Last Lord’s day, we were allowed to sing again in worship.

Stuck here for the last five months locked out of house and home in Queensland, nonetheless we can’t complain, comfortably ensconced as we have been in the house here at Cronulla. Inconvenient, but no great burden.

Far greater has been the burden that, for most of our time here, we along with many others have been locked out of meeting face to face with our brothers and sisters in Christ for worship.
And, most of all, until last Lord’s day at least, we have not been allowed to sing – to join together with other believers to sing God’s praises!
How we have missed that!

Yet, sadly, many don’t know what it is to miss that – because, in many churches now congregational singing has been killed off. Instead, the occasion is given over to watching a performance by ‘professional’ singers and musicians up on stage.
Even where the congregation are asked to “stand and sing”, as often as not they stand but don’t sing – or, if they do, you can’t hear your brothers and sisters singing with you because they are drowned out by the instruments and vocals on stage. I have looked around in some churches and people are just standing there gawking, watching what’s going on up front, or even just talking to their neighbour.

Many others have commented on this. Back in 2014 Thom Shultz noted:

Looking around the church last Sunday I noticed that the majority weren’t singing. And most of those who were singing barely moved their lips. The only voices I actually heard were those on stage with microphones.
That’s been the case for years now – in churches large and small. What used to be congregational singing has become congregational staring.
Even when the chipper “worship leader” in contemporary churches bounds on stage and predictably beckons everyone to “stand and worship,” the people compliantly obey the stand command, but then they turn into mute mannequins.

More recently, just a few weeks ago, Tim Challies referenced Blake Long’s take on this:

“We have a ginormous worship team,” Jared C. Wilson tweeted recently. “It’s called ‘the congregation.’” This tweet, though tongue-in-cheek, is quite precise in its criticism. It speaks to a glaring issue within the evangelical church. When most churches want the worship team to be large, flashy, and concert-like, we need to regain the beautiful, harmonious noise of congregational singing…
We have lost the gravitas that is congregational singing. To many, they don’t want their voices heard in the first place. This is partly due to insecurity – which we can all experience – and partly due to putting on a show. We are more concerned about our appearance than losing ourselves in singing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19) to God.
When the congregation is focused on the glory of God, the glory of man dwindles. In a very real sense, the reason we search for a church that has congregational singing is because it reveals the attention is not on man, but God – the object of our worship.

The Importance of Congregational Singing

Again Blake Long:

Congregational singing – which includes the one who sings like it’s an American Idol audition and the one who can’t find the right key – is the most heavenly sound you’ll hear on earth. Because of this, it’s important to find a church that has congregational singing. It ought to be a priority when looking for a church home.

As he has noted: “Congregational singing reveals the attention is not on man, but God – the object of our worship.” He continues:

“When we lift our voices in song, we are speaking to God, hearing from God, and testifying to each other,” Josh Irby wrote in an article at Reformation21. “This means that singing is one of the most dialogical elements of a worship service.”
When we are singing, we are talking to our God who saved us. This should compel us to fearlessly and freely lift our voices high in unison! It is what we will be doing– and thoroughly enjoying – in glory for all eternity!
Have you ever listened to the Together for the Gospel Live playlist? If not, you should. Hearing thousands upon thousands of believers, together (for the gospel) as one, lift up their voices high to sing songs – it is an extraordinary sound. Take a listen to songs like “Behold our God” or “All I Have is Christ.”
Not only will it edify you, but you will understand more deeply why congregational singing is so important to the life of the local church. Without congregational singing, worship (in song) is reduced to a performance. And that’s the problem. The worship team does not exist to put on a performance, but to simply lead the congregation.

What is the problem?

Thom Shultz astutely diagnosed the problem this way:

What’s behind this phenomenon? What happened to the bygone sounds of sanctuaries overflowing with fervent, harmonizing voices from the pews, singing out with a passion that could be heard down the street? I suspect it’s a number of unfortunate factors.

1. Spectator set-up.
Increasingly, the church has constructed the worship service as a spectator event. Everyone expects the people on stage to perform while the pew-sitters fulfill the expectation of any good audience – file in, be still, be quiet, don’t question, don’t contribute (except to the offering plate), and watch the spotlighted musicians deliver their well-rehearsed concerts.

2. Professionalism.
It seems it’s paramount for church music to be more professional than participatory. The people in the pews know they pale in comparison to the loud voices at the microphones. Quality is worshipped. So the worshippers balk at defiling the quality with their crude crooning. It’s better to just fake it with a little lip syncing.

In this regard where churches display hymns on overheads for the congregation to sing (as was inevitable in any case when we had to zoom church services during our most recent four month lockdown), let it be just the words that are displayed, along with the music being played. It is not helpful to include a video of an attractive pair or group of singers and instrumentalists front and centre on the screen. This only encourages the ‘spectator set-up’ and ‘professionalism’ mentality referred to before and distracts from focusing on what you are singing to the glory of God.

3. Blare.
The musicians’ volume is cranked up so high that congregants can’t hear their own voices, or the voices of those around them, even if they would sing. So they don’t sing. What would it add? The overwhelming, amplified sound blares from big speakers, obliterating any chance for the sound of robust congregational singing.

Elsewhere, Thom Shultz refers to a church where:

… the worship leader recently raised the band’s sound levels to the point that [a husband] suffered ear pain and headaches. The couple met with their pastors to request that volume levels be reduced to former levels. Instead of a lowering of decibels, the church offered the congregation free ear plugs to block the sound. After 19 years of faithful membership in this church, [the couple] reluctantly left.

