What You’ll Learn:
- The current state of worship music in Southern Baptist churches and why 2026 looks more hopeful than 2025
- Five key developments bringing fresh momentum to SBC worship ministry
- Three critical resolutions that could spark a new “golden age” of church music
- Steps to reclaim biblical worship principles while moving forward
Southern Baptist worship leaders find themselves at a crossroads. For years, many churches have chased after whatever seemed to work elsewhere, adopting concertized performance models that silenced congregations and prioritized musical hooks over biblical truth. The result? A scattered landscape where “everyone does what is right in their own eyes.”
But something’s shifting.
Scott Connell argues that 2026 marks a turning point. A movement from “uncertain” to “uncertain but hopeful.” The pandemic exposed cracks in attractional worship models, and now a course correction is underway. Churches are rediscovering congregational singing. Worship teams are growing larger and more inclusive. Song selection is becoming more theologically discerning.
Five hopeful developments are fueling this momentum: Lifeway Worship’s return under new leadership, Worship Initiative’s active engagement with SBC churches, SBCMC’s meteoric resurgence, surging energy in seminary worship programs, and the tireless work of state denominational musicians who are doing extraordinary things with limited resources.
Yet challenges remain. The SBC lacks a unified biblical vision for worship. Leadership influence is fragmented across regions. Resources are territorial rather than collaborative. And perhaps most urgent, churches face a supply-and-demand crisis in musical leadership while basic music instruction for children has all but disappeared.
Connell’s prescription? Three resolutions: reclaim a biblical vision that prioritizes universal participation over performance, foster open-handed partnership among all worship resources and training providers, and make every church member a lifelong musical worshiper.
The path forward requires reversing trends that have created non-singing environments. It demands discernment, cooperation, and a commitment to teaching God’s people to sing again. The question isn’t whether a new golden age is possible, it’s whether worship leaders will step up to ignite it.
Loading ...