Teaching And Admonishing Our Congregations Through Song
by Jim Bishop
As music pastors and song leaders, we have the tremendous privilege of playing an active role in the biblical instruction of our church members. Some of you may say, “I am just the ‘music man’; what role could I possibly play in the spiritual growth of my church family?” Although the answer to this question is multifaceted, I would like to focus specifically on the topics of service planning and education through biblical hymnody.
Doubtlessly we would all agree that effective corporate worship should begin with prayer. Music pastors, however, often overlook the essential need to plan in advance. We sometimes digress to planning our service fifteen minutes before it begins! Just as it is frustrating to hear a sermon that was not adequately prepared, it is equally disappointing to participate in a song service that was not thoughtfully planned. Music pastors often fail to feed the flock of God because they fail to take the necessary time to plan the worship service.
The wise music pastor schedules a time at the beginning of the week to sit down with the senior pastor and discuss goals and objectives for the upcoming service. What is the topic for the message? What text will be used? What would the pastor like to see accomplished in the hearts of God’s people? With the pastor’s goals in hand, the music pastor can prayerfully select appropriate hymns, Scripture readings, and other musical elements. Everything should draw the congregation’s attention to the central theme (God’s grace, God’s faithfulness, Christ’s redemptive work, etc.). God’s people should leave corporate worship with a deeper knowledge of God and a greater passion to serve Him. This prayerful planning of corporate worship certainly involves work, but seeing spiritual fruit produced in the lives of God’s people makes the effort well worth it.
A second way the music pastor can contribute to the vitality and growth of his congregation is by educating them through a wide selection of biblical hymnody. We sometimes lament that many younger congregants are unfamiliar with our rich heritage of solid, doctrinally founded hymns, but who is to blame—our people or their leaders? We, the music pastors, must shoulder the responsibility of training the younger generation. As preaching pastors bear the responsibility of teaching God’s people through their pulpit ministry, we have been appointed the task of “teaching and admonishing one another” through God’s gift of music (Col. 3:16).
Hymn selection involves the consideration of several factors. Choose hymns that are singable and have pleasing melodies. Carefully study the text to ensure that it is doctrinally correct and spiritually nourishing. Though a song may have been used in our churches for years, it may not meet the above criteria. We must carefully study the theology that we are teaching through our hymns and be especially certain that our selections have a strong biblical foundation. Take time to study your present hymnal as well as those no longer in use, looking for those songs that are rich in doctrine. Allow doctrinally rich texts to be the foundation of your music ministry. Be vigilant to introduce new hymns to your church family. Hearing old truths presented in a fresh way can enrich our appreciation of our Lord. Can you imagine a church where the pastor preaches the same 30 or 40 sermons, rotating them week after week and year after year? The people would quickly tune out the message, and spiritual atrophy would set in. The same thing can happen to us if we merely repeat the same old tried and trusted songs without introducing anything fresh for God’s people. As music pastors and song leaders, we are responsible to find hymns that will teach doctrinal truths to our congregations. New hymns as well as older ones that may not be in current hymnals can be a great blessing to our people. By seeking out these hymns and teaching them to our people, we help our congregations gain fresh insights and a renewed appreciation of the goodness and greatness of our God.
Time does not allow me to fully develop these subjects. I do pray that these exhortations will be a seedbed of thought for you and will encourage you to take seriously your calling to feed the flock of God (Acts 20:28).
Jim Bishop writes with over 18 years of ministry experience as both a music and singles pastor.