Todd says:
“This comment was directed toward worship leaders. To some extent, it is their job to worry about things like this.”

Jesus said “do not worry”:
http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=do%20not%20worry&version1=31&searchtype=all&limit=none&wholewordsonly=no

As long as you are led by the spirit, don’t worry!  If people complain, don’t worry.  If the SP complains, don’t worry.  If anyone complains, don’t worry.  Care only what God tells you and how he leads you.  If you aren’t led by the Spirit, then yes, by all means, worry what others think.  And if they are happy and praise you, all glory goes to self. 

...Bernie

I wholeheartedly agree with Steve that the reason people are not singing is because the anointing is lacking in the worship.  Most people think that being able to duplicate a song from a CD will produce an expected result in the praise & worship.  As a worship leader I can never expect my public worship to ever outdo my personal worship.  Nothing in ----> nothing out. Another factor is that we have become so rigid with our “song lineup” that the Spirit is quenched when the Spirit of God takes a different direction.  Praise & worship must flow with the Spirit and not be led by the sequence of songs off the CD. Other things that I’ve noticed is that a lot of the new songs have become so “wordy” that only the best singers can even keep up with the extremely syncopated melody lines. Enough said, so let’s all be led by the Spirit of God and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth!

Great topic.  And a very important one too.  I’m discovering this blog long after the discussion originally took place, but if anyone is still reading, I have developed some opinions from my many years of experience with many different music and worship styles, that I think are worth sharing.

First, I think the 10 reasons given at the outset have a certain amount of merit, but perhaps don’t go deep enough. 

The first one (can’t sing when hurting) is certainly legit for various people at different times, but this would likely account for only a very few on any one occasion. 

Numbers 2 and 3 are related (people who didn’t come to worship for many different reasons), and probably are also a very small minority.  It is true that they are not engaged, but the right music always engages people.  That is the great power that music has.  I’ll come back to this later.

Number 4 (don’t like their voice / don’t like to sing) while there is undoubtedly some truth here as it applies to some, doesn’t generally stand up to scrutiny.  It has been aptly pointed out by others in this forum that in some secular settings there seems to be little reticence about a lack of singing ability.  And these tend not to be venues populated by serious singers and musicians.  A lot of very ordinary voices are shared with great enthusiasm and evidently little embarrassment. 

Number 5 (not been taught that it is ok) works better as an excuse than a reason, as there are usually many examples of people modeling singing around the room.  Possible exceptions might include locations where the style / philosophy of the service is seeker or performance oriented, and singing is not expected, but then we wouldn’t be having this discussion if that were the scenario involved.  I recognize, too, that singing is not a North American cultural norm, particularly during the last generation or so.  But again, a place of worship is clearly a different kind of model, one that has always included singing, despite many different forms and traditions.  And those who join, regardless of their previous background or generation, have always tended to embrace singing and music as a part of the worship experience.  Contemporary musical style logically should promote more involvement, if it is connecting with those in attendance.

Number 6 (can’t find the melody) begins to uncover something important.  Blaming the soloistic tendencies of the worship leader, while having some merit in perhaps some cases, obscures the real heart of the problem, however, as I’ll clarify in a moment.

Number 7 (too loud or soft) is certainly a factor. There is no question that music which is too loud is a big turn-off.  And people won’t sing if they are turned off.  And some might fear being heard if music is too quiet.  But the sound of other people singing wonderful music is and always has been a motivator to join in the singing.  Karaoke would not be an attraction were this not so.  So while the volume can be an issue, it too conceals the real problem, in my opinion.

Number 8 (key too high or low) can impede singing, definitely.  But free harmonization can solve this problem too. 

Number 9 (don’t know the song) is an obvious challenge, but it still skirts the real issue, because good songs can be learned fairly quickly. 

Number 10 (same song every week) is, I hope, a bit exaggerated.  Further, truly great songs bear frequent repetition, and people love to join in singing them frequently. 

You may have surmised, by now, the point that I’m about to make, and one that has already been touched upon a bit by others.

If either contemporary or traditional is the only measuring stick for the choice of a worship song, the worship experience will be condemned to mediocrity.  And just as there are many very poor old traditional hymns, so there is a mountain of extremely uninspiring contemporary material as well. 
In particular, the art of melody is almost totally lost in many modern selections.  Sadly, far too many songs tend to meander aimlessly, back and forth on three or four notes, desperately seeking a mission, like a story without a plot.  There is no tension and release.  There is no climax.  They are not inspiring.  You don’t feel motivated to join in singing.  You’re not sure where the melody is going next, and when it does, it doesn’t sound purposeful.  These insipid excuses for a melody, (can you tell that this is one of my pet peeves?), also generally cannot be helped with attempts at free harmonization.  They still sound weak, despite many valiant efforts by some to dress them up with harmony.  I speak from personal experience here as a trained professional musician, and someone who also has some experience in song writing and arranging. 

And also, it must be understood, as has also been mentioned, that not all music is ideally suited to congregational singing.  Some music is more band-oriented or soloistic by nature. 

The bottom line is that great music inspires people to sing.  They will find themselves singing, inspite of their personal miseries (like Neil Diamond in Song Sung Blue).  This is why God has provided us with music and told us to sing in worship.  They will join in singing a great old classic, and they will join in singing a new song.  When it was written is entirely unimportant.  Great music will wipe away the tears, stir the soul to worship, and restore the peace that God has promised to us.  Singing newly written songs is not the only way that our minds can stay fresh.  Great old songs that are new to us, or restored to our memory also serve to touch us anew.  All great music will inspire us to connect with God’s magnificent truths, and to enter joyfully in singing, regardless of the style. 

So, our commitment ought to be to seek the best music possible, that is ideal for congregational singing, regardless of its style.  Blended worship, together with a commitment to find music which is truly great and can impact us at a subconscious level, provides the means for us all to find a solution to lacklustre singing. 

And because this is an important and sophistocated art, we must treat it with greater respect.  We need more music workshops to be offered by those with particular talents in these areas in order to better equip those who have been entrusted with leading worship.  Worship leaders need to be more discerning and have better tools for decision making with regard to the awesome responsibility of selecting music for worship that will inspire their congregation to participate in singing together. 

Blessings,

Steve Riches