We Still Use A Choir In Worship, Are We Alone?

March 13, 2011 in Worship Choirs with 26 Comments

I wonder sometimes if we one of the few ‘contemporary’ churches still using a choir every Sunday.

In just a few months I will reach a milestone: serving as a worship leader and worship choir director for thirty years. In those years I have witnessed many churches stop using choirs in worship. I think we are hurting our worship services by not finding a way to use choirs in our worship. Granted their look and role may be different but they can still be effective worship leaders.

As I reviewed this past Sunday’s service in preparation for writing this post (a part of the blog carnival Sunday Setlists found at The Worship Community) I was reminded of their importance and their ever evolving role.

At ClearView the worship choir participates in most services except for holidays and eight weeks in the summer. Gone are the days when the choir only sings a special…that is not their main role. Today for instance the choir led the congregation in a new worship song, You Alone Can Rescue. It was something they rehearsed for weeks for the sole purpose of inviting the congregation to sing. The congregation sings more confidently when the choir sings. The choir was on stage for the whole set list. (After the setlist are more thoughts about worship choirs.)

Here is our set list: (links to all these songs and scriptures can be found here)

Pre-service:
All the Earth Will Sing Your Praises

Songs and Scriptures for Worship
This Is My Father’s World
Psalm 8:1
I Timothy 1:17
Majestic
Thank You Lord

Welcome

Baptism

Songs
How He Loves
You Alone Can Rescue

The choir’s role is not to be some special group, but to be a group of worshipers who lead.

There will be times that the choir leads in a song that the congregation cannot sing but in so doing the choir is fulfilling the purpose of worship by glorifying God with their talents and edifying the body with words of encouragement, testimony and praise that they can do in a unique way.

A Worship Choir can be used effectively in a ‘contemporary’ church.

Here are some other post that give more information about using choirs in worship:

The Worship Choir A Ministry Team

The Invisible Choir

Worship Choir A New Start

Planning A Choir Rehearsal

Who Sings in the Choir

It does take more work, and a commitment from the church’s budget, because it takes money. (Maybe there is another blog post on the subject of budgeting for the worship choir.)

Does your church use choir?

How often do they sing?

What is their purpose on the worship platform?


  • http://www.mamasgonecrazy.wordpress.com Kristina

    I am so thankful that our church still has a choir! And you are a magnificent worship leader!

  • http://twitter.com/terrytimm terrytimm

    thanks for your faithfulness over the long haul Michael – a beautiful model of leadership for the People of God…

    terry

  • Anonymous

    thanks Terry.

  • Anonymous

    …thanks Kristina. Glad to have you a part of the team. Thankful for your faithfulness to the Worship Ministry and the Worship Choir

  • http://dennarr.com/ Dennis

    Wow – blessings upon you for your service. Thank you for your encouragement on choirs. We have had an on again-off again choir…guess I need to invest some time again.

  • Anonymous

    Worship choirs can be a great, encouraging ministry team. They can also demand a lot of the leader’s time. I feel that the positive impact they have on worship outweighs the demands of time and budgets. Let me know if I can be of any help as you evaluate implementing a worship choir.

  • Jonathan

    You’re not alone! Some of the most vibrant, growing churches I know use the choir as a main part of their worship experience. Prestonwood Baptist Church in TX, Brooklyn Tabernacle in NY and Mt Paran Church of God in Atlanta are just a few prominent examples… not to mention King Street Church in Chambersburg, PA! Granted our Sunday schedule is a bit unique, we have 4 Sunday services, between 8:15-12 AM, of 4 different worship styles in 2 different worship venues and 2000+ in attendance. But our choir ministers in 2 of the 4 services. Our traditional service features hymns accompanied by our pipe organ, piano, brass ensemble and a 40-50 voice choir. Truly, the choir members are co-worship leaders and their presence is missed when they have the occasional week off. They add an energy and passion to the service that is palpable. Our Blended service adds a rhythm section, various woodwind instruments, guitars, praise team vocalists and of course a wider variety of musical repertoire. The choir is actually a bit larger at this service (I think primarily because of the time! 11 AM vs 8:15 AM). One of the things I believe that a choir brings to our worship service is a connection to the congregation. By that I mean, the variety of ages, ethnicities, personalities… it’s hard for someone to walk in and NOT identify with someone that they see worshiping on the platform. It is a very visible mosaic of the personality of our church.

    I don’t believe for a minute that every church needs a choir or an organ or killer guitar player in order to have a vibrant and effective ministry – I do however believe that every church needs to look at what they have, the people that God has entrusted to their care, and cultivate (that means to care for and make beautiful) opportunities for those people to engage using their passions and talents for the glory of God and the edification of the church. Choir is a great entry point for people to discover the joy of service, to develop as musicians and (let’s face it) enter into the work of Heaven!

  • Anonymous

    Jonathon,
    Thank you for the comment.
    I am glad to hear that you and the congregation you serve believe in allowing many people to be involved in various worship teams, including the choir. I agree with you choir is a great entry point. I also agree that worship choirs can be a great example to the congregation as to what engaging in the conversation of worship looks like.

