Let the Church Sing

A Manifesto for Congregational Singing

09.08.24 Iron City Church’s Tenth Anniversary, Photo by Bryan Johnson

It’s only been two and a half years since I became the music director of Iron City Church. I am now the pastoral assistant, but I will continue to lead music on Sundays. Before that, I played drums and bass, and some acoustic guitar in various Christian traditions for eleven years. It was only recently that I realized how much I was discipled by those I played music with and the worship music we played.

In those eleven years before taking the position at ICC, I went from wanting to sound like the newest Passion and Hillsong records coming out, to playing reformed-ish alternative rock worship (think The Modern Post) and modern hymn arrangements, to loving simple arrangements with mere instrumentation and loud singing. All have their own strengths, but I think the last option edifies the church the most because it prioritizes the main instrument in corporate worship, the voices.

One of my favorite moments in corporate worship on Sundays is to drop out all instrumentation (yes, including that pesky pad) and sing at the top of our lungs enjoying God and instructing one another (Eph. 5:18-19). These moments feel the closest to heaven to me. I want many other worship leaders and churches to experience the joy of musicians who don’t feel a pressure to perform. I want congregations to avoid becoming overly-dependent to whoever may be on stage. With these hopes in mind, this is my manifesto for congregational singing in churches today. I hope many worship leaders and church members will benefit from these ideas; many of which are not new.

Music Director/Worship leader,

Let the church sing. The church is not gathered by you primarily; or for you. Jesus is the one who gathers his people. He saved them and created a people for himself. You and all others on the “platform” are simply directing corporate worship to Jesus together with the Father and the Spirit.

Let the church sing. Pick songs, keys, and arrangements that will help the church participate. They’re not at church to observe your or your band’s talent, though the beauty you create can aid worship. In everything, do what edifies the church most (1 Cor. 14:12). In corporate worship, the entire church should participate and not merely spectate.

Let the church sing. Instruments are good. They produce beauty. In corporate worship, however, the main instrument is the voices. Consider how all the faculties of a human are engaged in singing God’s praises; the mind, the heart, and the soul become an instrument wholly vibrating to the Lord. Congregational singing produces spiritual harmony in the soul and in the church.

Let the church sing. A congregation that sings strongly will need you less and that’s okay. I’m fairly certain earlier churches in history didn’t pay a worship leader. What if one day you left, and you left a church that you taught to sing so well that they could worship in song with little to no direction from the “platform”? I’d count that as a win. The church is a worshiping community. Perhaps it doesn’t need as much as we think it does in our day.

Let the church sing. Direct the church not only to enjoy God and close their eyes (some will envision the heavenly throne where the living creatures never rest to sing, holy, holy, holy). Also direct them to sing to God and to one another. Direct them to look around at the people they will most likely be in heaven with. Direct them to look at the heavenly dress rehearsal around them! This requires you turn the lights on. Some may think it’s “traditional.” In reality, the medium is the message. Keeping the lights off communicates that the people leading are performers and the congregation is an audience. It can also encourages individualism. Corporate worship is not private devotional time. Keeping the lights on communicates that corporate worship is about we and God instead of me and God.

Corporate worship is both vertical and horizontal. Edification and exaltation happen in our exultation of God. Said differently, your congregational exultation of God is a means of edification and evangelization for God’s exaltation. You don’t have to pick one. Comprehensible worship edifies and evangelizes.

Let the church sing. In your new members classes, tell the people coming in that you don’t have a choir because when you join the church, you join the choir.

Let the church sing. When you prioritize the voices as the main instrument your volunteers will feel less pressure and enjoy worship more. Prioritizing the voices of the congregation frees you from performing. Sing from your gut. Excellence always matters. Most times, however, I find that passion is missing more than excellence in most churches. Passion doesn’t have to mean louder music.

When you prioritize the voices you won’t constantly be thinking of the next super creative instrumental or solo that will “bring the right energy into the room,” though making loud noises with cymbals can lift up a sound of joy! (1 Chron. 15:15)

In corporate worship, we want emotions driven by truth and beauty. The singing itself will move the people and you won’t be the one “moving” them – God’s truth and their own singing will.

Get Out of the Way

My favorite moments in corporate worship as a music leader is when the congregation no longer needs me or the band. It’s in these moments where I find it best to get out of the way. Once again, yes, get the pad out of the way too. Don’t confuse the synth pad for the Holy Spirit. In these heavenly moments, the congregation becomes its own music director! True congregational singing happens when the congregation becomes its own music director, exulting in God, edifying one another, and evangelizing the lost all in one moment of exalting and treasuring God.

True congregational singing happens when the congregation becomes its own music director, exulting in God, edifying one another, and evangelizing the lost all in one moment of exalting and treasuring God.

I pray some of these thoughts will help you experience this in your church. Music director, you will spend less money; experience less pressure; free up your volunteers; edify the church; evangelize the lost, and exalt God. Put your energy in the essential things. The essential things for the musical part of corporate worship are singing God’s word, treasuring God, and edifying one another. Everything else is optional. Don’t throw beauty and creativity out the door, but do the essentials first. Let the church sing!

May God bless this effort toward simplicity. May God keep us from worshiping simplicity. May God keep us from worshiping worship. Like the angels reminded John in Revelation when he was caught up in wonder: “Worship God” (Rev. 19:10).