Calling All SongwritersSample

TARGET IN SINGING

We’ve considered our singing through the use of these words; total, text and tone, and now we must add one more perspective to the list—our target. 

Target with 1 – 2 – 3 

Mike Cosper in his book Rhythms of Grace offers some helpful insight to our conversation here in what he calls “1-2-3 Worship.” He says that our singing should have three audiences or targets: God, each other, and the lost. The lyrical texts we use should not only proclaim, praise, exhort, and make petitions to God but should also consider the whole of the church, and most definitely should sing the truths of the gospel in our lyrics in order to evangelize the lost person in our midst. 

Multi-Generational and Multi-Cultural

Music is also the only universal language, and thus must be used as such. Our voice should reflect the nature of God himself. God himself is a diverse community held together in mutual submission and love. Our singing should reflect God’s kingdom in diversity of age, race, style, preference, and creed.

As you dwell on and reconsider singing, we leave you in your singing with the mentality of C. S. Lewis as found in this closing quote:

There are two musical situations on which I think we can be confident that a blessing rests. One is where a priest or an organist, himself a man of trained and delicate taste, humbly and charitably sacrifices his own (aesthetically right) desires and gives the people humbler and coarser fare than he would wish, in a belief (even, as it may be, the erroneous belief) that he can thus bring them to God. The other is where the stupid and unmusical layman humbly and patiently, and above all silently, listens to music which he cannot, or cannot fully, appreciate, in the belief that it somehow glorifies God, and that if it does not edify him this must be his own defect. Neither such a High Brow nor such a Low Brow can be far out of the way. To both, Church Music will have been a means of grace; not the music they have liked, but the music they have disliked.

Garden City is passionate about equipping songwriters for the good of the church. For a tool in how to equip your church in singing, Go here . For courses and consultation to help equip you in becoming a better songwriter, Go here. To join in on global songwriting projects, Go here.