Deliberate Church: Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – Music

Introduction
“Worship is a total life orientation of engaging with God on the terms that He proposes and in the way that He provides.”

Congregational Singing
“One reason we come together on Sundays is to remind ourselves that we are not alone in our confession of Jesus Christ and our conviction of the spiritual truths we hold so dearly.”

Give preference to:
-Corporate singing as opposed to individual performance
-Participative worship as opposed to observing worship

3 Guidelines for Congregational Singing:
1. It is public, not privatized. “We would be wrong to encourage people to think of corporate worship in terms of shutting out the rest of the congregation to have a privatized emotional experience with God.”
2. It should be theologically rich. The hallmarks of good worship songs: biblical accuracy, God-centeredness, theological and/or historical progression, absence of first-person singular pronoun, and music that complements the tone of the lyrics.
3. It should be spiritually encouraging.

Accompaniment
Some guidelines:
1. Music serves lyrics. Music is designed to complement lyrics.
2. Triumphalism is premature. “Our music should not contradict our location in the history of God’s saving work.”
3. Simple is best. We should allow the congregation to hear themselves singing, giving the lyrics center stage.
4. Leaders are self-effacing. They should take the focus off themselves.

Variety – A Staple Spice
We should use a variety of different songs, styles, keys, sources, and time periods so that we will not be dependent on any one taste.

Getting There
We should always be increasing our musical skill and knowledge of songs.