Why aren’t congregations singing?

My Pastor recently forwarded an article to me that outlined “Nine Reasons Congregations Aren’t Singing Anymore.” Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen several articles floating around on the subject. I believe we have missed a few more fundamental issues based on true Bible-based worship.  

First, it is important that we start with having Biblical worship services.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psalm 100:4

And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

Matthew 26:30

If the Apostles and true Apostolic church carried out the format of services that they had received from Jesus and the Scriptures; they likely continued singing songs and hymns as part of their corporate worship.

A lot of the articles claim that the reason for congregations not singing is because they do not know the lyrics. Articles have claimed that this over-abundance of song choices is a result of the now-popular lyrics being projected on the walls of churches. I’m not sure that is actually what caused churches to have access to more songs. It may have been during the same time frame that churches made the shift to more modern worship, but I don’t think it is THE reason congregations aren’t singing.

 Contrarily, the projected lyrics are easier to follow for someone unchurched and non-musical than a hymnal where the lyrics are mixed in with the musical notation, including codas, etc. 

Some have suggested returning to the hymnals. I personally do not believe that this is the answer exclusively. I feel there are hymns that have depth and application to current times that are effective, and we should certainly keep them and sing them. However, there are some hymns that our worship leaders have tried to sing, and they simply are not effective either because the melodies and/or timing are hard to follow, or the lyrics are somewhat obsolete, so the younger congregation does not connect with them.

Two examples I would offer: 
1. He Brought Me Out of the Miry Clay – we have attempted to sing this song a couple of times in 2019. The lyrics can be a tongue-twister and they are sang quite quickly. There is a huge jump in range from the verses to the chorus, so it is difficult to find the “perfect key” for everyone to be comfortable singing along. Our praise singers cringe with this song is on the list simply because of the range! 
2. On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand – the lyrics contain words such as sweetest frame, stormy gale, within the veil, which are not terms commonly used today, so relating to the lyrics is difficult. But more importantly, the change in tempo between verses and choruses is distracting and hard to follow. I think this was a commonly applied musical technique in older hymns, but is not commonly used today, so when it is, if the worship leader is not really strong at leading those types of musical changes, it becomes distracting. (PS – I really like this song, and would like to modernize it a bit, so we can do it more often.)

Please know that my comments are not in disrespect for hymns. I completely appreciate the value and have found refuge in many of the lyrics. ‘Tis So Sweet & No Not One are two hymns that carried me through a very low place. It Is Well is also a song whose lyrics have helped me deal with personal loss. And many other songs on the topic of The Blood, Heaven, Consecration & Prayer… 

I believe a few missed root causes for lack in congregational participation are the following: 

1. Worship leaders cater to their desires more than the needs of the audience. It is more difficult to play hymns for newer musicians. The chord progressions are not as common or popular. In addition, playing “church music” can get boring, because the chord progressions are so repetitive. We should also consider the lack of focus, or need for constant stimulation, causes younger musicians (and even audiences) to lose interest quickly. As a result of these issues, worship teams are constantly on the search for something of interest to them – forgetting the impact on the congregation. 
This is also the reason for selecting songs that have lack of lyrical depth. The musicians are drawn to the “experience” of the song, and not the actual meaning. They want the chord progression, the dynamics, the instrumentation. It’s all for personal enjoyment at the sacrifice of audience involvement. 

2. Worship leaders lack anointing and direction from the Spirit. Oftentimes, we blame the song… when we really need to look at the worship leader. I am not casting stones. I’ve been guilty on too many occasions of lacking spiritual depth, and as a result, my selection was a list of “go-to” songs rather than songs that are God-directed. 

This is seen many times in people creating “set lists” days and weeks prior to a service. I believe that you can get direction for a service days in advance, but we also know that God can take us a different direction without much notice. If that’s not in the “set list,” then it’s not allowed. For a lot of churches, their set lists also coincide with pre-recorded loops, set tempos and pre-determined intros. This professionalism, as referenced in the article, lacks flexibility to follow the leading of the Spirit.

3. Modern worship songs lack depth, and as a result, the people aren’t impacted by them enough to learn the lyrics.
We need more songwriters that write songs from experience. Songs that lack depth cannot be sung with passion. As a result, people do not find themselves reinforcing the lyrics by singing them outside of the four walls of our churches. There are recently written songs that we use that have great depth and are sung by young and old outside of our services. A few that come to mind – So I’ve come to tell you He’s alive… Even when I don’t see it he’s working… I won’t go back to the way it used to be… His blood still works… Something happens when I mention your name… Jesus, what a wonder you are… 

4. Modern worship songs lack quality and uniqueness and as a result, the congregation has a hard time learning the lyrics. A big complaint that I have about a lot of the modern worship songs that I hear is their lack of individuality. It’s like they took the exact same progression and melody lines, and they simply changed the words. Again, looking for something new and great, and not something moving and anointed. 

I am grateful for Bible-based training in worship and song selection. It is difficult to find songs, but most of the time, when we do something new, we know it is going to have depth and effectiveness. (We are not perfect for sure. Sometimes we miss it altogether.) There needs to be a balance in all things – old songs, new songs, and in various styles. Our goal is leading our congregation in worship. As our congregations become more and more diverse, it’s important that our songs minister to all members of the congregation and help them move into a place of worship. 

What have your experiences been with your congregations? What are some other factors that I’ve missed?