Hymns for Praise and Worship

[bblankin]

I lead a "blended" service in which we mix traditional hymns with the more "mainstream" contemporary music. One resource I have found extremely valuable is "Hymns for Praise and Worship," a collection of 55 traditional hymns arranged for various instruments in a style that is true to the traditional setting of the hymns, but is far more musically pleasing that simply plunking out the SATB arrangement from the hymnal or strumming the ever-changing chords on a guitar.

The collection is published by Word. We bought two piano books, a couple of guitar books, and one vocal book for each singer. I do not recommend the "rhythm" book -- our bass players prefer the guitar book, and our drummers don't need no steenkin' book.

--
Ben B

[chipshot0701]

bblankin, we used to blend our service. But.
We have doubled our attendance at our contempory praise service by going strictly live contempory music. We play three live songs with two guitars, bass, drums and three vocalist at the begining of each service then we sing a hand picked cd song, picked by Pastor to match his sermons or message of the day. then we play two sending songs that are usually louder and more rowdy to send the people out into the work week ready to minister!

The attendance has maintained its number of people and is growing every month. We attempt to put in short psalm readings or short prayers in between the beginning songs. Our praise team meets 5 minutes before each service and has a prayer time. We never worry if the songs we pick fit the service. We just worry if we sound okay for the members enjoyment.

I get my scripture ideas that relate to the songs we pick from a cd that came with the songbook I bought from worshiptogether.com. its the ultimate FakeBook. I recommend this book to all praise teams. It has powerpoint lyrics. theme references, scripture, music sheets, and sound bites .
peace and love
Mike

[twc_admin]

Ben -
So glad you kicked off this thread ... sounds like you have some great experience in blending the traditional and contemporary and I look forward to your insights.

CLipshot - awesome to hear .. just my $.02 .. and granted, I think I know you're heart, and what you're trying to say ... but remember ... the worship time is much more about "your member's enjoyment" ... I think the music should be great, and obviously, they should "enjoy it" ... but of course, we all want them to do more than just "enjoy" it - if all we do is entertain, we're missing the mark of "worship in spirit and truth".

Again, I can't stress enough, though - that I believe I know what you meant in that post .. just wanted to clarify it!

[El Ben]

Fred hit the nail on the head. Today's contemporary, after all, is tomorrow's traditional. I know churches that call "Trading My Sorrows" (which will soon be approaching it's offical eleventy billionth year of circulation) a traditional song and treat it with the same disdain as they do lots of other old music.

It isn't so much about "contemporary" or "blended" or "traditional" so much as it is about unity and edification. Although, CLipshot, I bet you have a pretty rockin' service.

[bblankin]

we used to blend our service. But.
We have doubled our attendance at our contempory praise service by going strictly live contempory music.

thanks for sharing your approach. i'm glad to hear your numbers are increasing -- you must be filling a need.

our church started in the 70's with a mostly retired congregation, and a formal, traditional service. as the community grew we added an earlier service that was less formal, but still pretty traditional. In the early 90's we had enough interest in contemporary worship to (finally!) start a contemporary service.

Two or three years ago the 9:45 traditional service had grown to where we needed to add a fourth service. Many of the worshipers in that service wanted to "loosen up" a little, but they did not feel comfortable in the contemporary service. so we started the blended service with the express purpose of offering an alternative to the traditional service. it happened to have the side benefit of allowing the contemporary service to get more contemporary, since people that might find it too edgy now had a less-contemporary-but-not-traditional alternative.

[El Ben]

You know, I think the last post is a prime example that the terms "traditional" and "contemporary" are all relative.

[chipshot0701]

You know, I think the last post is a prime example that the terms "traditional" and "contemporary" are all relative.

My NICKNAME IS C H I P S H O T NOT clipshot.

All of you are right. Its all about trying different things and working things out to fit the worship style that fits each congregation. God leads the way and the rest falls into place.
Fun stuff tho!
BTW on Sunday our lead guitarist played the entire set without his amp mic turned on! lol, we always have one thing or another happen but we never let it bother us. Its always laughable and light hearted.
El Miguel

[worshiptrench]

clipshot is a cooler name...sounds like you survived mogadishu or somesuch instead of the pansy sport of golfing (i digress, another post).

onr thing hymnody brings to the table is objective truth's (usually well written, especially in reformation hymns) about God's identity (ex. Immortal, iNvisible God only Wise... A mighty fortress). We do hymns often in our super modern service but a person who was recently churched would never know we shifted from Crowder's O Praise Him to Immortal Invisible stylistically. Thus, no one is bean counting 3 choruses and 2 hymns today.

the danger in not using any hymns or finding the few but well written objective choruses (how deep the father's love, etc.) is that you can end up with a very subjective only faith. not that subjective "I am a friend of God" is bad...it just needs to be counterbalanced. Think of reformational hymns like the cheesecake of worship....you probably need a piece a week but two might make you puke!!! We have some cool arrangements of them at some point i'll freebie up over at the worshiptrench site. later.

[twc_admin]

hey ya'll,

For what it's worth .. we're doing "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" this week!

[chipshot0701]

[QUOTE=worshiptrench;929]clipshot is a cooler name...sounds like you survived mogadishu or somesuch instead of the pansy sport of golfing (i digress, another post).

Hey there trench.....
another nickname that you haven't thought out yet is............
are you ready for this.........
chips hot!
instead of chipshot as in golf, lol

mike

[WorshipCity]

I feel like I'm watching a wicked game of double dutch! HAHAHA. I don't know what we're talking about anymore! I wanted to comment on hymns in worship but now we're off of style and on to nicknames! HAHAHA!

