Barrel – gotta know your audience . In the future when we do this again , the prize will probably be “ call out your favorite Hymn and we ’ ll sing it .”
During HYMNO I would give a quick background on the hymn before we would sing it to help give everyone an understanding of what the original hymn-writers were going through as they composed these songs . I saw a lot of “ nodding & bobbing ” letting me know that this was sinking in with the people . We sang the 1st and last verse of each hymn and we encouraged any singers in the group to sing their respective voice parts . It was truly awesome to hear some old-school four-part harmonies , especially when we would go A Cappella .
The event ended with us singing Amazing Grace ; as we got to the last verse I had our very special guest pianist ( my Mom ) lay off so just our voices were filling the echoey fellowship hall . I looked out from the little platform and I could see every single person in the room participating . Some had their eyes closed , some had their hands raised , and some just smiled , but one thing was for sure , we were all truly worshiping our Lord and Savior , Jesus Christ .
Now , we ’ re still going to have a full band pretty much every Sunday with contemporary music and modern hymns . But by having a “ good oldfashioned ” Hymn Sing every once in a while , it helps to draw in parts of the congregation that may have had trouble fully engaging with the mission . A fun little bonus of this event was now I know of some other vocalists in the congregation who can actually sing out - they didn ’ t know they were being scouted , but always have your recruiting hat on !
Generally , I think people- including older congregations - are afraid of what they don ’ t know ( new songs ) and don ’ t understand ( contemporary and modern music ). If we give our congregations the opportunity to weigh in ( learn the songs ), then they ’ ll be more likely to buy in ( sing out ). This creates a culture of openness and understanding , which is crucial to Bridging the Gap for an Older Congregation .
Oh , and here ’ s another helpful tip : when you get a song request from someone , young or old , send them this song request form ( or print it out and hand it to them ). This will cut down on the “ Sunday Morning Jukebox ” mentality . That ’ s a whole ʼnother article .
Matt Miller Matt lives in Cincinnati , OH with his wife Kara and their daughter Melody . He ’ s the Head Coach of WorshipTeamCoach . com and WorshipWorkshop . com , two sites that help worship leaders make every Sunday exceptional . If you want to explore coaching or mentoring with the WorshipTeamCoach team visit this page . WorshipTeamCoach . com WorshipWorkshop . com
44 August 2023 Subscribe for Free ...