The Simple but Good Nature of Modern Western Worship Music

From the beginning, we see music and singing used as a means for expressing worship to God. The styles and forms of the music have changed dramatically over the millennia, from ancient Near-Eastern songs to Gregorian chant to cantatas and mass. Pop/rock songs are the current style (in this blog post, I am addressing the American/Western Church which is my home), and the precedent of using the popular music as a basis for worship music goes back to Bach and before.

Today almost all, with a few exceptions, modern worship music has the same chords, rhythm, and structure. If you play an instrument (acoustic guitar is the modern manifestation of the harp we imagine angels play), see how many worship songs can be played using only the chords C, G, D, A, and e minor. And every worship song is in 4/4 time. If writing a song, be sure to use the format of verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, bridge, chorus chorus. The melody should not be too complicated and the rhythms should not be too syncopated (placing the emphasis on a weaker beat within a measure).

Is it a problem that modern worship music is so much of the same music theory and structure recycled? What would J S Bach think? (Back in his day, Bach wrote the worship music for each week's service).

I believe the answer is no, it is not a problem. There are important characteristics and Kingdom principles reflected in the simple/redundant style of modern worship music. We have to ask ourselves, what is the goal of our worship music? Is it to perform a great rock concert? Hopefully not. Is it to glorify God by expressing our creativity? While I strongly believe one of the best ways we glorify God is through using our creativity, it is okay for Sunday mornings to not be the pinnacle of our creativity. Instead, worship music should be about the body of Christ coming together and expressing worship and value and thanks to God. 

While this is not required, I believe the worship music we sing should be easy enough for non-professional worship teams to play. You should not need to have studied at a music conservatory to perform worship music. It should be simple enough that people who have full-time jobs outside of the church are able to play and participate on the team. Perhaps a worship pastor or someone employed full-time by the church will have time to learn complicated songs, but if we set this as our expectation we alienate anyone else within the church body who wanted to serve but does not have the hours to dedicate to learning new songs. We should also be aware of the pressure to professionalize the worship team. There can be the unhealthy expectation for perfect technique and flawless performance, and while musicians should aim to give God their best musically, we are not at church to see a band perform. People may think they want a rock concert on Sunday morning, but what they need is to participate in a corporate time of expressing love to God.

The songs we sing at church should also be simple enough for new people to join in. The goal is not to see a concert, but to provide an opportunity for people to engage in singing/worshiping God. There should be no distinction between those "on stage" and "audience." The audience is God, not those of us standing in the pews. Our goal on Sundays is to worship God together. We should not expect everyone to already know the songs in order to sing along, but we should do everything we can to welcome everyone to join us in singing to God. To this aim: the melodies should be easy to pick up, the rhythms should not be too unpredictable or surprising, and simple song structures are sufficient. I just want you feeling invited to sing to God with me.

Finally, it is easy to temper my engagement in singing worship songs based upon minor issues like song preference and style choice. There are many worship songs which I find, personally and subjectively, to not be enjoyable. This is fine, but it should not be an excuse not to participate in worshiping God. Jesus is worthy of worship whether or not I like the song, the style, or those leading. I should not miss an opportunity to worship God because of something as fickle as genre or song selection.

So whether you are a pastor, worship leader, church member, or newcomer, this Sunday at church I hope you will join us in the Church global in singing to our wonderful God.