Out with the Hymns, In with the New?

I’ve often been told that my position as a worship pastor may be one of the more difficult positions to hold within the church. Thankfully I had a professor in college prepare me in such a way that this type of descriptor for my job comes as no surprise. You see music is and always will be controversial. Everyone has their own opinion on it, and it seems that in regards to music, many speak openly with their opinion. This is not new. It can be traced all throughout the history of the church AND it can be traced in mainstream music as well.

Now before I open what is easily one of the biggest cans of worms in my profession, I’m going to direct my focus a little bit.

I recently had a conversation with a man who suggested that I consider removing hymns from my repertoire of worship songs as I lead. His premise was that with all the new music that is out there, why bother with the stuffy old (sometimes cheesy) songs?

Carefully and thoughtfully I responded to his suggestion.

As long as I lead, I choose not to reject all of the songs that have gone before me simply because they may be dated. Each generation has offered something different and unique. Are there songs that should probably never be sung again? Sure. But are there some gems that have been offered to the church through the many saints the Lord has blessed with the gift of music. Absolutely. I believe the same will be said of some of the music we are putting out today. I think it is healthy, respectful, and appropriate for us to draw from all generations of worship music, keeping in mind the congregation we are leading.

So, how do we make a choice of which pieces fit in each of these categories?

1) Is it biblically sound?

If I am picking a song for worship, I am less concerned with when the song was written and more concerned with how it stacks up against scripture. I believe that as worship leaders, we are given the RESPONSIBILITY of choosing the songs/words that people will sing/say to GOD! Think about that for a second…that is HUGE. In light of that responsibility, do you want to just sing fluffy, thoughtlessly chosen words? I don’t.

2) Will it be a distraction to your people?

I believe that part of our job as worship leaders is to give people an opportunity to enter into the presence of God as they worship through music. Removing distraction is part of that. If you’re rocking out to a bunch of newer worship songs and then throw in an older song arranged the way they did it when it was first written, that might not be a great fit…but it doesn’t mean you should not do the song. Perhaps those words are exactly what you need to fill that space. Be creative; try out a new arrangement (yours or someone else’s…there are many modern takes on the classics).

3) Consider the theology

As I studied hymns (in particular) while I was in college I discovered something interesting. Many of the hymns that are still current were not written by worship pastors but rather by the lead pastors of the church. They recognized the power of a song. If you take a popular tune that people know and place lyrics that teach on it, people will take that home with them. So, many pastors would write songs that held the rich theological teaching from their sermons so that their congregants would have that as an easy reminder of what they had been taught. Think about some of the worship music that is currently trending. Is it giving us biblical and theological truths that we can find our roots in?

Could I go on forever about this topic. Yes. Could I go on tangents here, there, and everywhere from parts I already touched on. Yes. But I’ll end with this.

People will leave church on any given Sunday morning repeating the words they have sung before they’ll go home quoting pieces of the sermon. They are also more likely to follow up Sunday by playing a CD than they are to read a theology book.

As worship leaders, songwriters, and congregants who think carefully about what we are singing, my charge for us is to be diligent in choosing, writing, and singing music that is biblically and theologically sound, and that removes distractions. Let's not put so much emphasis on when and where it came from and dig into the roots of what we are singing. I think if we begin to do this, we may gain a new found appreciation for the many generations in our churches.