To the lay musician: Your musical gifts must be submitted to the leadership and pastors of your local church.
As a minister, I acknowledge I may be coming at this discussion from a different perspective. It is still my hope that what I have to say harmonizes well with what Brittany Hurd has already offered us in her article. Hurd has rightly identified music to “constitute only a part of worship proper.” It is not up to the lay musician to come into a local church context and attempt to change the music content or style in worship to his or her own liking, no matter how much skill and biblical support they might offer. There is a greater context that must be understood first by the lay musician. And that greater context is Christ in dialogical prayer with His Bride, whereby he has ordained His gifts to be given to His people through the priestly office. This cannot be ignored in a discussion about lay musicianship. The music of the corporate worship service, and therefore the lay musician’s skillset, must submit to this greater context.
In what ways should the lay musician submit themselves? What does this look like?
There seems to be a lot of confusion today in what participation looks like in corporate worship. For a lot of churches, participation means someone must be up front, on stage, or leading in some capacity during the worship service. Participation in the corporate worship has become “using my gifts during the worship service so that everyone can see me using my gifts.” This whole idea that participation in worship is being up front leading the congregation in song or prayer, whether Christians want to admit it or not, has become problematic. If I am being frank, the only person that should be up front leading God’s people in corporate worship is an ordained minister of the Gospel. That’s the only way Christ in dialogical prayer with His Bride makes any sense. Since the minister is the representative of Christ, anything else is liturgical confusion.
Real participation in corporate worship has everything to do with receiving the gifts of God in corporate worship. Real participation understands that we have needs, and so we draw near to God with His people in order to receive His forgiveness, His wisdom, and to eat with Jesus at His table. Lay musicians should be careful to not be too hasty about “getting up front” or formally leading with their musical gifts. First they should learn to participate in the corporate worship as a regular, faithful congregant. This is what submitting your gifts looks like, musical or other.
Before lay musicians go to their pastor or leadership within their local church and ask about ways they can use their musical gifts, they need start by submitting themselves to what’s already going on in their local church worship. As a musician and singer myself, I understand that this may take a lot of patience for the typical lay musician. But that is good and necessary.
At the same time, the lay musician’s submission to what is already going on in their local church can still be influential, especially if they lead by example. Hurd mentioned this point in her last practical suggestion for lay musicians and trained singers. I think it is her best suggestion and I would like to elaborate more on this point.
The form of Christian worship has always been musical. Specifically, worship in the form of song. The sad reality is that so much of congregational singing today is pathetic. The reasons for poor congregational singing can vary of course. It could be that the band or choir overshadows the congregation’s voice. Maybe the tempo of the music is too slow or dirge-like,
which often inhibits any kind of vibrant, joyful singing. Or perhaps there is a lack of men who sing enthusiastically in worship. Again, there might be a number of factors for why there are so many churches where the congregational singing needs improvement.
But what an opportunity for the musically gifted who come into these congregations!
We live in a time where lay musicianship must respond to this reality of poor congregational singing. The way to respond well is by singing loudly with the congregation. By all means, sing out in congregational worship. Especially you men who are gifted with singing. A couple of men singing out loudly and on pitch with the congregation is contagious for other men. James Jordan gave me this tip years ago: If you get the men singing boldly, you get everyone singing boldly. Jordan told me this idea is “old wisdom.”
So lead by example. You do not have to be up front with a microphone to lead by example. In fact, I would argue you probably will have more impact singing boldly with the congregation compared to being up front singing at the congregation through a mic. When I was a young boy growing up in church, this is exactly how I learned to sing with more confidence. I listened to the men around me in worship singing loudly. I instinctively knew that was the kind of worship I needed to imitate. I think most men know this when they hear other men singing out with confidence.
Connected to this idea of bold singing, the music in corporate worship should be loud. Scripture teaches us that our God loves loud singing. Our God himself sings over us with loud singing (Zeph. 3:17). The Psalms tell us again and again that loud singing is a fundamental characteristic of corporate worship (Ps. 33:3, 81:1-2, 98:1-6, 150). And it is not just the singing that should be loud. Loud instruments are also essential in corporate worship.1 This is the command of King David to the Levite chiefs in 2 Chronicles 15:16. David commands them to appoint men who sing and play loudly on musical instruments.
If you are a lay musician in your church and you are reading this, remember that you approach the sacred assembly of God’s people because YOU have needs. That is your primary focus. You approach God in corporate worship to be served by God first. And do not forget that God’s gifts being given to you in worship demand a response. That response should be full of thankfulness and rejoicing. What that rejoicing looks like is singing loudly WITH God’s people. This kind of participation will create an infectious, joyful energy that others will want to imitate.
You might be thinking, “That’s it? That’s how I should use my musical gifts? Sing louder?”
There is obviously more, as Hurd alluded to in her article, but this is the lay musician’s priority. I believe this is what lay musicians need to hear the most. This is primarily what it means to serve God and one another in the corporate worship context. So go and sing loudly with your congregation!
Caleb Skogen is the Associate Pastor at Providence Reformed Church in St. Louis, MO. He serves as the liturgist for the Theopolis Fellows Program.
1 This is why the organ is so helpful in corporate worship. The organ is loud. The organ creates an environment of loud music that invites others to sing loudly. No other instrument can do this better than the organ. Plus, the fact that the organ is played by one person, frees up more musically inclined people to give more effort to singing loudly with the congregation.
