Beyond Contemporary Worship Music
In the last couple of years I've noticed something about the music that's being written for churches that use what we sometimes call "contemporary worship music." It's all starting to sound the same.
I remember when there was this huge surge of creativity within the worship music field. Everybody was being blown away by what was going on at Hillsong and Hillsong United. People just couldn't get enough of the music emerging from places like University Baptist Church, where David Crowder and Chris Seay were doing all kinds of wild stuff--and in England were Matt Redman, Tim Hughes and Martin Smith of Delirious were writing some really fresh melodies and lyrics. And then came the Passion movement with Charlie Hall and Chris Tomlin and many others.
...and several years later, somehow it feels like it's all starting to sound the same.
As I've been studying music written for worship from 1980 on, I've noticed that about every 5 years there is this surge of creativity that happens where people start writing all kinds of fresh, powerful and innovative worship music. Then everyone else tries to copy these new styles--more or less successfully. And over the course of the next few years the music gets less and less interesting, until another creative surge occurs 5 years later.
Except this time it seems to have been more than 5 years since the last creative surge.
So here's the conversation starter: where is the next creative surge coming from and who are the emerging song writers?
Are they Vineyard? Emergent? Indy? Pentecostal? Post-Evangelical?
And, whoever they are, how can we get a hold of their music?
As you share, the only rule I suggest is that we not lift up people who are already writing in existing styles. No fair lifting up your favorite obscure musician who sounds like Marty Haugen, John Ylvisaker, or Chris Tomlin good as they may be.
Where are the people who may be under the radar but their music is powerfully effective in worship and people want more of it?
I remember when there was this huge surge of creativity within the worship music field. Everybody was being blown away by what was going on at Hillsong and Hillsong United. People just couldn't get enough of the music emerging from places like University Baptist Church, where David Crowder and Chris Seay were doing all kinds of wild stuff--and in England were Matt Redman, Tim Hughes and Martin Smith of Delirious were writing some really fresh melodies and lyrics. And then came the Passion movement with Charlie Hall and Chris Tomlin and many others.
...and several years later, somehow it feels like it's all starting to sound the same.
As I've been studying music written for worship from 1980 on, I've noticed that about every 5 years there is this surge of creativity that happens where people start writing all kinds of fresh, powerful and innovative worship music. Then everyone else tries to copy these new styles--more or less successfully. And over the course of the next few years the music gets less and less interesting, until another creative surge occurs 5 years later.
Except this time it seems to have been more than 5 years since the last creative surge.
So here's the conversation starter: where is the next creative surge coming from and who are the emerging song writers?
Are they Vineyard? Emergent? Indy? Pentecostal? Post-Evangelical?
And, whoever they are, how can we get a hold of their music?
As you share, the only rule I suggest is that we not lift up people who are already writing in existing styles. No fair lifting up your favorite obscure musician who sounds like Marty Haugen, John Ylvisaker, or Chris Tomlin good as they may be.
Where are the people who may be under the radar but their music is powerfully effective in worship and people want more of it?
Join This Conversation
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Permalink Reply by Celia Whitler on
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Hey Beth, this is Celia Whitler jumping in. The lyrics, chords, melody, mp3 and video to "Live Christ" can be found here. I wish I could say I remember writing the song, but what I remember is staring down at it on the page after it was done. It was inspired by the life of a teenager named Nerissa Hackman who I never met. Her youth group attended a regional youth retreat that I was leading in Virginia. They had come straight from Nerissa's memorial service at Arlington cemetary. "Live Christ" flowed out of inspiring stories that I heard about her life. I have enjoyed teaching the song to groups from 3 to 37,000 and I continue to be humbled by the way it connects with congregations. Thanks for singing the song and thanks for mentioning it here.