[twc_admin]

LOL - the community was having fun .. but I'm happy to 'mod" in and say "class, class .. back on topic, please".

[Jsherrod]

Hey...

What kind of arrangement are you using for O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing?

Jimmy

[twc_admin]

Hey Jimmy -

I use a pretty straight forward 3/4 drive on it, but with a more "marching/military" type snare "ta-ta-ta-ta .. buzz" (does that make sense?)

We like to sing it all the way until we get to "he sets the prisoners FREE" ... and we hold that FREE for like 8 counts .... I think Lindell Cooley did it that way @ Brownsville Revival in Pensacola years ago.

[Klampert]

eliminating hymns...bad idea...they are chock full of great truths and amazing inspiration.

Having to do hymns because its the "only christian music" ...sadly I've heard this too m word song uch.. Every season has its "music" what matters is whats relevant to your church

"we cant sing the hymns with the different style music or with addition choruses!" ...ever heard that one...well some of the original hymns took the tune from secular music. one comes to mind that used a bar song about a womans large assets.

"they are too old" ...the time a song was created has nothing to do with how relevant it is to this generation. There are many ways to contemporize and people like the gettys and indelible grace are now writing modern hymns.

What it comes down to is this. Do what is relevant fto your people not what is the "in thing". Substance is huge in worship but shouldnt be the only thing because sometimes we need to just sit back with a 6 and worship the king.

Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.....the bible doesn't just say one.

[twc_admin]

Joel,
Great post - ya know that "sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" ... when that was written in the Bible, we didn't have our typical "hymn books" yet! "hymns" - is so often referred to as "those old songs in the hardback book" .. but can mean SO MUCH MORE.

[Klampert]

exactly thats my point...people seem to get hung up on titles..
I had a parishioner 2 weeks ago talk to me because they werent happy i did a "modern" hymn. Every generation gets latched on to stuff.
I dont think we need to ditch everything but we do need to make things that arent relevant relevant..

the key is the second part of that verse. "sing with praise in our hearts to the Lord"

[Elizabeth]

Totally agree.

I can say that, as an instrumentalist, I usually prefer the Hymns for Praise & Worship arrangement to the hymnal arrangement. The hymnal arrangements are usually hard on the chops and often boring and repetitive.

That being said, I love good music from the hymnal, good music that takes "traditional" hymns and rearranges them (HfP&W, Indelible Grace), good music from modern hymn writers (Getty, Townend, Kendrick, etc.), good music from contemporary music writers (e.g., Tomlin), etc. See the key? Good music. I don't care if it's Stellar Kart or Wesley. Is it good? Does it glorify God?

I just wish people in the congregation would get beyond themselves and what makes them happy and realize that it's not about them. It's about God.


Elizabeth

[Klampert]

elizabeth...your last line is the key...

[twc_admin]

Perry Noble (perrynoble.com (http://www.perrynoble.com)) once said in his blog,
"it's amazing how many parents and grandparents will say they'd give their lives for their kids/grandkids, yet won't give up their personal preference in church music to reach them" ....

Makes you think!

[Elizabeth]

Wow. That's a powerful thought. I'll be passing that on to my music minister (who is like-minded about these things).

Elizabeth

[travisham]

Perry Noble (perrynoble.com (http://www.perrynoble.com)) once said in his blog,
"it's amazing how many parents and grandparents will say they'd give their lives for their kids/grandkids, yet won't give up their personal preference in church music to reach them" ....

Makes you think!

Perry recently wrote another good post (http://www.perrynoble.com/2007/08/22/i-dont-see-how-someone-can-worship-god-with-a-booming-sound-system/) worth checking out on this generational/preferential tension. Here's an hors d'oeuvre:

In the 1970’s and early 80’s one of the most innovative things a growing church could do was to have an orchestra. AND for some churches–THIS WAS A BATTLE! Seriously–churches split over this very issue–some people were so offended that ANY instrument other than a piano or organ (neither of which are in Scripture for the true literalist out there) would be on stage.

These guys fought that fight–they stood for “innovation,” yet they are the ones who seem to be most resistant to it today! (This really challenges me to embrace the next generation!)

-travis

[twc_admin]

ya, Travis - you can pretty much get something good off Perry's site every day, eh!?

[travisham]

for real - I just found out about him recently and subscribed to his rss feed via google reader.

[worshiptrench]

Note that we also need more Stewart Townsend type writers who ain't afraid to put some weight in modern lyrics even if singability decreases slightly.

I am working on a new piece which has a Travis feel to it whose lyric is...

What I Could Never Do

Chorus:
For as I/(while I) sinned, Your love did reach
into my heart, into this breach
that broke the very heart of God
to give His Son and spare the rod
that I deserved upon my back
o for my sin and for my lack
of righteouness in my own strength
Your love/Son has done what I could never do

(obviously the lines wrap over phrase)

Running, I was always running
Running from the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chasing/reaching (finish this(

Falling, now I'm always falling
falling deep into the arms that strecthed upon the Tree

Singing, now I'm always singing
Singing of the love of God, that saved a wretch like me

[Stevie Nature]

You know it's funny. I don't think deeper lyrics necessarily necessitate decreased singability. Look at “When I Survey.” We’re talking like five notes. That is until Tomlin came along and threw the chorus in there. But I agree with you that we need more people like Townsend and Getty.

[twc_admin]

Hey Ya'll -

We did the Passion Hymns (also done by Northpoint) version of Jesus Paid it All again this AM ... incredibly powerful!