Church Music

What do you believe and why? Here's the place to discuss anything relating to church and God.
Post Reply
User avatar
ByeByeBrownie
Strawberry
Posts: 87
Joined: July 2019
Location: How I Do Is Nothing Great

Church Music

Post

Hi Friends!

This post is strictly for curiosity's sake. So here's the thing:

I grew up in a suuuper conservative church that practically blacklisted anything that could possibly be labeled as "contemporary Christian music." The Gettys, Sovereign Grace, Hillsong United: all of that was a no-go. Now, I have developed my own personal convictions on the matter, and, though I don't necessarily agree with the same standards I was raised with, I definitely see where they're coming from.

SO. My question is this (or rather, my questions are these): What kind of music does your church use? What kind of Christian music do you listen to outside of church? What are your personal convictions on Christian music? Or is it even an issue in your circles?
Shiyanne Rylie Steele

Buck and Jules Shipper
Wooton is the best character on Odyssey ever. Fight me.


"It's not that we don't make sense, it's that we have a different way of looking at things that do make sense." ~Wooton Bassett
User avatar
TigerShadow
Mocha Jamocha
Posts: 2654
Joined: June 2014

Post

i'm actually a worship leader at my church! we do primarily contemporary stuff, but especially worship anthems by hillsong, elevation, and bethel. our worship pastor freely admits not caring for the theology of any of those places, on a doctrinal level, but the composition and lyrical quality of the music is still great, and if we don't like a lyric, we just change it. we also do some hymns and some older contemporary music (older as in like, early-to-mid 2000s), and we also pull a lot from the passion conferences.
it's not about 'deserve'. it's about what you believe. and i believe in love
User avatar
Eanrin
Chocolate Chip
Posts: 42
Joined: January 2014

Post

TigerShadow wrote:i'm actually a worship leader at my church! we do primarily contemporary stuff, but especially worship anthems by hillsong, elevation, and bethel. our worship pastor freely admits not caring for the theology of any of those places, on a doctrinal level, but the composition and lyrical quality of the music is still great, and if we don't like a lyric, we just change it. we also do some hymns and some older contemporary music (older as in like, early-to-mid 2000s), and we also pull a lot from the passion conferences.
This is pretty similar to what my church does, except no hymns. I wish we could do Christmas carols that weren't the Chris-Tomlinized versions. :(

At this point in my life, most of the music I'm consuming is study music, so I really like instrumentals. Salt of the Sound, Young Oceans, and Future of Forestry are Christian bands with some really fantastic instrumental music. This is a really good playlist of Christian instrumental music. I don't think Future of Forestry is on there, but I love their album, "Union." On the rare occasions I listen to something with lyrics, it's probably Switchfoot, Cody Fry, Jon Foreman, maybe a little Andrew Peterson. "Stop Breathing" by Cody Fry is one of my new favorites. (Yes, I've turned this into an excuse to shamelessly share some of my favorite music.)

When I was younger, there was definitely more of a conversation about what music was "Christian" and if we should have drums in church, etc., etc. I don't hear as much of that anymore, and I'm not sure if it's a cultural shift or just that I go to a somewhat less conservative church now.
I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways of my own mind;
and in the mist of tears I hid from Him
User avatar
ByeByeBrownie
Strawberry
Posts: 87
Joined: July 2019
Location: How I Do Is Nothing Great

Post

Thank you both for the feedback (and for the music suggestions, Eanrin)!! :)
Shiyanne Rylie Steele

Buck and Jules Shipper
Wooton is the best character on Odyssey ever. Fight me.


"It's not that we don't make sense, it's that we have a different way of looking at things that do make sense." ~Wooton Bassett
User avatar
Eleventh Doctor
Chocolate Bacon Drizzle
Posts: 4769
Joined: February 2013

Post

I grew up in conservative evangelical circles, though not as strict as some described in this thread, we did listen to CCM, Newsboys, Switchfoot, Reliant K etc. I moved around a lot growing up and the music we used in church services ranged from hymns to CCM praise music. Honestly I never cared for that type of music in church services; it often felt too much like a concert than a church service. I worked at summer camps and that kind of music felt slightly more appropriate for daily chapel services but I still found much of CCM to be a bit shallow. I was also part of churches that had the drum or no drums debate; one of the Protestant denominations I grew up in, Plymouth Brethren, didn't use any musical instruments. I feel like this focus on only listening to Christian music to be limiting, I think there's plenty of good music out there that is beautiful and true that isn't "Christian" music.

