9 Reasons People Don’t Join in Worship Singing

Worship leaders around the world are sadly changing their church’s worship (often unintentionally) into a spectator event, as evidenced by the lack of worship singing from the congregation. But before discussing our present situation, let’s look back into history.

Prior to the Reformation, worship was largely done for the people. The music was performed by professional musicians and sung in an unfamiliar language (Latin).

The Reformation gave worship back to the people. This including congregational singing.It employed simple, attainable tunes with solid, scriptural lyrics in the language of the people.

Worship singing once again became participatory. The evolution of the printed hymnal brought with it an explosion of congregational singing and the church’s love for singing increased.

Then came the advent of new video technologies. Churches began to project the lyrics of their songs on a screen. The number of songs at a church’s disposal increased exponentially.

At first, this advance in technology led to more powerful congregational singing, but soon, a shift in worship leadership began to move the congregation back to pre-Reformation pew potatoes (spectators).

What has occurred could be summed up as the re-professionalization of church music and the loss of a key goal of worship leading—enabling the people worship singing.

Simply put, we are breeding a culture of spectators who avoid worship singing in our churches. We are changing what should be a participative worship environment to a concert event. Worship is moving to its pre-Reformation mess. Read More

This development should concern us greatly since a praise band cannot worship for the congregation. All the congregation is doing when a praise band does all the singing is watching a small group of people worship in song. They are not worshiping themselves. Nor is the praise band acting as a proxy for them before the throne of God. Worshipping God requires giving reverence and honor to God ourselves whether in song or a life led in obedience to God.

In the New Testament God's people gathered for worship are urged to sing with one voice, "Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 15:6). A congregation cannot sing with one voice if the songs are not accessible to the congregation and are not repeated with enough frequency for the congregation to learn and master them, and the congregation cannot hear each other because the praise band is playing and singing so loud that it drowns out the congregation.

While I am able to pick up the tunes of the songs that praise bands sing, most people are not able to do so. All they can do is stand while the praise band plays and sings. They are not participating in the worship. They are simply spectators to the praise band's worship. 

This can be rectified by the praise team selecting songs that the congregation can quickly learn and easily sing, using them repeatedly, and turning down the volume on their amplifiers.

The role of a praise team is to lead and support a congregation in singing, and not to sing for the congregation. The praise team may need help in understanding its role.