10/02/2023
HOW IS SINGING IN THE CHURCH LIKE SINGING IN THE PUB?
I’m stunned! My friend, Lee Milam, sent me an article that overwhelmed me with joy. It speaks to everything we’ve given our lives to in the past decades. Allow me to explain.
This week, as we are leading SongFests and worship training seminars in Texas, Sharon and I are also looking forward to embarking on a tour in a few weeks to take the Praise and Harmony message from coast to coast. In a few weeks, we will be leading SongFests in FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, CA, OR, WA, ID, MT, WY, SD, ND, MN, WI, IL — And that’s just our Spring itinerary! (Please sign up for our weekly mailing list to know when we'll be in your area.)
What are the messages we will repeat over and over again? Spoiler alert. If you’ve never experienced a Praise and Harmony SongFest, these are the points we regularly deliver:
* We must encourage and expect 100% participation in congregational singing from every member, thus mobilizing the entire church to be “the choir.”
*Tone deaf worshippers’ voices are equally celebrated and need to feel totally comfortable participating.
*Beginners can learn if they are taught.
*Harmony is beautiful and fun!
*Men’s voices are needed as much as anyone. However, with instruments, the bass voice is often marginalized.
*Congregational singing must be enthusiastic, joyful and wonderfully contagious, which results in everyone seeking to join the singing, regardless of talent. Too many Sunday mornings feel like a funeral parlor instead of a celebration.
*Any group of people can sound amazing under proficient direction and a little training. Yes, I said training, which is why we produce 1,000’s of congregational training videos available in the P&H.TV APP designed for beginners to learn to sing harmony.
*Congregational singing must be directed by skilled, trained leaders who set the tone for worship. We believe it’s just as important for song/worship leaders to be trained as it is for preachers to be