“Many faithful Christians are committed to churches they love, even if they don’t always care for the music. They join and stay because the preaching is biblicalb…. Because music engages our affections, though, it can be painful when we don’t love our church’s music.music.” - TGC
McDonald’s sells more than burgers, Amazon sells more than books, and a AAA membership offers far more benefits than just roadside assistance. We easily associate a brand name or well-known company with a limited sample of its products or services when it actually produces or offers much more. If we’re not careful, we do the same thing in the church when we view or portray worship as the musical part of Sunday morning gatherings. I say this because worshiping God encompasses so much more than music.
“Perhaps unsurprisingly in a world of vapid, repetitive ‘praise’ music and ephemeral ‘pop worship’ hits, the old hymns of our faith—many musically gorgeous and lyrically deep—have not only endured but been rediscovered by younger generations.” - TGC
“The Christian faith is a singing faith…. when you consider the sum of singing commands and the role singing plays at so many critical points in redemptive history, we easily come to the conclusion that our God really, really likes to hear his people sing.” - Baptist Press
“A church’s songs are not a mere preamble to the sermon. Singing is not filler time to warm up a congregation. Singing is a holy practice. We sing because God has commanded us, and our songs should fill our hearts with delight.” - Matt Boswell
“A way to pray and sing with deeper intention this Christmas.” - Breakpoint
“When your sanctuary looks like a concert venue, with giant LED screens, flashing lights, and booming surround sound, someone might feel, ‘This isn’t church to me—it’s a show.’” - C.Leaders
“We Evangelicals have come to view the word ‘worship’ as referring to something like God-focused music. And music is inherently emotional. So it follows that our understanding of ‘worship’ could then be reduced to the personal expression of a God-centered, emotional experience.” - CLeaders
“My congregation sings louder than they did a year ago. I have been their worship leader for just over a year, and I have seen progress in their participation in worship through singing. They sing louder, they sing more heartily and more of them sing than a year ago.” - C.Leaders
“Few songs are still sung after 1,200 years. “Be Thou My Vision” is one of them. I love it deeply, but so have Christians from medieval Ireland to modern churches worldwide. Here’s why and where it came from.” - Josh Barzon
