Does Your Service Incorporate "Special Music?"

[Lynzann04]

Our church has done a considerable amount of "special music" during services for as long (16 years) as I've been attending. Every Sunday the choir has a special prepared, usually with a soloist or two up front, there is a nice orchestral piece during the offertory and sometimes another special music song by one of the praise teams (older folks, not our band) in another spot during the line-up. Now I know that my church is more traditional than a lot of yours, but do yours have anything like this during your worship services? Do your bands/praise teams do new worship songs as "specials" first to start to teach the congregation?

I have been very frustrated with the amount of special music going on in our worship services lately. They're basically performance songs that no one in the congregation is invited to participate in, so there's a lot of time where the congregation is sitting there watching and listening to music. I realize the point is that we're supposed to worship to it, but the majority of the church crowd simply isn't mature enough to realize that and most treat it as a concert performance.

Maybe special music is more common than I think? I can understand an instructional performance now and then, or a nice song that goes right along with the sermon, but when it's fifty percent of the music, it comes across as a show more than a participatory worship setting.

What are your thoughts about special music?

[russhutto]

Is it really "special" if it's a normal part of the routine?

I think that's what I'm sensing in your post.

I think that special music should serve a purpose. If it doesn't then it's not necessary. For us, primarily, any special music that we do is directly linked to the thematic content of the message for that day.

To "teach" new music we have it in the walk-in rotation (recorded music) for at least a month ahead of time, so that people are hearing it as they enter the theater and as they exit. Then we just do it.

We're not a traditional church, but I think in this case that the concept of special music should be about the same across the board.

If it's done every single week, and if it really serves no purpose, then it's not really special music at all. And if it serves no other purpose than because it's always been done, or because people just "like" it, is it really worth including every Sunday?

[Lynzann04]

To "teach" new music we have it in the walk-in rotation (recorded music) for at least a month ahead of time, so that people are hearing it as they enter the theater and as they exit. Then we just do it.

Oooh, I like that thought for when we lead!

and your other thoughts too....thanks!

[milepost13]

Russ said what I was going to say...if anything you do doesn't have a purpose and doesn't feed into the bigger purpose of your Sunday morning worship service, it's only going to accomplish something at random.

Nate

[efrisch]

I do think that the "every week special music" mentality is more common in more traditional churches... that said, I think what others have said is right on: it has a place, but only if it has a purpose.

We use special songs once or twice a month and usually play them just before worship begins or during the offering. Just like Russ, these tunes are always right on point with the theme of our pastor's message for that Sunday. Personally, I think that these types of songs can really help to drive the point home, as long as we're deliberate about it and they don't get too commonplace.

[mikeymo1741]

We do "special" music, but generally only for "special" events - holidays, celebrations, anniversaries, things like that. Usually this involves our choir.

We also "highlight" our small groups on a regular basis. Usually one group is highlighted for two weeks in rotation. To be "highlighted" means your groups assists in greeting, taking offerings and reads the opening scripture. We also give the highlighted group time to do something - a testimony, a drama, a song - to add to the servce. Usually they will do this one of their two weeks.

[srhutto]

We've pretty much curtailed "special" music for now since it was becoming not so special. For us it was more of a tradition in itself. We also are in the process of streamlining our service a bit to be the most effective with our time. I agree that special music can be most effective when it is special and helps to emphasis the theme of a message series or service. But people tend to "take breaks" during special music as well. I think the mentality is that it is less disrespectful to go in and out during a "special" than during the message. I think the answer to it all though would be to install porta-potties in each seat.

[russhutto]

I think the answer to it all though would be to install porta-potties in each seat.
Haha!! Right on!!

That is true that people tend to "check out" a bit during special music. I guess it "feels" more like a performance than worship.

[kristamiller86]

special music is a no for us

[russhutto]

special music is a no for us

In another thread you said...


...play some awesome music before service starts from the 90’s. We crank out songs from Third Eye Blind, U2, Counting Crows, Dave Mathews…

Does your band actually play it? Or is it recorded? Just curious, because I would classify this as special in the sense that it's not a regular part of your worship service. But at the same time, I see how it might not be considered special though since it's not a part of the "service" line up.

[Smitty]

We do it only when its "special"...so, as others have posted, only when it serves a purpose.

I have served at churches though, where special music was so much a part of the regular rotation, that they actually had a projector slide for it...never really got that, myself.

Smitty

[kristamiller86]

Does your band actually play it? Or is it recorded? Just curious, because I would classify this as special in the sense that it's not a regular part of your worship service. But at the same time, I see how it might not be considered special though since it's not a part of the "service" line up.

It's before service starts and we either roll it from an iPod or if our band is in the mood we will play a couple tunes.

[skyescraper]

I serve in a semi-traditional church that is heading in a contemporary direction. When I got here the choir was doing a 'special' every Sunday before the pastor's message. It was often thrown together because it was expected, yet not really prepared. We now do special music only once a month or so. Sometimes it's one person, other times it's our worship team. The choir is off for the summer but when we start it up again they will be participating in leading worship at the start of the service and occasionally doing a 'call to worship', in addition to singing on the congregational songs.

I agree with those who mentioned that special music isn't special if it's expected every week. I prefer to do a stand-out number occasionally than something we have to prepare every single week because it's part of the program.