Today’s guest post comes from Jason Hatley, Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey Church in Boca Raton, Florida. Jason is the Founder of WorshipLeaderInsights.com and author of two books as well as over a dozen worship leader personal and ministry growth resources.

Last week we kicked off a new series about what has become one of the BIG issues facing worship leaders and churches today: the decline of congregational singing.

And whether or not you believe your church is experiencing this right now, the recent trends point to the fact that more and more congregations are singing “less and less”.

Over the next few weeks I want to tackle THREE BIG REASONS for this decline in congregational singing.

So, let’s look at the first reason your congregation isn’t singing, and what you can do about it…

REASON #1: THE MUSIC IS TOO _______ HIGH!

If you’ve been around Worship Leader Insights you know that I am a bit of a contrarian when it comes to worship ministry leadership. I believe we can learn lessons of leadership from the world around us, and this is a lesson we can learn from politics (and Saturday Night Live).

In the 2010 New York governor’s race, candidate Jimmy McMillan gained fame (and an SNL spoof) with his slogan, “The rent is too ____ high.”

The same can be said for much of the worship music being led in churches these days (minus the ____ of course).  The songs being released on worship albums and Christian radio are perfect for professional artists, but too high for your congregation to sing. 

The average person can sing only about an octave, and cannot readily sing anything over a D.  Yet, almost all of the songs being written today push the melody to E and way beyond. While it may sound great in your voice, the men and women in your congregation are struggling to sing along in a key that simply doesn’t fit them.

THE SIMPLE SOLUTION:

Since the people in your church aren’t professional singers with a wide vocal range, you need to lower the key so they can sing it.

Now, I know what you’re thinking… Does this mean we can never sing above a D?

I don’t think so. In fact, in a high energy song you can “bump up against” E or F a few times because the congregation is singing out.  However, in slower songs where the energy is lower, it’s much more difficult for the church to reach those same notes.

If you make it easier for them to sing, even if it’s a little lower than you like, the congregation will respond by lifting their voices in song.

And then you’re ready to tackle the 2nd reason people aren’t singing in church anymore. More on that next week…

Click here to read the entire article.

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About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.