After four weeks, Jim knew something was wrong. The people in the "daughter" church weren't singing like they had in the old congregation.

Jim was the lay music director of our mission church. A month earlier we had begun the new congregation with eighty people, and already the attendance was over 100.

They had one problem, however-weak congregational singing. Many of Jim's members were the same people who had participated in the exhilarating worship at the mother church. There, enthusiastic singing seemed easy and natural.

"It's not the same," he said one day on his lunch hour. "What can I do?"

As we talked over burgers and fries, we discovered that what we did at the mother church of 800 could be done with his 100. In fact, these principles could be adapted to almost any congregation to encourage better singing.

First, good congregational singing starts with the congregation knowing why they are singing.

Each Sunday we determine if the purpose of the service is worship, instruction, fellowship, ...