Why is choir important to a church

Choirs learn to sing something exactly and beautifully, by doing a lot of practice. They sing different sorts of music, and often outside any context except that of a concert. Their reason for existence is to perform the music.

Church choirs on the other hand lead the people at an event usually a religious celebration so that those people can take part confidently in the event itself. The church choir may sing during a time when the congregation is doing something else e. Mass is not a concert, and music should never be an excuse to stop people joining in. I was delighted to discover that the Pope made the same point last year.

Deciding to concentrate on a choir instead of getting the people to sing is an easy trap for church musicians to fall into, because most musicians, even the non-professionals, are thinking all the time about how they can make the performance better, to do a better job at bringing the music to life, making it flower. Using a choir instead of the congregation is a short cut. One version is the group of monks singing in community, and this is still the only model of church music which pleases some people.

Another is the single singer, often with instrument: the minstrel or the troubadour model originally, like the singer-songwriter of today. The original post by Chuck Lawless is here. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Following God: The Grand Adventure. Likewise, using the choir for congregational songs is a powerful prompt to worship: people clearly hear the melody and join their voices as one. A practiced choir encourages a sense of awe and reverence through their excellence and preparation. There is something extraordinary about hearing a group of practiced singers use their God-given instruments to worship their Creator. I remember the first time I ever heard a gospel mass choir. There were folk singers and rock bands and soloists.

Then the choir took the stage. About ten seconds after they started singing, every hair on my head stood up. I had goosebumps on my goosebumps. The sheer intensity and emotion of those voices eclipsed any of the prior performances.

We were on our feet, singing along—transformed from spectators into participants. Their rich, passionate voices touched something deep within us. One of the arguments against using choirs in contemporary worship services is that it relegates congregants to the role of bystanders.

So we do away with hymnals that have written harmony parts and simply project lyrics on the screen to be sung in unison. But properly used, a choir or worship band can lead your congregation to worship in Spirit and in truth.

We live in the age of the superstar worship leader and celebrity pastor. Choirs can be an antidote to this spiritual epidemic. These functions are in a specific priority order, but I also believe each function is equally important as they must be present to have a vital music ministry. The singing group would instead be a community choir.

Choral musicians know that we become what we sing. When we take words and put them to music, it becomes part of who we are. Therefore, it becomes imperative that we put as much of the Word into the congregation as possible. The reason that we work so hard to create beautiful music together is so that we can glorify God and help people experience a holy moment.

I have the choir stand in front of the congregation to lead them in rounds and canons. By doing this, the congregation is prepared for discipleship through the soul-embracing power of song.

By spending the time and effort to rehearse each week, the choir provides a great service to the congregation by opening up the amount of literature the congregation can be exposed to.