Urban Ministry

“Praying Twice: The Role and Theology of Congregational Song in Christian Worship”

INTRODUCTION

The church phone rang on a recent Sunday morning.  The woman on the other end of the line was inquiring about our corporate worship gathering.

"It starts at 11:00 AM, right?"

"That's correct" I responded, sensing a little hesitation in her question.

"And your service," she continued slowly, "is it contemporary or traditional?"  I figured since she had the time of the service right, she already knew the answer to the former question and it was simply a lead-in to the latter question, the point of her call.

"How would you describe ‘contemporary'?" I asked, attempting to diagnose what she was looking for, and seeking how I might find a little common ground in this conversation with someone I'd never met.  (I wasn't trying to be difficult.  Our worship style is more "contemporary" than some.  [We sing a number of songs that have been composed in the last fifty years, relatively new within the scheme of Christianity].  But our worship is less "contemporary" than others.  [We do recite the creeds with some frequency, we don't use an abundance of visual technology, and we do occasionally sing a Wesley hymn, "Amazing Grace", or other hymns composed before 1900].) 

"I mean do you use drums and electric guitars?"  She had finally reached the purpose for her phone call and the destination of what she really wanted to know.

I could answer that question every easily.  "We have a drum set and guitars and we do use them on some but not on all songs." 

I don't remember if she thanked me or just hung up.  I do remember my response essentially became her exit ramp for our conversation.  I also remember that there were no female visitors over the age of 15 at our church that Sunday. 

That conversation is similar to many others that pastors, worship leaders, and congregants frequently experience.  These conversations typically work around these kinds of questions: What do we sing and how do we sing it? Why do we sing? Where does our music come from? Who is responsible for what we're singing? These are important questions that merit our careful attention as worship leaders.

In his book, Praying Twice: The Music and Words of Congregational Song, Brian Wren addresses not only the aesthetics and packaging of congregational singing within a corporate worship service (the subjects covered in "What?" and "How?" questions), but the theology behind it (the "Why?" question).  Wren's book served as a dialogue partner in writing this paper as we look primarily at the why question and then briefly address the other questions that spin out of the conversation ("What," "Where," and "Who?").  

WHY DO WE SING?

Many conversations like the one mentioned above begin with the worship style, the age of the songs, and the type of instruments used in congregational song.  While those elements are not unimportant, they should not be the core of the matter.  Before we ask, "What do we sing?," (hymns or praise songs and choruses, songs that have been around for a couple hundred years or songs that are new within the last decade) and "How do we sing?," (with an organ and a robed choir, or with a praise team, electric guitars and a drum set), we should ask, "Why do we sing?"  The way we answer that question will inform the other two.

In his book, Wren wrote two chapters that are helpful as we discuss this question.  The first addresses "Why Congregational Song is Indispensable". In it he argues, "Congregational song does important things that speech alone cannot do, and its distinguishing marks have theological implications (54)."  Congregational singing has a unique ability to educate and shape us.

Music, like other art forms, speaks to parts of the brain that words alone do not  and cannot stimulate.  Music is able to connect with and move the body of its hearers.  Think of times you've heard a march and your heart begins to race or times when you have involuntarily tapped your toe or clapped your hands or moved any part of your body when you have heard a song.  Music moves us.  Sometimes it happens without the individual or group even thinking about it (for better or worse).     

The God we are called to love with "heart, soul, mind, and strength" (Mark 12:30) desires to speak to us and form us through each of those parts of our being.  Music takes its place as one indispensable way for God to reach people and to be shaping us into the image of Christ through our heart, our soul, our mind and our body.  In congregational singing, the Spirit not only forms and shapes individuals but shapes the Church communally as it gathers to worship, remember, exhort, and tell the story.

Wren lays out five potential characteristics of the congregational song.  They are the theological reasons, he argues, that the congregational song must be a part of the corporate Christian worship experience. At its best, corporate worship through singing can be:

Formative: shaping and modeling our faith as it tells a story within the whole story of God in Christ and draws us into the drama of God's saving love;

Transformative: moving us from isolation to belonging, indifference to interest, interest to conviction, and conviction to commitment;

Cognitive: giving us something to ponder and think about;

Educational: teaching us something we didn't know about the Bible, the church, and Christian faith;

Inspirational: lifting us out of ourselves into hope, joy, and peace. (Wren, 71)
 
Why do we sing?  Because, as we sing the Kingdom of God comes a little bit, both in each of us individually, and in all of us collectively.  Disciples are being made (Matthew 28:19) and Christ is being formed in us (Galatians 4:19). In our singing, individuals and congregations, are becoming The Church and being The Church.  They are simultaneously expressing the Gospel and interacting with the Spirit within the Gospel story.