Beth Gustafson said:I've enjoyed reading everyone's opinion. It is hard to keep our musical worship fresh and engaging, especially when your "old school" critics can't get away from their favorite hymns/songs. I agree that Praise & Worship has become a little ho-hum. The last new song I've introduced with a little more interesting vibe is the Celia Whitler song, "Live Christ". It is extremely singable for the congregation and has a wonderful, yet simple message. Our youth have especially been blessed by it.
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Permalink Reply by Chuck Fromm on -
Hi Richard ,
My take on the issue is much more from the economic/sociological perspective than that of spiritual/theological although it is quite impossible to separate the two. The problem is that we are often blind or naive to how these structures ultimately shape what we hear. For example, over the last century there has been a strong focus to "commercialize" expression. This trend did not just begin with the phonograph and multi-track recording but it certainly was in enhanced by it. Commercial forms of music hit a high point in distribution and marketing with a CD. A piece of metal which cost .40 cents to mfg. was retailed at a premium price of 24.95 !
Now, I'm not anti-capitalist. There is a very famous car maintenance product that is 98% water ! But the forces of commercialization (and greed) do have an impact . In the retail market there is a phenomena labeled " ISOMORPHISM". Essentially, everything becomes like everything else... What is the antedote to the isomorphic tendencies ?? I can think of several things...
1. The investment in and development of FOLK MUSIC CULTURE ... Many would argue that the digital age has brought "folk culture" back. ANYONE can enhance their music via digital tools and circulate the product anywhere in the world. A recent TV ad for a new Cat Stephens record had a ending caption that said... "available world wide through Amazon. com"
2. Same as #1
3. Same as #2
4. Recapture the true meaning of the biblical metaphor "NEW SONG" .
5. Related to #4 regenrise the music cannon around the content of "Jesus Music" : Jesus as prophet, priest and king
6. Learn the vital skills of remediating form...e.g., how to use the past or how to make the past present.
7. Keep a good portion of your music participatory for your congregation. Church is a community of practice and giving your congregation a song that will bring encouragement and hope or retune their hearts to God during the week is great ministry. Simple is not SIMPLISITIC.
8. Along with 7 remember that in todays digitial/new media culture... PEOPLE WANT TO PARTICIPATE not simply as an audience but creativiely as producers of communication as well. Finding ways they can share with others via twitter, facebook, wordpress, etc., is very important.
Got to go.. hope all is well. You really do great work here.
chuck
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Permalink Reply by tom bowland on -
I agree about the "honest" Christian music and like the singer/song writers you list. But, I take some exception about Bryan Sirchio. He is a decent acoustic musician but his "faith" is drive by his politics and not the other way around. Being ordained in the UCC is a mixed blessing--I know. Ask him if he believes that Christ's death and resurrection is real or a metaphor. Bryan did an internship at the UW Pres House under Melli Hunnicut and Vern Visic. They both were concerned about his faith and politics (an both are quite liberal theologians in the Methodist and Presbyterian churches respectively) and viewed Bryan as a "project". He is a nice guy, but confused and that is a problem when he is ministering to people either directly or through his music.
Sherri Hansen said:I've found too that some of the most honest Christian music out there is from the some of the most edgy, crunchy indie bands. The students at the Lutheran campus center where I work love Flyleaf (a goth/metal "non-Christian" Christian band), my band Portico loves needtobreathe (roots-rock), superchic(k) (punk/hip-hop), and singer-songwriters like Monk and Neagle, Brandon Heath, and Matthew West. The problem obviously is that much of this isn't easily translatable to a praise and worship service setting, but serves as inspiration to create our own worship music.
One indie singer-songwriter I really like is Bryan Sirchio ( www.sirchio.com). He's an ordained UCC pastor whose been traveling around the country giving concerts and leading worship for the past 20 years. His songs have a strong social justice theology. He and I also put together a songbook of 24 of his songs for congregational singing last year. So check it out! :)
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Permalink Reply by Evelyn Labun on -
I'd like to know where is the music that actually engages the congregation in singing so that you can hear the person beside you and that the music engages all age groups?
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Linda,
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