To the lay musician: Your musical gifts must be submitted to the leadership and pastors of your local church.
As a minister, I acknowledge I may be coming at this discussion from a different perspective. It is still my hope that what I have to say harmonizes well with what Brittany Hurd has already offered us in her article. Hurd has rightly identified music to “constitute only a part of worship proper.” It is not up to the lay musician to come into a local church context and attempt to change the music content or style in worship to his or her own liking, no matter how much skill and biblical support they might offer. There is a greater context that must be understood first by the lay musician. And that greater context is Christ in dialogical prayer with His Bride, whereby he has ordained His gifts to be given to His people through the priestly office. This cannot be ignored in a discussion about lay musicianship. The music of the corporate worship service, and therefore the lay musician’s skillset, must submit to this greater context.
In what ways should the lay musician submit themselves? What does this look like?
There seems to be a lot of confusion today in what participation looks like in corporate worship. For a lot of churches, participation means someone must be up front, on stage, or leading in some capacity during the worship service. Participation in the corporate worship has become “using my gifts during the worship service so that everyone can see me using my gifts.” This whole idea that participation in worship is being up front leading the congregation in song or prayer, whether Christians want to admit it or not, has become problematic. If I am being frank, the only person that should be up front leading God’s people in corporate worship is an ordained minister of the Gospel. That’s the only way Christ in dialogical prayer with His Bride makes any sense. Since the minister is the representative of Christ, anything else is liturgical confusion.
Real participation in corporate worship has everything to do with receiving the gifts of God in corporate worship. Real participation understands that we have needs, and so we draw near to God with His people in order to receive His forgiveness, His wisdom, and to eat with Jesus at His table. Lay musicians should be careful to not be too hasty about “getting up front” or formally leading with their musical gifts. First they should learn to participate in the corporate worship as a regular, faithful congregant. This is what submitting your gifts looks like, musical or other.
Before lay musicians go to their pastor or leadership within their local church and ask about ways they can use their musical gifts, they need start by submitting themselves to what’s already going on in their local church worship. As a musician and singer myself, I understand that this may take a lot of patience for the typical lay musician. But that is good and necessary.
At the same time, the lay musician’s submission to what is already going on in their local church can still be influential, especially if they lead by example. Hurd mentioned this point in her last practical suggestion for lay musicians and trained singers. I think it is her best suggestion and I would like to elaborate more on this point.
The form of Christian worship has always been musical. Specifically, worship in the form of song. The sad reality is that so much of congregational singing today is pathetic. The reasons for poor congregational singing can vary of course. It could be that the band or choir overshadows the congregation’s voice. Maybe the tempo of the music is too slow or dirge-like,
which often inhibits any kind of vibrant, joyful singing. Or perhaps there is a lack of men who sing enthusiastically in worship. Again, there might be a number of factors for why there are so many churches where the congregational singing needs improvement.
But what an opportunity for the musically gifted who come into these congregations!
We live in a time where lay musicianship must respond to this reality of poor congregational singing. The way to respond well is by singing loudly with the congregation. By all means, sing out in congregational worship. Especially you men who are gifted with singing. A couple of men singing out loudly and on pitch with the congregation is contagious for other men. James Jordan gave me this tip years ago: If you get the men singing boldly, you get everyone singing boldly. Jordan told me this idea is “old wisdom.”
So lead by example. You do not have to be up front with a microphone to lead by example. In fact, I would argue you probably will have more impact singing boldly with the congregation compared to being up front singing at the congregation through a mic. When I was a young boy growing up in church, this is exactly how I learned to sing with more confidence. I listened to the men around me in worship singing loudly. I instinctively knew that was the kind of worship I needed to imitate. I think most men know this when they hear other men singing out with confidence.
Connected to this idea of bold singing, the music in corporate worship should be loud. Scripture teaches us that our God loves loud singing. Our God himself sings over us with loud singing (Zeph. 3:17). The Psalms tell us again and again that loud singing is a fundamental characteristic of corporate worship (Ps. 33:3, 81:1-2, 98:1-6, 150). And it is not just the singing that should be loud. Loud instruments are also essential in corporate worship.1 This is the command of King David to the Levite chiefs in 2 Chronicles 15:16. David commands them to appoint men who sing and play loudly on musical instruments.
If you are a lay musician in your church and you are reading this, remember that you approach the sacred assembly of God’s people because YOU have needs. That is your primary focus. You approach God in corporate worship to be served by God first. And do not forget that God’s gifts being given to you in worship demand a response. That response should be full of thankfulness and rejoicing. What that rejoicing looks like is singing loudly WITH God’s people. This kind of participation will create an infectious, joyful energy that others will want to imitate.
You might be thinking, “That’s it? That’s how I should use my musical gifts? Sing louder?”
There is obviously more, as Hurd alluded to in her article, but this is the lay musician’s priority. I believe this is what lay musicians need to hear the most. This is primarily what it means to serve God and one another in the corporate worship context. So go and sing loudly with your congregation!
Caleb Skogen is the Associate Pastor at Providence Reformed Church in St. Louis, MO. He serves as the liturgist for the Theopolis Fellows Program.
1 This is why the organ is so helpful in corporate worship. The organ is loud. The organ creates an environment of loud music that invites others to sing loudly. No other instrument can do this better than the organ. Plus, the fact that the organ is played by one person, frees up more musically inclined people to give more effort to singing loudly with the congregation.
-->