Why your church doesn’t sing… and what you can do to fix it! (Part 2)
And whether or not you believe your church is experiencing this right now, the recent trends point to the fact that more and more congregations are singing “less and less”.
Over the next few weeks I want to tackle THREE BIG REASONS for this decline in congregational singing. The good news is it is within our power as pastors and worship leaders to correct all three… if we’ll get honest about the cause and be willing to make some small (but important) adjustments to our worship leading.
So, let’s look at the first reason your congregation isn’t singing, and what you can do about it…
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In the 2010 New York governor’s race, candidate Jimmy McMillan gained fame (and an SNL spoof) with his slogan, “The rent is too ____ high.”
The same can be said for much of the worship music being led in churches these days (minus the ____ of course). The songs being released on worship albums and Christian radio are perfect for professional artists, but too high for your congregation to sing.
Now – I realize that when Chris Tomlin releases a new album that the producers put the songs in the key that is best for Chris (which I’m all for). But that key is usually not best for your congregation. In fact, I rarely (if ever) do a Chris Tomlin song in the original key at The Journey. We have to make adjustments to ensure that the songs we’re leading are accessible to those in our church.
The average person can sing only about an octave, and cannot readily sing anything over a D. Yet, almost all of the songs being written today push the melody to E and way beyond. While it may sound great in your voice, the men and women in your congregation are struggling to sing along in a key that simply doesn’t fit them.
Since the people in your church aren’t professional singers with a wide vocal range, you need to lower the key so they can sing it.
Now, I know what you’re thinking… Does this mean we can never sing above a D?
I don’t think so. In fact, in a high energy song you can “bump up against” E or F a few times because the congregation is singing out. However, in slower songs where the energy is lower, it’s much more difficult for the church to reach those same notes.
One last thing… I’ve found that you can often develop general rules for certain artists and songs. For example, I generally lower Chris Tomlin songs a third to make them more accessible. Hillsong Live and Matt Redman tend to be pretty close so I may lower them a second or even lead some songs in the original key. Generally speaking, hymns are written in singable keys for men and women.
What’s important is that when selecting the music for Sunday you think about the people in your church who will be singing these songs (and I’m not talking about the vocal team).
If you make it easier for them to sing, even if it’s a little lower than you like, the congregation will respond by lifting their voices in song.
Your partner in ministry,
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TUESDAY MORNING INSIGHTS is Jason Hatley’s free weekly training resource specifically designed to provide you as a worship leader with proven principles, tips and practices to help you lead a healthy and thriving Worship Arts Team.
About Jason Hatley and Worship Leader Insights 
Jason has been a worship leader since 1996. He invests in Worship Pastors around the country through interactive coaching networks and worship planning resources. He has been a featured break-out speaker at the Willow Creek Arts Conference, The Purpose Drive Worship Conference, as well as seminars around the country. He has a B.M. in Sacred Music Performance from Appalachian State University.
Jason is the author of Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services and Revolve: A New Way to See Worship as well as over a dozen worship leader personal and ministry growth resources.
Jason and his family currently live in Boca Raton, FL where he serves as the Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey’s newest campus in South Florida.
