A Theology of Congregational Singing

by Kim Arnold

Have you ever wondered why we sing as a gathered body of believers? Was this a tradition that developed over the years, or was it instituted in the Bible? And what is the purpose of singing in church?

I always enjoy singing with fellow believers when we meet for worship, but sometimes I look around the sanctuary and think people are missing out on why we sing. God has given us such a beautiful way to offer our worship to him, so our focus should be on Him and what He has instituted, not on our feelings or emotions. Let me encourage you to keep reading and see what the Bible says about singing in worship.

Congregational Singing in the Bible
When I think of worship in the Old Testament, I immediately recall worship in the tabernacle and worship in the temple. Although we do not live under the Law like the Israelites did, we see the importance God placed on gathering his people for worship, so we continue in a like-manner today. The Old Testament shows us that psalms were central in singing in the temple, and because of that, they continued to be used in churches throughout church history. John Calvin even declared that there should be no other songs sung in church than the Psalms!

When worship shifted from the temple to the synagogue in the New Testament, singing continued as an integral part of worship practice. Paul exhorted the believers in Colossae and Ephesus to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs when they gathered, which aided them as they grew in spiritual maturity (Colossians 3:15-17; Ephesians 5:15-20). We even have a record of Pliny the Younger, in a letter written to the Roman Emperor, explaining that Christians gathered “to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ.” Thus, we see that in the early church they gathered and sang hymns, showing us today the importance and sacredness of this act of worship.

Congregational Singing in Church History
As church history progressed, congregational singing was alternately emphasized and de-emphasized as church practices ebbed and flowed. To provide a quick overview, Ambrose of Milan wrote many doctrinal hymns in the fourth century, then the Catholic church came into power for many centuries, ultimately leading to the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century. A large component to the Reformation included a desire to increase the participation of the congregation in Catholic mass. Luther advocated for the mass to be in the language of the people (and later encouraged German hymnody), and Calvin took the reform further into abolishing the mass completely and only singing biblical texts in worship.

The centuries following the Reformation were fraught with divisions and schisms, yet congregational singing in churches continued to develop. As early-American settlers established their communities, they utilized psalters, and later hymnbooks, in their congregational singing. These settlers carried their psalters and hymnbooks with their Bibles from home to church, and back again, allowing the texts to aid in both their personal devotions and congregational worship.

Congregational Singing Today
This very brief peek into church history provides us with the foundation we need to understand that congregational singing has impacted the church for centuries and should continue impacting the church for centuries to come. Congregational singing is formative in the life of the believer and needs to be seen as something more than recreational. In every act of worship, God initiates, and we respond. God invites us to gather as a body of believers, and we respond through singing, praying, and reading God’s word.

What is your response in congregational worship today? Do you anticipate the time of gathered worship as a time for you to respond to God’s invitation, or do you have a lesser view of congregational singing? Let me offer three suggestions if you find yourself struggling to participate in singing your worship.

1. Remember that God initiates worship. If I think that worship is about my tastes and my desires, then I miss the point of gathered worship. Worship is about like-minded believers gathering to ascribe ultimate worth to our trinitarian God. When I remember that worship is about God and not me, I can participate more freely because my only desire is to offer acceptable worship.

2. Utilize a hymnal in your personal devotions. I know most churches today no longer use hymnals but utilizing a hymnal in your personal devotions allows you to pray and sing beautiful truths to God as an act of private worship. As you do this privately, you will be more and more encouraged to do so publicly. If you do not own a hymnal, look for one that contains more hymns describing God’s character than songs that emphasize human feelings about God, because we get a steady diet of the latter in general today.

3. Let your love for God shine above your love for self. When we offer public worship to God, we are not only allowing the truths to form our hearts toward Him, but we are edifying other believers who may be watching. Think of how encouraged you have been when you witnessed a struggling fellow believer worship the Lord. As Paul encouraged the believers in Colossae and Ephesus, we are also to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to the glory of God and the edification of the believer.

I hope this post has encouraged you to think deeply about congregational singing and to see where gathered worship occurs both in the Bible and in church history. We have the blessing of standing on the shoulders of centuries of believers lifting their voices in worship to God. May we never take for granted the privilege of singing our faith.

Author Bio
Kim has been a member of Council Road for 28 years, where she loves singing in choir and leading worship on Sunday mornings. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Church Music and Worship from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and enjoys teaching future worship leaders the importance of biblical training in worship leading. Kim and Jason have been married for 20 years and have one son, Nolan, and a labradoodle, Mabel. When not working, the Arnold family loves hiking in God's beautiful creation.