When Your Congregation Isn’t Singing: 15 Questions

Every worship leader has the experience from time to time of a service that just seems to fall flat. The songs didn’t work, or the musicians didn’t gel, or the technology didn’t cooperate, or the congregation didn’t respond. Whatever the reason(s), even in the most passionate of congregations, there are times when the singing isn’t exactly robust.

But when that’s the regular pattern, and when the congregational singing is consistently paltry, what is a worship leader to do? I would suggest that if a worship leader is observing (over a period of months or years) his or her congregation isn’t singing, that some difficult questions need to be honestly asked and answered.

In no particular order of importance, here are 15 questions a worship leader (and his or her pastor) should consider.... Read More

Also See:
3 Mistakes Every Worship Leader Should Avoid
Congregational Singing Dysfunction: 4 Ways to Fix It

Many of the observations that Jamie Brown makes and the pointers that he gives are applicable to traditional churches in which the organ accompanies the congregational singing and the choir leads it. The organist can play too loud. The hymns can be selected without consideration of the voice range of the average congregational singer. The congregation can be given insufficient time to learn and master new hymns. And so on.