Music ministry and juggling have this in common: you have to keep a lot of things in the air at the same time. Spiritual sensitivity, personal preparation, attention to group dynamics, thoughtful song selection, and full-bodied accompaniment are just a few of the elements that contribute to powerful congregational singing. Here’s a mental checklist I use for our congregational singing.
-Are the songs meaningful? Every worship leader needs to have the gentle and engaging sense of an educator. When I occasionally introduce a song by briefly describing its history or giving a new perspective on the theme, singing becomes more meaningful for the congregation.
I use a hymnal with a good set of indexes. I use the topical index to match our song selection to the theme of the service. Hymns that refer to specific Scripture passages can be found in the Scripture allusions index. The reading of that passage of Scripture before, after, or even between verses of the hymn, makes the singing more significant.
-Am I enthusiastic? I want to let people know worship is enjoyable. Excitement is infectious.
-Am I cultivating eclectic tastes? I try to vary my choice of music. Since people speak different musical languages, we give people a variety of ways to express their worship. We avoid an either/or approach to traditional and contemporary music. We try to be both/and. The simple and spontaneous praise songs can find a powerful counterpoint in the strength and steel of hymnody.
-Am I avoiding the routine? I want to keep worship fresh and alive. I’ll use the metrical index to discover what familiar tunes will fit a new set of words (or vice versa). That’s a great way to introduce new material and yet still have enough familiarity that people will participate.
Periodically, I’ll teach the congregation a chorus that’s not in the song book. Or we’ll sing a cappella. Or I’ll sit at the piano, talk a little about the history of the song or tie its theme into the sermon, and then lead them into the song. Or we’ll try something visual or dramatic to introduce a song.
-Am I explaining enough but not too much? The essence of every art is understatement. I don’t want to draw the congregation’s attention to every clever seam in our program; we want it to appear seamless. Likewise, we don’t explain the significance of every song, even though there is one. We let our congregation discover many of the nuances of our worship.
-Am I alert to the emotional energy of the congregation? I continually monitor how well I’m doing at creating that all-important comfort zone, at capturing and conveying the mood of the music, at funneling our congregation, drawing all of our people into a unified experience of worship.
-Howard Stevenson
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