Vineyard East Worship

Why We Sing

I have been blessed in my life by growing up in a home that placed a high value on music. It is so much a part of my life that during an assessment for ministry, when I was asked to describe what I did when my mind was in neutral, without thinking I responded with, “I Sing, tap a rhythm, a bass line, a piano part, or work on a harmony.” Taking that love for music into the church gives me the chance to do what I love with a group of people who are focused on the face of Jesus.

The question then becomes how to help the average person that sits in the congregation become a participant and not a spectator. One of the things that struck me when I first discovered the Vineyard was the high value on participation. John Wimber called it “Everybody gets to play.” That value permeates everything we do from praying for the sick, serving in the food pantry to singing the worship songs in the weekend services and the small groups.

Three values of our expression of worship in song are simplicity, intimacy and accessibility. As a worship leader I want to bring the people to that place of communion with the living God, to focus on Him in wonder and awe, and to bow before Him in surrender. We do this through songs and the songs that we pick to sing on any given weekend.

I love the sound of the church singing, and I think it is important that as leaders we help that process. There are very few places in our culture where a group of people can sing together and that is why the church experience is unlike anything else.

1. Accessibility means singing songs that are familiar. Worship leaders and musicians live with a song long before it is introduced to the church. We can “wear” the song out before the people have a chance to learn it. Consider how long it takes for the average person to learn a song and then use that as a guideline.

2. No spectators please. Making a song accessible is important if we want the church to participate. We have people in our churches that sang in high school chorus and college choirs and love to join in singing harmony and putting their own special spin to a song. Let’s give them a reason to sing by picking songs that are easy and familiar.

3. Give people time to engage. In most of our churches the worship lasts about 30-40 minutes. It takes people more than one or two songs to engage. Give worship a chance to build. Choose songs that will help the process.

4. Make it easy to sing. Most people aren’t comfortable “singing out” so that others around them can hear. They prefer to blend in with the rest of the congregation. The sound level needs to be such that it fills the room with out killing the people. There is a balance between too much and too little. A room filled with people will make this easier as people get courage from each other. If you are ever in a small group where the leader sings very soft and plays the guitar lightly you will find that most people will not sing out. My friend likes to kid the small group worship leader by asking if he has any strings on his guitar. The point being that even in a small group we lead with our instrument and with our voice. People take their cue from us. Make it easy for them to join in and sing.

5. Pitch the song for the average person. This is a sensitive subject to approach with worship leaders. Our voice is what it is and we can’t do much to sing higher or lower than our God-given range. With that being said, I do think it is important to consider the vocal range of a song. Obviously this may mean a different key choice for male and female worship leaders. Most men in our congregations will not be able to sing above a D or Eb. Most women, in this age of contemporary church music, will not want to sing above a C. If a song is higher than that, consider transposing it to a lower key. Another important consideration is the type of song. A ballad can be sung in a lower key because the song does not call for volume. On the other hand a celebratory song needs to be pitched in a range where people can get some volume and sing loudly. If not, the song falls flat. It is hard to celebrate when I can’t hear my own voice.

6. Pick the songs. I’m always humbled at the thought that I get to pick the songs that the church will sing on any given weekend. The songs give words to the worship we carry in our hearts, the words that the church will use to express adoration and praise to our King.