The second important chapter for the purpose of our topic is Wren's diagnoses of "How Hymns Do Theology" (the final chapter in his book).  Wren argues each mode of communicating or "doing" theology has inherent strengths and weaknesses.  Because of the strengths it inherently possesses the congregational song is needed.  But because of its weaknesses other forms are necessary too.  (The logic is thoroughly Biblical  - see 1 Corinthians 12, particularly verses 15ff). For instance, how would one describe the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains, the lifelong love of a spouse, or the death of a child?  You could use words (the canyon is this wide and this deep or we've been married for this many years and have this many children).   Such verbal information conveys data.  But words alone convey little or no emotion.   

Words can only describe one layer of our thoughts and insight into an experience.  Mere words cannot express the physical reaction one might have to the news your offspring will never breathe another breath (you'll never see them again and you weren't able to be with them in the most horrifying moment of their life.  We need something more than words or a lecture or a "just the facts" telling of the story to even be able to begin to get at such an experience. How much more true this is when describing the Person and activity of the God who was, and is and is to come!  Music allows us to move in a direction and to depths and heights words alone cannot take us. 

Have you ever watched a movie with the sound turned down?  Scenes which had been emotionally riveting, or bone chilling, or heart stirring become bland, and in some cases, comical.  (An example of this might be the shower scene in the movie "Psycho" or a battle scene in "Glory".)  What made the difference?  The music was gone.  If a director needs every tool at her disposal to make you think and feel what they want you to think and feel, how much more does a theologian require the full breadth of tools to help convey the story of the indescribable and unapproachable God?   

It is out of this vein Wren offers a more expansive vision of theology He writes:

Christian theology is done when anyone attempts, by artistic skill and creativity,  the interplay of intellect and imagination, and/or the methods of reasoned enquiry,  to grasp, to know, and to understand the meaning of God's creating, self- disclosing, and liberating activity centered and uniquely focused in Jesus Christ.  (Wren, 364)

Notice Wren connects "intellect and imagination".  How often do we think of theology as a function of both?  And if both intellect and imagination are necessary to have a chance at a vibrant, well-rounded theology, we must ask ourselves how we can include the theological "arts" to ensure that they are allowed to offer something valid in understanding, communicating and experiencing relationship with God.  This argument will affect how we deliver theology from the pulpit and in the classroom, utilizing all manners and modes of communication from websites to worship services.

Few would deny that participating in Handel's Messiah or seeing a work of art or standing at the ocean's shore have the capability to give theological insight or move a person spiritually in a way unlike sitting in the class of even the greatest theological professors and or hearing the sermons of the greatest preachers.  A work and witness trip of "doing and seeing" might change the worldview of a person forever in a way that a thousand missionary sermons, stories and books might not ever be able to do. In a similar way, a congregational song can make an impact, give new insight, bring back a memory, or stir the soul to deeper commitment in a way words never can.

However, for all of the congregational song's capabilities, Wren also sees the shortcomings of theological arts.  A sermon or lecture is able to give nuance and detail beyond that of the best Isaac Watts hymn or Chris Tomlin song.  The music is able to move us but it is restricted to a few words having the tendency to generalize, simplify, or require explanation.  Congregational song plays a powerful role in theology, but is insufficient on its own to do some of the heavy lifting required of details and speech.

Yesterday in our worship service we were preparing to sing, "In Christ Alone" by Stuart Townsend and Keith Getty.  However I chose to change a phrase of the second verse that reads, "Till on the cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied" to "Till on the cross, as Jesus died, the love of God was magnified".  My inquisitive guitar player asked about the change.  We had a great discussion about God's wrath and the proper place for it in scripture and our theology.  Was the song saying God was full of wrath at people or at sin?  It was a great question that couldn't be handled in singing the song alone.   It could only be discussed in more detail through conversation.

CONCLUSION:  QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION 

Like much insightful communication, Wren's book leaves more loose ends than it ties up and causes more questions to be asked than when we started reading the book.  I'd like to ask two questions and leave them unanswered for now.

