Worship Songs-Part 2

Dear Pastors

Worship Songs-Part 2

After sending out last week’s blog I reached out to Grant Norsworthy to have a chat about this subject. As a result I thought a follow up piece might be helpful. It is certainly interesting.

Here is a short Bio. Grant is a professional muso. Grammy nominated & Dove Award winning musician - former member of successful CCM bands Sonicflood & PC3 (Paul Colman Trio). Founder, content developer & principal instructor of More Than Music Mentor - providing online & onsite training for the heart & the art of worshipping musicians & technicians. Produced “The Blessing | Aotearoa/New Zealand” virtual choir YouTube song video. Grant now lives in Nelson, NZ.

I asked Grant five questions:-

What are you looking for in a suitable worship song for congregational singing?

To me, songs are vehicles that help the participants in that song make a journey to a destination. When it comes to songs for a gathering of Christian Believers the destination should be a deeper connection with God - the Truth of the Gospel - and with each other - our Church community.

I know: That might sound like two destinations, but to me it’s one and the same.

So, a good “worship song” (as they are commonly called) will help the particular group of people I find myself leading - the congregation - ascribe worth to God together.

The humanly observable outcome I’m aiming for - the indication that we are ascribing worth to God through the song together - is that we - the whole congregation - are all actually singing the song.

So, musically, the songs should be singable by the group I’m leading. Lyrically, the song should declare our best understanding of The Gospel using language that the group I’m leading can relate to.

You and I have talked about ‘good theology’ in the songs we sing. Why is this so important?

Because songs are especially sticky! Stickier than most sermons I’d say. The songs we sing make a difference to the trajectory of lives and relationship with God. I want to look at a song’s lyrics and make a thoughtful, prayerful decision about whether or not a particular congregation should be singing it or not. Is it a helpful lyric? Does this lyric resonate with the way this particular group of people are being shepherded by their leadership? Will this lyric bring clarity or potentially create confusion/disunity/confusion?

So, yes, the theology expressed through song lyrics is important. We want to be singing songs with lyrics that are prayers to God, praises of God, declarations of our best understanding of God’s truth or perhaps even a description of how we respond to God.

Do you consider the song writer and where she/he comes from in selecting a song?

Honestly, I don’t. I tend to look at a song as a vehicle - a stand-alone, isolated component - that could potentially assist in the journey or not. I’ll use or not use a song based on my own intentional assessment of the song itself.

Some people will disagree with me on this. I think your question is actually fishing around the idea that, if a song comes from a writer who’s had some public failure of faith, or from a church that holds different theology from what I hold, I should reject the song. I don’t do that.

If you take that position to the logical extreme, we must ask: How close to perfect does the song writer need to be? How perfectly matched to mine does the church’s theology need to be? How deep do I need to look? Why stop at the song writer or the church they’re from? How about the singer? The bassist? Why stop at songs? What about authors of books? Publishing houses? Do I need to check the lifestyle and theology of the tradesperson who installs our church’s wifi?

Some songs seem to evoke quite some emotion. What is your view on songs that do this? OR what is the place of emotion in the songs we sing?

Emotions - in and of themselves - are not good or bad. Some people are more prone to feeling or showing emotions than others. Some people more easily resonate emotionally through music in general than others.

Some Believers seem to have music in their gatherings primarily in the hope that they receive an emotional experience of God. Others seem to have music in their gatherings so they come to a deeper intellectual understanding of God. Each can be valuable. There’s a place for both. Some people are wired more for one than the other I’d say. Thank God we’re not all the same!

But both experiences of God and theology of God can easily become idols. We can slip into the trap of chasing experiences or theology rather than God! We ought to worship God and only God. It is perilously possible to worship our experiences or our theology rather than God Himself.

To me, God operates however He wants. He’s God! He may use an emotional pathway to connect with a person. This connection might be facilitated by songs. The currency of songs is emotion. A great song for me is a song that evokes strong emotions in me. Do these emotions point me towards the ultimate truth of God, or away? That’s the bigger question.

Please give three examples of songs that you would recommend for the average NZ congregation?

1. “Amazing Grace” / “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”: I’ll be ready to lead it in a John Newton (1779) style or a Chris Tomlin (2006) style.
2. “King of Kings” (Hillsong): An excellent modern (2019) hymn.
3. “Tuhia (There is But One Love)”: It’s good for kiwi churches to sing kiwi written songs.

If you would like to have a further ‘chat’ to Grant or invite him to your church you are welcome to contact him at me@grantnorsworthy.com

Blessings
Alan