Fred McKinnon on bringing back the golden oldies… from 2005! (Fred talks about the Hillsong tune From the Inside Out later in this article – written by Joel Houston in 2005.)

Why can’t you just sing some of the older songs?

If you’ve been a worship leader for more than two weeks you’ve likely had this question. It’s rarely asked in a sincere tone and usually comes with a sting of harsh judgment.

I’ve been involved in worship ministry since I was a teenager. I watched the birth of what we would call the “modern worship music” and have seen it’s blessings over the years. I’ve also been caught up in the cross fire of the arguments and wars over musical style and selection.

I love new songs. I firmly believe in introducing new songs to our congregations. The final “Amen” at the end of the Book of Revelation was not the final “Amen” for those of us who are crafting songs to tell the great story of the Kingdom.

There is also something stirring and powerful about singing the old songs. Many worship leaders just don’t want to hear this. If that’s you and you feel a resistance building up as you read this, I hope you’ll take a deep breath and listen.

Continue reading.

Everything has a lifecycle. You. Me. Our churches. The TV shows we watch. The brand of cereal we eat. Even the catch-phrase epic fail, which many teenager have already stopped saying, but adults are just now picking up on it (and will say for the next eleven years).

Our worship songs are no exception. They are born. They grow. They die. Or at least fade to near obscurity.

We need to pay attention to how this lifecycle progresses in our churches. It’ll be different for every church. But in every church, songs have a shelf life. We can’t let them sit too long.

We could do fairly scientific measurement of the lifecycle of a song by using CCLI charting stats. But there are two issues. One issue: I’m too ADHD for that kind of research. But the most important issue: CCLI numbers aren’t your numbers. They take into account what a bazillion other churches are doing. Case in point: is “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” in your top 25? (As of this writing, it’s barely hanging on at #24 on the CCLI charts).

Continue reading.

Kristen Gilles on clapping in church:

Have you ever given thought to why we clap our hands during or after we sing a song of praise in our gathered congregation? Have you ever wondered why some congregations are eager to clap their hands while others are reluctant during worship services?

I’ve thought much about this in the last few weeks and months, leading worship at my church. A recent conversation with Sojourn New Albany Worship Director Justin Shaffer encouraged me to ponder these things even more deeply. He and I were observing how at some service times, the congregation is exuberant and often claps their hands after we finish singing our praises and prayers to the Lord. And then there are other times when there’s hardly a peep of excitement after we just finished belting out our praises and acknowledgments of God’s extreme goodness and kindness to us in Christ.

It’s hard for us leaders not to attempt to measure our worth by the responsiveness of our congregation to each song. We should not be measuring “our” success as worship leaders in this way, but it’s a temptation every worship leader must confront. May the Lord help us keep our eyes fixed upon Him and our hearts fully in awe of HIS perfect success in making our praise beautiful and acceptable.

Continue reading.

Dr. Tom Lawson, professor of New Testament, Old Testament and Worship at Ozark Christian College, on the new generation’s move towards liturgy in worship:

Welcomed or not, the contemporary music-centered approach to worship that has been both dominant and effective most large and mega church worship service is being challenged. This challenge, however, does not come from traditionalists who are still demanding a return to the Hammond B3 and southern gospel. This challenge, which has been slowly growing over the past decade, is coming from the same age-group that once pioneered praise bands and raising hands: Teens and young adults.

Fortunately, the shift does not seem to be as sudden or as dramatic as when the college graduates who grew up in the 1970s and 80s entered into church leadership roles in the 1990s. That era was one in which two dramatically different approaches to worship, especially the style and role of music, came into direct conflict in the so-called worship wars.

As I have noted in several earlier posts,* there is strong anecdotal evidence points to an increasing number of young adults who have grown up in evangelical churches are drawn toward worship experiences that are more intimate, less polished, and often more liturgical than the worship of their home churches.

In a recent survey taken in our required (for all students) worship class, the results seem to demonstrate the shift is already at the point those leading worship need to at least make note of it. Admittedly, a sample of 30 students is too small to provide proof. But, since the class is made up of the general student population (as opposed to only those involved in worship leading), it does provide an opportunity to take the general pulse of where (at least our) college students are in regard to approaches to corporate worship. The average age in the class is about 20.

Continue reading.