Functions of Congregational Song (1/3)

There's something powerful about a congregation singing together, hands lifted high, eyes closed, hearts open to God's Spirit. What's more, the songs we sing give us a chance to proclaim, pray, praise, encourage, and commit together.

When I started leading worship at New Cov, I led a team once per month. And I considered it my chance to pick my favorite songs. The Pastor of Worship & Creative Arts at the time, Bill, would recommend a song or two sometimes, but for the most part it was up to me. Which I loved! I'd pick a fast song to start, maybe a mid-tempo song or two, and then a slow and prayerful song right before the message. If I could get a couple songs in the same key back-to-back, I'd figure out a way to transition between the two.

When I became the Pastor of Worship & Creative Arts, I often resorted to the same pattern. Or if we wanted to shake things up, I'd plan a fast song, a slow song or two, then another fast song to really get the energy up!

Over time, though, I started to wonder why I focused so much on tempo and flow when selecting songs. Was that the most important thing? Picking my favorite tunes for the congregation? Building energy? Having a seamless transition between two songs? Manufacturing moments of energy and prayerful attention?

There had to be better reasons to sing one song and not another. This line of questions was one of the reasons I began pursuing a Masters, then Doctor of Worship Studies degree. And one of my professors, Dr. Constance Cherry, literally wrote the book on the functions of congregational song. She has found five functions of song, and in the next few weeks I'll outline each of them with an example from Sunday morning. The five functions of congregational songs are: Proclamation, Prayer, Praise, Exhortation and Call-to-action. This week I'd like to talk about Prayer and Exhortation.

Prayer - As Dr. Cherry writes, prayer songs are the easiest to spot because they are sung to God. Where a song like "Jesus Messiah" sings mostly about Jesus, prayer songs address the Father, the Son and/or the Holy Spirit. Prayer songs are often full of emotion. They might lament and ask God to intercede. They can be songs confessing sin and asking forgiveness. They can be full of adoration, telling God how wonderful He is, or giving God glory for his character or saving works. A great example this past Sunday is "No Longer Slaves." Almost the entire song speaks directly to God. You could start the song like you would any prayer: 

"[Father in Heaven...]
You unravel me with a melody.
You surround me with a song of deliverance from my enemies until all my fears are gone.
I'm no longer a slave to fear: I am a child of God."

Prayer songs feel intimate and that's the point: we have an intimate relationship with the God of the universe, which is pretty amazing. These songs give us a voice to express our hearts to the One who formed them within us.

Exhortation - If prayer songs are about the vertical relationship (me and God), exhortation songs are about the horizontal relationship (me and you). These songs let us encourage each other. (We rarely if ever use the word "exhort," but it basically means "strongly encourage".) Some encourage us to a pursue Jesus more deeply or completely. Others, like "New Doxology," let us encourage each other (and all of creation) to give praise to God! Think of the first verse, but add "Let's all..." to each line:

"[Let us] praise God from Whom all blessings flow
[Let us] praise Him, all creatures here below
[Let us] praise Him above, ye heavenly host
[Let us] praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost"

This is a wonderfully mind-expanding and outward-focusing chorus! We remember that we dwell in the midst of all of creation, we remember the angels in heaven, and we exhort them to sing with us, praising God who blesses and sustains us! And in doing so, we are ourselves praising God.

What is your song today? Are you in a place where you are praying for God to intercede, lamenting to Him, thanking Him? Or is the song in your heart one of encouraging others to look to God? I'll cover a couple more of these song functions next week.