Yet, incredibly, a demeaning ‘solution’ like this is offered by more than one church. One person wrote:
“I MUST wear ear plugs or it is painful, but I do have sensitive hearing. They offer ear plugs at most of our services. What grieves me, is that I can only hear myself worship, when wearing my ear plugs. I can barely hear anyone, including myself, when I try not to wear them. It’s a weird sort of isolation. I am also grieved when I see people with young babies exposing their tender ears to music too loud for their development, out of ignorance.”

I myself have been in at least two churches where the volume was cranked up to such an extent that solid vibrations hitting my chest left me feeling physically sick. Before someone ignorantly says, “That’s just an oldie’s emotional response because of your personal preference in music” let me assure you it wasn’t. It was a purely physiological response over which I had no control (except to leave!).

Cranking up the volume not only destroys any hope of congregational participation, it will prove harmful to the health of at least some in the ‘audience’. This is well documented, eg. here and here.
Blake Long  notes: “We err when the worship team is simply too loud that we can’t hear the congregation sing. It’s become more of a performance than worship.”

The fourth factor that Thom Shultz notes has killed off congregational singing is:

4. Music choice.
Sometimes people refrain from singing because the songs are unfamiliar, hard to sing, or just cheesy. Sometimes worship leaders choose a song that may thematically tie into the day’s sermon topic, but it’s unsingable. Sometimes worship leaders choose lame songs written by their favorite songwriters – themselves.

Are you looking for a church?

Blake Long’s final advice is:

Friend, are you looking for a church?
Might I suggest you go somewhere that has congregational singing. You can hear others singing with joy – whether they are on key or not. Either way, it is a wonderful sound and pleasing to our Father in Heaven.

Hallelujah!

Footnote:
The following helpful guidelines for singing in worship were agreed upon in a church where I was once a member (emphasis mine):

1) The calling to sing to the Lord.
Divine truth should move us (Is 12:3, Ps 32:11). Therefore God repeatedly commands us to sing (Psalm 100:2, Zeph 3:14, Zech 2:10, Eph 5:19, Col 3:16, Jas 5:13). As such, the worship of the God we love is never to be an uninterested or heartless duty and this is especially so in sung worship (Ps 27:6, 66:2).
2) The purposes and character of singing in worship.
Congregational singing in Corporate Worship is both an act of worship to God Himself, and of teaching and admonishing one another in Scriptural truths. As such it is both a duty and great privilege to be practised in all the churches and by all of the members; and it is appropriate that each congregation cultivate its ability to sing together wholeheartedly and with delight and beauty (Col 3:16, Eph 5:18-20; WCF 21:5).
3) The choice of materials for singing in worship.
In the choice of song for Corporate Worship, great care must be taken that materials are selected: (i) that are in accord with the teaching and tenor of Scripture (1 Cor 14:15); and, (ii) that simultaneously engage the mind and excite the affections with reference to Biblical truth (Psalm 47:7). The words are to be suitable for the worship of a great God who is both transcendent and immanent; and, the tunes are to be subordinate to and supportive of the themes and the mood conveyed by the words.
4) Congregational singing is to be the focus of music in worship.
As the emphasis of the New Testament with regard to music in worship is upon the voices of the redeemed in congregational singing (Eph 5:19, Col 3:16, Heb 2:12, Rev 5:9,  14:3, 15:3), musical instruments and/or supporting vocalists, whether live or recorded, ought not to assume a role of emphasis or prominence in the Corporate Worship of the churches.
5) Employing musical gifts to assist congregational singing.
Musical gifts may nevertheless be properly used in Corporate Worship to assist and serve the congregation in its sung worship of God.   While such gifts shall not be used to attract praise or applause toward the musicians (Is 42:8, 48:11, Jn 3:30), or to entertain the congregation, a simple excellence and aesthetic quality  should be pursued in their use to assist the entire congregation to sing with Biblical understanding and emotion, making melody in their hearts to the Lord (Psalm 33:3, Eph 5:19, 1 Cor 14:26, Mal 1:7-8).
6) The legitimate use of musical instruments in worship.
One or more musical instruments in Corporate Worship are lawful provided that they remain as a Circumstance of worship and do not become a central focus or point of emphasis.  The Scriptures: (i) evidence that they were employed in worship under the old administration of the Covenant of Grace (Ps 71:22, 81:2, 144:9, 150:1-6); (ii) indicate such use was not exclusively associated with the sacrificial system or with typology (eg. Ps 92:1-4); and, (iii) describe the worship of heaven as employing instruments (Rev 5:8, 15:2).
7) The position and number of musicians.
Given their status as Circumstances of worship, it is advisable that neither musical instruments nor supporting vocalists be positioned in a place of prominence in Corporate Worship; and, that their number is maintained in proportion to the size of the assembly to ensure the singing of the entire congregation is very clearly the focus of the music in worship (Col 3:16, Eph 5:18-20, Rev 5:11-14).
8) Discerning between musical forms. 
In addition, instrumentation, music and tunes should be chosen remembering that: (i) because of God’s common grace in the world, various musical forms, including a number that are popular in the present day, are morally acceptable and can be used with discretion in the worship of God and to His glory; and, (ii) some musical forms may not be edifying to the congregation and therefore ought not be used in Corporate Worship (1 Cor 10:23).