    Thanks again for participating in this dialog about worship choirs.

  • http://twitter.com/LivingCB Tracy Wood

    I still lead a traditional SATB choir, but am trying to incorporate more contemporary songs to attract younger members. This Sunday we will sing Jesus Messiah 4-part harmony, with drums and guitars…. hopefully this will inspire some younger voices….. change is difficult for the traditionalists….

  • Anonymous

    The choir I lead is SATB and we use a variety of music from contemporary worship songs to a Holy is the Lord by Schubert that we are rehearsing now. Being able to use this variety of music did not happen over-night. We have made small changes to the choir and other aspects of our worship services over the last thirteen years.

    Thanks for taking time to comment on this blog post.

  • Kim Messer

    I love hearing about churches that still use choirs. I think you have framed their role and importance well in this post. Thank you!

  • Anonymous

    Kim,
    Thanks for the reading this post and leaving a comment.

  • Renae Nanney

    College Park Church in Indianapolis has a wonderful worship choir. On average the choir participates in worship about twice a month during the season (Spring and fall) and take a break during the summer.

    One of the things I love about the College Park choir is the obvious worship of the people in it. They truly are “lead worshippers” and not just people singing music.

  • Roxanne Nanney

    We still have a choir in one of our two worship services. Our services are almost identical except for leadership – our earlier service is led by a Praise Team with piano and bass while our later service is led by choir with piano, organ and bass. About 4 or 5 years ago, I shifted our focus from “preparing to present” anthems to really “practicing our worship leadership”. We go through all of the music for the upcoming Sunday in our rehearsals on Wednesday evenings…congregational singing, too. The choir still sings an anthem (or introduces a “new” song for the congregation to learn) each week, but in rehearsals, we make sure we’re ready for leading the TOTAL service before moving on to upcoming pieces. Our rehearsal usually begins with something that is a few weeks off (please tell me that I’m not the only one who can’t seem to get people in the door on time!), then we move into “this Sunday” prep. With the remaining time in rehearsal, we look ahead to the coming weeks.

    Thanks, Michael, for keeping the conversation going.

  • Anonymous

    Renae,
    Thanks for joining in on this conversation. I am glad to know there are all ‘styles’ of churches using a choir regularly in their worship services.

  • Anonymous

    Roxanne,
    I love the statement ‘practicing our worship leadership’ and how you go on to explain the choir’s role as worship leaders through the TOTAL service. For staging reasons our choir leaves the platform before the sermon but I still want the choir to be examples in worship no matter where they are sitting.

    Thanks for joining the conversation.

  • Dawn

    It is so refreshing to read this and know that there are still churches with choirs. I love choirs and all they represent. I love that people can use their gifts. Thank you for doing what you do and thank you for writing this.

  • Ken

    We don’t right now but would love to get it started again. Restarting is way harder than keeping one going.

  • Anonymous

    Dawn,
    Thanks for reading and commenting on this post.

  • Anonymous

    I agree.
    One thing positive about starting or starting over is that you get to set the group culture and also your expectations that have not passed through history of an existing choir.

  • Kathryn

    Honestly, I struggle with the choir in a contemporary worship setting. But they add so much by being in “the loft”…smiling, singing, clapping with the praise team. It is also a way for folks to use their vocal skills. While they may not be soloist they can certainly contribute to the worship service.
    The anthems that the choir sing often speaks to the congregation in a different way than the praise music or hymns.

    Thanks for the post, it encourages those who struggle with choir or no choir.

  • http://twitter.com/dustinrouse dustinrouse

    I’m a 27 year old worship pastor in Chicagoland, and our musical vernacular is contemporary. We still have a choir, and they are a blessing to serve with. I don’t actually lead them, but I sure do love leading with them.

    The choir is the best model of corporate worship you can put before a church… people from different backgrounds, race, and life situations united under the banner of Christ, raising their voices and hearts in a unified song of praise. Basically, the choir is modeling corporate worship every time they stand up there and sing.

    Thanks!

  • Anonymous

    I love to know more about your struggles with choir. The statements you made in the rest of your comment really communicate that you understand the role of the choir in worship. Even though I have been leading choirs for 30 years…it still is a struggle. It takes a commitment from the leader to build and care for the team. It also takes some creative thinking and use of many styles of music to help the choir be contributors to the conversation of worship.

    Thanks for your comment.

  • Anonymous

    Exactly…great comments.
    I hope you will continue to use the choir and continue to encourage them to worship with passion and in so doing they will be examples for the whole faith family.

  • http://twitter.com/mamanobles Kathryn Nobles

    Struggles with choir – meaning, do we need a choir along with the praise team/band? Does it blend in the contemporary setting or stick out like a sore thumb? These are things I have struggled with in the past. I believe if the choir is a great place to plug in & make connections while helping lead in worship.
    For our congregation, the choir helps build the gap between the older & younger generation.

  • Anonymous

    These are all valid questions and ones that I continue to ask as I plan services and choose music for the worship choir. The old paradigm stated that the choir was to sing each week, no matter the service or subject of the week. I believe the new paradigm will revolve around us worship leaders continuing to ask the questions you pose.