A couple of years ago I was at a worship conference, and there was an afternoon where none of the classes seemed very interesting. This being the case, Jamie and I decided to go to a choir breakout and do some singing. We were choir veterans – both grew up in Southern Baptist churches, kid choirs, Psalty plays, handbells – the whole nine. It turned out we had such a great time doing this class, I started praying about begining a choir at our church.
The modern church isn’t big into choirs. Most new churches you walk in to are a 4 piece rock band hammering out the latest and greatest worship anthem. (this could be a post – actually, it will be) However, if you look biblically and historically at the use and functions of a choir, they can be a great tool to have as we lead worship.
First and foremost I am a band guy. There’s no doubt about it. Acoustic guitars, drums, bass and keys is a recipe for a great morning. However, we read in Nehemiah 12, where the orders are given for choirs to sing praises was given and a vital role in the worship service after rebuilding of the wall… I believe choirs can still play a role in ministry in the local – and yes even modern church.
Our choir is now 2 years old, and I love it. The choir sings about 5 times a year, so it’s more of a feature than a regular set up. Since this isn’t my specialty, I recently handed over the choir direction to a woman in our church who is a choir teacher at a local school. I also recruited a vocal director to oversee and organize all of our background singers. (we use one a weekend)
If you haven’t entertained the idea of a choir – pray about it. Some churches shouldn’t have choirs. Others, like ours – love it. Here’s a promo for our choir we will show this weekend… No, we don’t wear robes.