About 10 years ago I converted to Eastern Orthodox and now have a very different style of music. This is a clip of our normal Sunday service the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PwYEyBNXKs And this is one of my favorite hymns Rejoice O Bethany https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rju5GyVtfnQ I've really come to love the chanting style of the Orthodox Church and funny enough I've come around to what might seem like a very conservative Protestant view against musical instruments in Church.
King of The Lands of Rhetoric, Lord Ruler of the Debate Vampires, and Duke of Quebec

"It's particularly ignorant to assume malicious or ignorant intentions behind an opinion with which one disagrees." ~Connie
User avatar
ByeByeBrownie
Strawberry
Posts: 87
Joined: July 2019
Location: How I Do Is Nothing Great

Post

Very interesting, thank you for sharing!!
Honestly I never cared for that type of music in church services; it often felt too much like a concert than a church service.
Growing up in such a conservative church, the whole performance aspect of CCM is definitely something I've struggled with myself, and I generally prefer it for less formal worship scenarios, as well.
Shiyanne Rylie Steele

Buck and Jules Shipper
Wooton is the best character on Odyssey ever. Fight me.


"It's not that we don't make sense, it's that we have a different way of looking at things that do make sense." ~Wooton Bassett
User avatar
SirWhit
Banana Fudge
Posts: 2456
Joined: October 2013

Post

I don't go to church anymore, but when I did go, all of the churches I attended sang traditional hymns. I appreciated them as a more "reverent" and I suppose traditional form of worship. CCM always felt over-produced and fake to me—although that's very much just a personal opinion.

To each his own though, I used to hold strong opinions on this (as some people who've been around for a while know), but I really don't anymore.
User avatar
PennyBassett
Fudge Marble
Posts: 926
Joined: May 2016
Contact:

Post

I've only gone to evangelical/non-denominational churches consistently, so I grew up basically hearing in church the same songs I'd hear on Christian radio stations. The church I go to now is the same. I can't say I love it, because a lot of contemporary Christian music becomes about the person singing instead of actually worshiping God. Not a fan of how church is done in general... like why do we have a stage? Why are there five guitars on said stage? It all becomes very concert-like and to me, it's just distracting. The best worship service we had was when our pastor's wife and two sons sang and played a couple of instruments. Now, I'm not trying to hate on contemporary Christian music in general. A lot of songs feel unoriginal and frankly kind of lazy in composition, but there are also a lot of songs I really enjoy. Much of the time though, there are too many lyrics about asking God to do things, or saying what "I'm" going to do. I think those songs aren't necessarily bad, but maybe we shouldn't sing them in church? So I don't really care what style of music we sing, but I'd just like it to be about God instead of ourselves.
"Let me get this straight. I bet all those non-friends of yours try to embarrass you about your love for that stuff, right? So, you almost feel like you have to hide your treasures away and can only take them out in secret on rainy days when your mom goes to the store to get more liver and nobody is around to berate your sensitive spirit. Is that what you’re saying?" -Jay Smouse
User avatar
ByeByeBrownie
Strawberry
Posts: 87
Joined: July 2019
Location: How I Do Is Nothing Great

Post

Thank you for the insight, SirWhit and Penny!

I personally don't have strong opinions either way with regard to traditional hymns vs CCM in church. HOWEVER, regardless of the type of music used, I have felt that church so easily becomes a production, rather than true worship. And then we've made it all about us, instead of about God. And that's where it goes awry.
Shiyanne Rylie Steele

Buck and Jules Shipper
Wooton is the best character on Odyssey ever. Fight me.


"It's not that we don't make sense, it's that we have a different way of looking at things that do make sense." ~Wooton Bassett
User avatar
truAIOfan
Cookies & Creme
Posts: 238
Joined: August 2014
Location: Listening to music

Post

ByeByeBrownie wrote:SO. My question is this (or rather, my questions are these): What kind of music does your church use? What kind of Christian music do you listen to outside of church?
I, like TigerShadow, am also a worship leader at my church! Since my church is small and made up of mostly older people, we do a LOT of hymns with a few newer songs mixed in. Personally, I like both "traditional" and "contemporary" music in worship, because I have grown up hearing hymns and Christian radio. My personal conviction about worship music, is that whether "traditional" or "contemporary", it needs to be completely grounded in biblical truths.

Outside of church, I mostly listen to Christian music because that is what I am comfortable listening to. I do like musicals, and every once and a great while, I will listen to secular music (mostly from before the 90's).

ByeByeBrownie wrote:HOWEVER, regardless of the type of music used, I have felt that church so easily becomes a production, rather than true worship. And then we've made it all about us, instead of about God. And that's where it goes awry.
I agree with this statement so much. :yes: :clap:
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” -Corrie Ten Boom
Post Reply