Are Our Songs Orthodox Worship Songs? How can We Worship Well

[sgemmen9]

Hi,

I'm a pastor in my first two years of ministry my church. As a newcomer and new pastor I'm learning what Biblical worship is and trying to improve our church. I know new pastors have the tendency to make rash decisions that hurt others in worship so I've tread very lightly.

We're a rural Reformed Church, very conservative based on the denominational state. Our members are mostly older, they we have many younger visitors and few younger families. All our hymns are from the "Sing to the Lord Hymnal." (Google it and you should a PDF of the song index).

I want to explain two things I'm seeing and get some feedback from some of you. (Keep in mind I'm not a musical expert here either).
The first thing I'm seeing, and this is mostly my opinion, is that I'd say our church is a bit odd or perhaps out of date. (I don't mean by any means that my ideal is some kind of praise band church or that we need better lighting, etc....) When I say "out of date," I mean, for example, sometimes the organ is played on the songs that might better on the piano. Or a song was written a certain way and it is played a way that is disjointed. When some songs typically flow in other churches, our church will sing it staccato.

We also have songs that are careless in their theology. Some songs are nationalistic. Some songs are arminian. Some aren't necessarily unorthodox but they're more traditional hymns that you might see in a baptist church as opposed to a reformed church. Some still are, again, not unorthodox but put the doctrine of man before the doctrine God. Some are less christological, some perhaps OK in theology but written by not so faithful authors.

Our context is largely ex-baptist members, so that explains some of that. And our worship coordination who helps out is a volunteer who is older and formerly baptist. That too explains some of the situation. Though we go over songs each week I usually only see a title of the song. I've been more adamant about reading the entire song but even if the theology is sound, it isn't always played in a familiar version. The version is typically familiar to the older crowd, but not the younger. (Which is obviously a unity issue at the very least).

Any thoughts or wisdom some of you might have on my situation? Thanks in advance for your time

 

[JimmyH]

I'm sure others with better input will come along, but in the OPC congregation I am a member of I'm behind the scenes during the worship service. When the pastor says, "Please turn with me in your hymnal to hymn number (fill in the blank)" I am at a computer selecting the requested hymn so that the music will play. We have a piano and an organ, but the only member who is able to play is not willing, so we use the recorded music.

This out of the Trinity Hymnal which is currently the default for the OPC As far as I know. On on occasion when our pastor was on vacation, and another pastor was filling the pulpit I asked him which hymns he wanted and he said, "You pick, them, choose hymns they know."

On another occasion when the pastor was called away on an emergency, and no time to fill the pulpit Session approved our playing a tape of a prior sermon. The worship service led by a deacon who did not stand in the pulpit, pronounce the benediction, or do anything out of the RPW reserved for the pastor only, but only announced the hymns. He had selected them and on the final hymn when I started the music nobody sang.

I was worried that I had entered the wrong hymn, and afterwards asked the deacon why nobody sang. He said,"Because they didn't know the hymn." This is not to say that 'new' hymns should not be introduced. Our pastor in leading the singing enthusiastically leads the congregation from the pulpit and his voice will enable us to follow even if the hymn is not a familiar one. In my experience some members are timid when it comes to singing a hymn they are not sure of.