CD). Most Czech bands play folk or pop style Christian music. I read an article of a music expert who said one reason for Christian rock to be almost non-existent in Czech Rep. is a campain in the 1990s called 'We just want your soul', which caused many young Christians to think rock music is incompatible with Christianity. Which American rock bands do you listen to? I would love to hear their music...
I have a CD titled "Nkosi Nkosi" with South African Christian songs played by a Czech band "Filia". I enjoy listening to it a lot. Each song has a part sung in the original African language and then another part in Czech on the same tune. Quite good, really.
If you like African music, this CD is freely available to donwload as mp3 files on this page>
www.3pe.cz/index.php?page=filia_diskografie
(the second CD from top)
I am excited to have written this article. If it has brought inspiration and encouragement to some readers, I am grateful.
Praised be the Lord!
I am reminded of Psalm 150, where multiple types of instruments are listed and called to be employed in our praising the Lord. We, as human beings, are also very diverse, but Christ can resound us all. So, "let everything that has breath praise the LORD!"
What I mean by "voice" in the article is the "singing voice", which we, as Christians, are given also for the purpose to sing praises to the Giver of all good gifts. Sure, everyone will use their voice in some way. But let us not forget that "out of the overflow of the heart [our] mouth speaks" ... and sings... ;-)
One of the "marginal verses" in the Bible that I cherish a lot is found in Mat 26:30 - "And having sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." (ALT) When we realize the circumstances - it was right before Jesus' internal struggle and external arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane - then singing hymns may begin to take on a new dimension for us.
Praising the true God may not always be "enjoyable and fun" but it will always be rewarding in many ways if done "in your heart to the Lord" (Eph 5:19).