An essential principle in worship is the principle of the Congregational church. The church is a congregation. The church is a body of Christ. It is not a group of individuals but a body of one. So, when Paul noted that spirit-filled believers sing, he did not limit it to only the gifted. Consider again Ephesians 5:18-19, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” Note that we all are to address one another. In other words, everyone should be singing (Col 3:16).

Everyone is to sing in worship to God. Congregational singing paints the picture of the people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation redeemed by God’s blood singing together before His throne in the eternal kingdom. Vibrant singing reveals a healthy church. When no one is singing, it reveals a dead church. Sadly, many churches have replaced the congregation singing with a few gifted singers performing. To this, I reply, “Let the people sing!” Congregational singing should be the crown jewel of musical worship in the church. If the sound of worship in the church is to be the people singing, four principles must apply.

First, the music chosen for worship in the church must be singable. In other words, the music should lend itself easily to the average congregation member. Many songs performed by Christian artists do not lend themselves well to congregational singing. They were written for a single performer, not a group of untrained musicians. A song with a broad range (too high and too low), excessive or irregular syncopation, and irregular rhythm and meter create a challenging environment for congregational singing. These kinds of songs make the average member mumble, not sing wholeheartedly. For this reason, we usually try to choose hymns and songs written for congregational singing.

Second, the music chosen for worship in the church must be tasteful. The genre, volume, and instrumentation should serve the sound of the congregation, not the other way around. If the genre is of a worldly nature, the godly members of the congregation will not be able to participate in good conscience. Further, the style of the music must fit the lyrics. Some styles of music do not fit the message of the song. As a result, the message is lost. Some styles of music are inappropriate for a song. As a result, the message is lost. One would not sing the lyrics of lament to a Susa march, nor would one sing the lyrics of rejoicing in a funeral dirge.

Further, If the music is too loud, the beautiful sound of the congregation raising their voices in praise to God will be drowned out. If the instrumentation is too complex, ornate, or boisterous, the congregation’s attention is drawn away from the lyrics in worship. The guitar riff or piano solo might be impressive but distracts from the song’s message. The congregation should drive the singing, not the genre, volume, or instrumentation.

A key idea to remember is that the church is not a concert hall but a banquet hall. The congregation does not gather to be entertained but to feast on the Word. The music, the prayer, the reading, and the preaching must serve this purpose. As a result, what one listens to in private worship may not be appropriate or helpful in congregational worship. The music must serve the congregation in worship.

Third, and most importantly, the music chosen for worship in the church must be Biblical. Whether a song is new or old, loved or hated, preferred or tolerated, it has no place in the church if the lyrics are not Biblical. Further, the lyrics must be clearly Biblical. The song’s purpose in our mouth is edification and evangelism (Ps 40:3). If the lyrics are ambiguous or unbiblical, these dual purposes are destroyed. Too much modern “Christian” music could be sung to one’s boyfriend without changing anything. God is not our boyfriend. Some sacrifice truth for poetic license. Is reckless really the way we should describe God’s love? (Hint: look up the definition of reckless. To describe God’s love this way is heretical). These songs have no place in worship. Too many “Good Ole” songs have no clear message. What does it mean to bring in sheaves, and why are we doing it? And who in the world are we walking with in some garden at night by ourselves? The music must be unambiguous, clear, and above all, Biblically true. The church is the place of the Book. The songs must be songs of the Book.

Finally, the music chosen for worship in the church must be familiar. This is not to say that the church should refrain from singing new songs. However, there should be a balance to the new music introduced into the church. When people know a song, they will sing it out. The amount of new music a church can handle must be carefully evaluated on a congregation-by-congregation basis. If a church looks around its auditorium and people barely sing, it is doing it wrong. Let the people sing!

Worship is to make us more like Christ. As we enter the throne room of God, we see his glory and proclaim it to those around us. This means that when we gather together on Sunday, you look to make those around you more like Christ through your worship. Your singing is so that those next to you might hear the lyrics and agree. You remind them that they are not alone. When you pray, you encourage those around you that God is accessible. When you listen eagerly to the Word, you remind those around you that we serve a God of the Word and that he gives answers for life. Worship is for edification.

For edification to happen, the church must be a banquet hall, not a concert hall. We do not gather to be impressed by one’s musical or intellectual prowess, for that distracts from worship for God alone to God alone. Instead, we gather to feast on the Word! So we sing the Word, pray the Word, read the Word, preach the Word, and picture the Word in the ordinances so that we might go out and live the Word. To this end, we seek to obey the command to sing to one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We all sing. A healthy church sings. A dying church stands in silence. So let the people sing!

While our world tells us to have it our way, we must stand countercultural and state that we would rather have it God’s way. But we must understand that God’s way is not always the most emotionally stimulating way. God’s way is not always the most enjoyable way. God’s way is often a way of pain and hardship. God’s way is a way of sacrifice and edification. But God’s way is the only way to approach Him in worship and find lasting peace and joy.