What makes a good congregational song?

some good stuff

I naturally balk at a couple of his points (Eg. only ever playing songs in G, A, C or D) – but then I realise that, in practice, for church, i pretty much do the same – for good reason.

It’s especially good to see him point out that Good Theology doesn’t necessarily = Good Lyrics – and both are required. Good lyrics and bad theology is heretical – but good theology and poor lyrics is criminal.

Where are all the poetic lyricists gone anyway? There’s a notable few – Keith Getty, Brooke Fraser, Simone Richardson – but not all the music is as good as the words, and vice versa too.

I’ve been stuck on writing the same song for a couple of months now. The theology’s alright, but that’s about all I can say. ‘There’s no poetry between us’, to quote a Gary Jules song I like – except it’s between me & a song, not between me & a woman.

Congregational writing = hard.

How to Disappear Completely – Radiohead (song of the week)

Thom Yorke – singer of Radiohead – famously nearly lost his mind while touring the world on the back of Radiohead’s album ‘OK Computer’. The album widely referred to as ‘the Dark Side of the Moon of the 90′s’ led to the almost-demise of their front-man, threatening to take the rest of the band with him (see their documentary-film ‘Making Friends is Easy’ for a depressing and moving snapshot of the tour, and a soundtrack to die for).

But being famous has some benefits – including Thom Yorke’s becoming very close with REM singer Michael Stipe – yet another alternative-band-front-man who almost lost his mind from fronting an internationally renowned band and facing the onslaught that ensues.

When Thom had almost hit the point of no return he was on tour with REM and asked Michael Stipe how in the world he could cope with it without going insane. Michael Stipe replied:

“I just go into a room on my own, close the door, turn off the lights, lie on the floor in the fetal position, and say to myself over and over: ‘I’m not here, this isn’t happening… I’m not here, this isn’t happening… I’m not here, this isn’t happening…’”

This is the song that came from his advice.

The song’s orchestration is deceptively brilliant. Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead’s guitarist) spent a month locked up on his own composing the string parts. I don’t know another song with a string part like it – for almost the entire song the strings sit on a note that’s well-and-truly breaking all of the rules (the #5), producing a constantly unsettling feeling whenever it can be heard in the mix. It all adds up to a perfection of melancholic dis-contentedness that makes your hair stand on end from go to woe.

Go on up, you Baldhead – innovative Scripture in song

profound… genius… very funny…

…thanks to my Year 13 lackey for this one!

Songs from North Coast Christian Convention 2010

I was ambitious with introducing new songs this year – partly because we didn’t get to introduce any newies in 2009 (the convention was canceled due to floods), and partly because of a growing conviction that mission-minded churches need to continue evolving musically to become ‘all things to all men’, and win people over for Christ. I’ve come to see NCCC as an opportunity to help equip literally hundreds of people from dozens of churches to do just that, by introducing a handful of new songs they can take home to teach in their own churches. Each of the new songs were sung 3 times each over the 6 sessions. It was tough doing so many songs that the majority were unfamiliar with (think: hundreds of people staring at you until they’re familiar enough to join in) – and we certainly copped a bit of discouraging feedback (mainly about volume: very understandable coming particularly from elderly believers who may have never had anything but a piano or a midi-file player in church for most of their life). But there was plenty of encouraging feedback too – and my hope is that churches will take home all of the lyrics & copyright info (included in the NCCC booklets) and introduce some of the new songs to their own churches. I don’t have numbers yet, but I estimate there was somewhere in the vicinity of 350-450 people there (but i’m hopeless with numbers).

New songs we taught:

1. Desert Song – Brooke Fraser – a great song about the praise-worthiness of God through all of the different seasons in life, the good times & the bad. This song was the musical highlight of the weekend – for those in the music team, and everyone else i’ve asked – partly because it’s both lyrically and musically rich, and partly because it fit in with the Bible talks and seminars so well.

2. Join with the Angels – Lex Buckley – an upbeat, poppy tune – great as a service-starter – praising God’s holiness in particular, and rejoicing that we’re praising along with the angels in heaven.

