| How-To's on Congregation Involvement |
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Today, I’d like for you to focus your attention on the largest choir in your church. Unless your situation is really, really different from the rest of us, that “largest choir” is the congregation. I've discussed in the past the importance of your congregation’s participation in worship, but just how do we do our part to help energize their singing? Most of us would like to see at least a little more involvement from the congregation when it comes to the hymns and choruses chosen for a service. Here are a few ideas that, with a little thought and preparation, can help transform passive attenders into active worshipers.
1: Try to select hymns and choruses that fit the flow of the service rather than simply choosing familiar songs that everyone knows. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with familiar songs, but try to concentrate on developing a theme or establishing a progression that helps the congregation “make a statement”. They will appreciate the chance to give expression to their experience or their sense of worship. 2: Create medleys consisting of hymns or choruses or a mixture of both. Some hymnals will supply you with ready-made medleys such as the worship sequences found in Sing to the Lord (Lillenas Publishing Co.). Medleys of carols are especially appealing during the Advent/Christmas season. If you’re creating your own medley, be sure to take into consideration thematic content, singable modulations, contrasting but complementary tempi, and what is to be sung unison, divisi, or with a descant. You may wish to print the words in your bulletin or worship folder to eliminate page turning and general confusion, assuming you don’t use lyrics projected onto a screen. If you do this, be certain the text is in the public domain or that your church is covered by a CCLI license. 3: Try coupling a familiar text to a familiar tune that is different than the one normally associated with it. It’s amazing how new life can be breathed into a hymn text by singing it to new music. This often brings out new shades of meaning and nuance to the words that, somehow, we missed before. The metrical index in your hymnal is very helpful along these lines. 4: Words of introduction (but not too many!) and an invitation to sing are almost always welcome. Try sharing why the hymn or chorus was chosen for the service, its scriptural basis, or even a very brief background sketch on how the song came to be written. This will help the congregation understand why it was included. 5: Periodically, select a choral anthem that includes, or can be adapted to include, portions in which the congregation joins the choir in singing. It’s a thrill for most congregations to sing in a “stylized” manner. Hymn arrangements or songs with familiar choruses work very well for this approach. These are also especially exciting when the accompaniment is beefed up a little by incorporating brass, handbells, or orchestra. 6: Write an original hymn text for a particular occasion or celebration in your church that can be sung to a well-known tune. Better yet, invite the congregation to write their own, and include them in appropriate settings or in a hymn festival or service of praise. You might be surprised at the creativity within your ranks just waiting for a chance to unfold. Several hundred years ago the Reformation placed the singing of hymns back into the hands (or is it voices?) of the congregation. Let’s be sure we do our part to maintain this emphasis. The Bible says that we’ll spend an eternity praising the Lamb. If we’re uncomfortable with it here on earth, what do you think heaven is going to be like? To receive more great articles just like this one and get information for the small choir get a free subscription to Easy 2 Excel Communiqué. Just mail your request to: Lillenas Publishing Company |
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| Easy 2 Excel Communiqué Article Spring 1997, Edition 136429 and 130204 |