Singing a New Song

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This past Sunday I introduced a new song in worship. I dearly love this congregation and they are predominantly in their 80s and 90s. Some are more open to something unfamiliar than others. I’m happy to report that they went for it, and I hope to introduce some more new music in coming weeks.

Psalm 96 asks us to sing a new song to the Lord. Our worship should be genuine and reflective of who we are and how we relate to God. Too often our worship is of the music itself or the liturgy that we like and have grown so comfortable with that we no longer need to think.

So how do we do this successfully, in an aging congregation or with young people? Here are some things that have worked well for me:

  1. Develop a great relationship with the Music Director/pianist/organist. Respect their knowledge and gifting, and work collaboratively, seeking their input. Especially if doing pulpit supply, this person is a lifeline for you as you navigate what music will fly and what won’t. Working as a team is incredibly important.

  2. Don’t introduce music just to be current or to ‘try something new’. Worship isn’t about impressing or wowing anyone. It’s about giving our best to God and educating the congregation so that they understand what they’re singing and why so that their worship can be sincere and heartfelt.

  3. Related to 2., choose music that not only praises God but resonates with the theme of the service, and which reflects the scriptures and teaching. Combat the ‘traditional vs. contemporary’ worship wars by choosing whatever helps the service to flow and is understandable and inspiring to worshipers. On a given Sunday I tend to have a mix of music with old hymns and newer hymns but never with a set formula.

  4. Be careful with how much new music is introduced at a time. Music fatigue can happen easily and overwhelm people. Watch for reactions and get feedback from the choir and congregation to help you tune in to how they are doing and how much they can handle.

  5. Set the table for success. Consider playing the tune as a prelude so people have heard it, sending a youtube video or otherwise teaching it to the choir ahead of time so they can back you up, having the choir or a soloist sing it as an anthem the week before to introduce it, and/or teaching the song in chunks rather than all at once to the congregation.

  6. Don’t worry if response is lukewarm the first time. Think carefully about how important the song is to what you are doing, how to try teaching it a different way or just repeating it the next week so that they can be more familiar with it and confident.

Music is so important to our experience of worship. It can move us differently from any other part of the service, drawing us closer to God. Too often we assume that the newest is best, but I truly believe that people are looking for authentic expressions of faith, not just the latest.

May God bless us as we strive to bring music that enables praise and brings glory to our Creator.