While it could be said that we are “old”, “stuck in our ways”, and “unrelenting in our opinions”, we would like to state our beliefs regarding the music in current day churches. No one church can be singled out; in our experience the trend of limited hymns and the ever-increasing use of contemporary music is prevalent in most protestant churches.

We cherish the relevance of the message in hymns. The theology, Biblical truths, inspiration, admonishments, praise, reverence, and bonding are what hymns bring to the Christian worshiper.

When we are asked to “picture the Holy Spirit” in a church service, perhaps we need to ask how could there be a bonding experience which allows the participant to verbally express the “feeling”. Hymns allow for a more authentic response of emotional expression. We want the words to be in our head and heart, and mouth, because they allow us to articulate the good news of Christ’s gospel.

Are the churches of today achieving their goal of communal worship? Are we being invited to sing in a manner we can follow and feel somewhat confident? Unity and harmonious worship is not being achieved by performers chanting new, and newer, simple sentences, over and over again. Many times the worshiper listens (and is expected to participate) to a variety of contemporary songs, with no idea of changing tones, how to harmonize, when to sing or not sing. Oh my, heaven forbid, the screen projector misses a page change! What to do; what to do? Hum…..smile…..look perplexed? Where is our unity? Personally, we don’t want to struggle with the notes and be consistently involved in a guessing game. Looking around the congregation, there is a sense that the guessing game is frustrating for most.

There is an extreme need in today’s culture for a display of social consciousness. The traditional hymn relates the way our faith should radically impact the way we relate to our world. Hymns are written for group singing. They are not intended for individual performance, but group reinforcement. Hymnody is a diverse and unbiased collection, adopting the best of every generation. The message of the hymn is the voice of the people, instead of the congregation’s entertainment.

The purpose of music in our churches is NOT to attract unbelievers. A hymn does not mimic present day music style, by word or note. Generations of Christians should be able to worship in this sensory experience. Our purpose is to come together as His children; singing, speaking, preaching and praying that “old, old story” so that we can be remade further into Christ’s likeness. The complete picture of our worship is to bring the saints of old, the current and future child of God into one understanding. It’s not about simply wanting more tradition in our Sunday morning experience, it’s about saving the wealth of wisdom so desperately needed in today’s social and church culture.

Is it any wonder our churches are suffering declining attendance. Doesn’t the church propose to be for the worshiper…..isn’t it OUR church? Why then, are we not participating? Are we, as a congregation, failing the leadership; or is the leadership failing the worshiper? The basics of worship have been forgotten. The joy of hearing a congregation joyfully sing God’s praises is inspirational. We hunger for the words and music expressing our deep faith. We long for an environment that evokes our real, heartfelt and vocal participation.