3. Through the Valley – Lex Buckley – reminiscent of Psalm 23, a ‘power-ballad’ that strengthens our hearts in the truth that, when we go through tough times (‘through the valley’), we don’t need to be afraid, because we still have Jesus, and all of our hope lies in him.

New songs we didn’t teach (we relied on repetition and SCPC people who knew them to sing loud!):

4. You Are – Ben Cantelon – already a cracker at SCPC. A refreshingly Christ-centred, cross-focused song, about God reigning and ruling ‘over everything’ – which fit in very well with this year’s ‘Unseen but Supreme’ theme.

5. Almighty God – Tim Hughes – praising the glory of Almighty God in creation, and his being  ‘in every way, above and beyond understanding’. Again, fitting for the ‘Unseen but Supreme’ theme.

6. Yesterday, Today & Forever – Vicky Beeching – rejoices in the ‘same-ness’ of God over time – unchanging in his faithfulness and trustworthiness (i plan to post a blog on this song soon).

Oldies but goodies:

7. All Creatures of our God & King – Mars-Hill-Church-style

8. Nothing But the Blood – Mars-Hill-Church-style

9. Hallalujah to the King of Kings – Mark Peterson

10. Take My Life – Garage Hymnal

11. How Great is Our God – Chris Tomlin

12. Before the Throne – Sovereign Grace

13. Lord Be My Vision (otherwise known as Be Thou My Vision) – Traditional

Kids Songs:

1. One Day – Quizworx

2. Super Saviour – Colin Buchanan

Rejected – an animation by Don Herzfeldt

i’ve been watching this for 10 years and it never ceases to amaze me – the Don is a genius:

…i wish i could’ve seen the faces of the companies when they saw his final submissions!

stocking porn in the cupboard?

so good i wanted to share:

True – The Frames (song of the week)

haven’t got ‘the shiver’ from a scream this consistently since i first discovered Radiohead’s ‘climbing up the walls’

Sermons that last

How long does it take to forget a sermon? Even a really good one, like at North Coast Christian Convention – how long will you remember it? Here’s a good test: What did you learn at NCCC 2008? In fact, what did you learn in church on Sunday just passed?

We all have memorable sermons in our mind. Ones that really spurred us on to follow Jesus. Ones that made us turn from sin in a big way. Ones that changed the entire course of our lives. And just because you can’t remember a sermon doesn’t mean it didn’t play its part – God uses his word in our lives, whether we remember it happening or not. Obviously small groups and personal Bible reading play a part too.

Songs, on the other hand, are another category entirely. Songs are memorable. Songs are poetic. Songs are expressive. Songs embed God’s word into our hearts and minds – in a memorable, lasting, and precious way. Good congregational songs (songs that faithfully express God’s word in a culturally effective way) are sermons that last a lifetime.

In 5 years time, you may not remember the talks from NCCC 2010, but you’ll still remember: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” When you’re tempted to think your goodness can save you, that song could make a difference. In 10 years time you might not remember the details from Al Stewart’s talks, but you’ll still remember that “when I go through the valley I won’t be afraid, for Jesus you are with me, holding me close” – because of that great song God uses to speak to you. You might even be strengthened to stay faithful in a way you wouldn’t have been without the song – that’s what God’s word does to us, when we remember it, and turn it over in our heart and mind.

It’d be wrong to think of the songs as completely separate to the sermons being preached. Really, they work together – they’re two different and complementary ‘types’ of sermons. The songs help us prepare to hear, to hear, and to respond to God’s word – they help the preached sermon ‘sink in’. As you head home from NCCC this year – and as you head home from church every week – do remember that good congregational songs are powerful sermons, that last. Make the most of them!

…from a blurb I wrote for the NCCC 2010 booklet…

Let It Be Me – Ray Lamontagne (song of the week)

you’d think this is old. it’s not. today’s Bill Withers.

yum

iWorship

since worship is all of life, then worship will have to include our phones…