Essential in our mission at Christian Sound & Song is to encourage music directors, leaders of worship, pastors, composers, and other church leaders in their ministries. Seeking to accomplish this across Christian denominations requires considering the essentials of what Christ was and is about: forgiving and saving grace, unconditional love and redemption, his presence as risen Savior and Messiah, and reconciliation to God. As my former pastor once said so beautifully, "Whenever I'm unsure of what to preach about, I return to the amazing love of Jesus."
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Knowing that music is an essential and important aspect of worship, we approach the subject of choosing what we should lead our congregations in singing with great humility and prayerful consideration.
Many valid musical forms successfully give glory to the Lord, and that argues against any simple, universal formula. If you will, there is no definitive set of dimensions by which we may tidily compartmentalize the faith words we might sing. You'll recognize many of the better-known compartments: "traditional, blended, or contemporary," "horizontal or vertical" (As Charlie Peacock has said, "God holds authority in all spheres and in all directions."), "plural or singular pronouns" (references to the worshiper/singer), "popular radio-played songs or worthy unknown or original songs." Different music leaders come down on different sides of these criteria, depending on their own body of experience and taste, but also depending on who is their preferred worship consultant, favorite Christian singer, or admired (or envied) church down the road.
In this issue [of Christian Sound & Song], Craig Gilbert shares useful thoughts about the importance of the words we sing in worship, and he further categorizes of worship lyrics as: scriptural, descriptive of God and his works, and human response to God. It's always good to be reminded that the words make a song Christian, no matter how beautiful or well-known the music. And Dr. Leslie Griffiths expounds eloquently [in "Charles Wesley: A Treasury of Theology in Song"] on the marvelously accessible theology contained in the unique rhymed verses penned by Charles Wesley more than two centuries ago.
Source: GBOD.org
Thomas LeFevre (ThomasDLeFevre@aol.com) is a UMC music director and worship leader and editor of Christian Sound & Song magazine. He has a contemporary gospel CD available at www.cdbaby.com/thomaslefevre. All proceeds benefit Red Cross Katrina relief.