The first question is, "Where does the music we use each week in the worship services we attend, come from?"  I don't mean which book or hymnal.  Nor am I primarily concerned who composed it or wrote it or who we have heard play or sing it. Instead, I'm wondering, using Wren's words, what, if anything, is indispensable about the songs or hymns we'll use this coming week in worship?  What are they contributing to the theological and spiritual formation of the congregation that would be missing if we didn't use them?   Does the music come from a deep sense that it has something to say to this people in this place at this time?  Does the music bring to life passages and images from Scripture?  Does the Word still truly become flesh and make his dwelling among us and does He use these songs to do it?  If so, what type of music does God want to "wear" this week to do his work among us?  Can the Spirit use it to speak to and reshape our heart, soul, mind and strength?  Does it speak to all four of these?  Or is the music simply meant to entertain us, fill time, or "lead up" to the sermon?   Where does the music come from and where is it taking us?

The second question that comes out of this reading is, "Who is responsible for what we are singing?"  Wren answers this question by suggesting pastors, worship leaders, and congregations are all responsible for the selection of the music (Wren, 47).  But I wonder if we see the uniqueness of this gift of congregational singing the Spirit has given to the Church.  Are pastors being faithful stewards of music as a means of grace?  Does the pastor give as much time, thought and discussion to congregational song as to the sermon?  Is the pastor as involved in planning the singing as in prayer?  Do we see the sermon and the music as having similar potential in the ability to make us disciples?  Do you think people are more likely to be reciting a line of a sermon or humming a line of a song from the worship service this coming week?  (If we think about how widely Charles Wesley is sung as compared to how widely his brother John is quoted, we might rearrange our time and energy!) 

Wren intends for his book to incite discussions not serve as the final word.  My hope for this paper is the same. This conversation is not resolved but it needs - desperately - to be pursued.

SIDEBAR:

CONGREGATIONAL SINGING:  TOOLS TO HELP WITH THE "WHAT"

Sometimes in the course of ministry we become consumed with "What are we going to sing?"   In the front of the most recent edition of my denomination's hymnal (Sing to the Lord, Lillenas Publishing Co., Kansas City 1993), we read that it "includes some of the finest new hymns and congregational songs, written by today's church, for today's church."  But the Foreword continues, "It also offers many of the greatest hymns of all the ages."  This approach is thoroughly Biblical and thoroughly Wesleyan.  Don't lose your roots.  Keep connected to the past.  Recite the creeds.  Be a person of 1 book.  But also be open to the movement of the Spirit.  See where God is at work today and cooperate in that place and with that new method if at all possible.

In our congregation, one of the ways we do this is to wed many of the "old hymns" with songs that are currently heard on the web, on cd's, at concerts, and out of some mega churches .  It is our attempt to solidly reside within the tradition and history of the Church while also staying receptive and "on our toes" to current activities of the Holy Spirit. 

One tool that can be helpful in this endeavor is the Resources For Worship Planning:  A Companion to the Hymnal Sing to the Lord.  The companion gives some keys to help get the most out of the hymnal topically, scripturally, and musically.  (The modulation section on pages 24-26 is particularly helpful in planning with musicians the transition from one song or hymn to the next.)

Another potential aid is the number of people who are recording current versions of old hymns.  A quick search on the web reveals people like Fernando Ortega, Michael W. Smith, Chris Rice, Jars of Clay, and the David Crowder Band, just to name a few, as current artists who have found value from, and breathed another generation of life into, some songs that may have begun to fall into disuse.  They give us a new vision for what could be if we have the will to translate those hymns into our setting. 

A congregation could use either live musicians who are able to replicate those versions or a congregation could find ways to bring a karaoke type of worship experience of sights and sounds by downloading it off the web and putting it onto the large screen at church.  (There are a number of examples of "creationscape" videos combined with lyrics and music.  Of course, we need to make sure that we are honoring copyright law.)   But such tools make it possible for nearly every church to combine the best of the new and the best of the old in a way that honors God and makes a powerful impact upon the life of the Church.  

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schwanz, Keith Schwanz.  Resources for Worship Planning.  Kansas City:  Lillenas Publishing Company, 1993.

Wren, Brian.  Praying Twice:  The Music and Words of Congregational Song.  Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 2000.