Music in baptist churches

[Goodbook]

Just wondering what music is like in your church and what hymns/songs are most popular. What styles and is there anything your church wouldn't consider (even if it's used by other christian churches).

What kind of musical instruments are played - organs, piano, keyboard, drums, guitars, harps, sax or other instruments? Can anyone play or is there some kind of selection?

Does your church have good acoustics or does it have a complicated sound system needing amplifiers etc?

And lastly do you have words up on screens or in hymnbooks or you just memorize them?

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

Just wondering what music is like in your church and what hymns/songs are most popular. What styles and is there anything your church wouldn't consider (even if it's used by other christian churches).

What kind of musical instruments are played - organs, piano, keyboard, drums, guitars, harps, sax or other instruments? Can anyone play or is there some kind of selection?

Does your church have good acoustics or does it have a complicated sound system needing amplifiers etc?

And lastly do you have words up on screens or in hymnbooks or you just memorize them?

At my church, we have music of varying styles: we sing hymns as well as modern worship songs, quiet songs as well as loud songs; it pleases both old and young! I personally love all these styles as well. There are beautiful hymns and beautiful modern worship songs I love.

There are a few instruments. Generally, we have a piano, a guitar and the drums. Sometimes, we also play a harp, a bass or an organ. I play the drums, but I can also play the piano.

We use microphones and amplifiers too. The room, according to my estimations, is perhaps 7 to 10 metres wide and 20 to 30 metres long.

Spoiler: Click here if you are an American who cannot cope with the metric system

(That is, approximately 25 to 35 feet wide and 65 to 100 feet long.)

Amplifiers are useful for the people in the back.

The words are always projected on a screen in the front of the room. No-one carries hymnals to our church any more; however, some of us already know some of the lyrics by heart.

 

[Goodbook]

Sounds a bit like my church, except we sometimes have bongo drums, and we dont have an organ or harp.

As well as words projected on a screen, each sunday the song lyrics are printed on a sheet that is in a booklet for ppl who cant see the projection.

Generally we have about 8 songs. What about your church?

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

[...] Generally we have about 8 songs. What about your church?

Eight songs? Really? Wow! We only sing around 4 songs each service.

At 09:30, the musicians arrive in church to practise for the worship moment (Hmm... ‘Worship moment’... Like it makes sense to say we restrain our ‘worship’ to half an hour per week... You understand what I mean, though...).

At 10:30, Sunday school begins, and it ends at 11:30.

At 11:40–11:45, the service begins. The initial announcements last until approximately 12:00. Then, the worship team goes on the stage. It is typical for us to sing approximately four songs, so that the pastor may begin his preaching at around 12:20 and finish at 13:00.

We rarely follow the schedule thoroughly, but that is the aim... You see, we are Portuguese — until we all change nationality, the service will never end on time! JK

What about there, in New Zealand?

 

[Goodbook]

Oh well, in my church, i cant say its representaitive of all baptist churches, but typically, service starts at 10, with call to worship and we have a out three songs, then announcements, sharing time, prayer for children, who go off to sunday school another song take up offering. Then three more songs while we have prayer, then the sermon, more prayer then a closing hymn and benedction, then tea, coffee or scones afterwards.

Ususually ends with benedction at 11:30, and stay for fellowship till about 11:45 or 12.

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

Oh well, in my church, i cant say its representaitive of all baptist churches, but typically, service starts at 10, with call to worship and we have a out three songs, then announcements, sharing time, prayer for children, who go off to sunday school another song take up offering. Then three more songs while we have prayer, then the sermon, more prayer then a closing hymn and benedction, then tea, coffee or scones afterwards.

Ususually ends with benedction at 11:30, and stay for fellowship till about 11:45 or 12.

Hmm... So, you don't have Sunday school for adults?

 

[Goodbook]

No...
The sermon is like our sunday school cos its expository preaching in a way. Our minister follows scripture, its not his own ideas with scripture to support his points like some church ministers do.

The only time ive ever been in an adult sunday school class is one time going to a bible baptist church and they had that and they were trying to indoctrinate ppl into dispensationalism. I didnt buy it.

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

No...
The sermon is like our sunday school cos its expository preaching in a way. Our minister follows scripture, its not his own ideas with scripture to support his points like some church ministers do.

The only time ive ever been in an adult sunday school class is one time going to a bible baptist church and they had that and they were trying to indoctrinate ppl into dispensationalism. I didnt buy it.

Hmm… I find Sunday school to be useful, since it is very different from a normal preaching. In my church: in Sunday school, everyone can say something, make a comment, read a passage, ask questions, and there is much more interactivity amongst everyone, and you have a teacher (not a preacher) guiding the lesson, but not preaching it, and everyone can learn from everyone, meaning it is a bit more like group study, which is a great blessing for Christians; meanwhile, in the service, the pastor preaches about another issue, which may also be guided towards evangelisation, meaning that its point could be to preach the message to non-Christians, or strengthen each Christian, but it is the pastor the sole speaker for the whole time. So, these are very different things, and I am surprised that your church would mix them up. But oh well! Each church has her own culture!

Regarding the ‘indoctrination into dispensationalism’, I am rather surprised that they approached such relatively complex doctrines on Sunday school, but I am equally surprised that you rejected such a doctrine!

 

[Thunder Peel]

I'm a fan of the old-school hymns, mostly because they functioned as both worship songs and theology lessons. Most of the contemporary stuff is generic and more focused on "me, I, we" than on "He, God, Jesus, Savior". I like some of them but the old hymns are still my favorites.

 

[Goodbook]

Yea im finding the newer type songs a bit light on theology and glorifying God..they tend to be very generic.

 

[Goodbook]

Our church has various bible studies on during the week anyone can go to. So i go to the ladies one and we all learn together.

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

Yea im finding the newer type songs a bit light on theology and glorifying God..they tend to be very generic.

In a general way, that is kind of true, and hymns are much richer in terms of Theology. But modern songs are still very good, and most are theologically correct (exception: Chasing You — find out why ). Many are also very, very beautiful.

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

Our church has various bible studies on during the week anyone can go to. So i go to the ladies one and we all learn together.

Ah! OK. That is good. So, it's like you have Sunday school, but not on Sunday. That is also good!

 

[Goodbook]

Name some of the songs that are sung at your church.
Do you have any that are regularly sung? Ive noticed in other churches sometimes the same songs are sung every week and even twice in one service. But my baptist church always has a mix of different ones each week.

In my church, popular ones include

Amazing Grace
10000 reasons to bless the Lord
The potters hand

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

Name some of the songs that are sung at your church.
Do you have any that are regularly sung? Ive noticed in other churches sometimes the same songs are sung every week and even twice in one service. But my baptist church always has a mix of different ones each week.

We also have a different mix each week, which means we end up singing many songs. For some of them, I do not know if there is an English version.

Here are perhaps some of the most common ones we sing:

• A Mighty Fortress
• Abide with Me
• At the Cross
• Blessed Assurance
• God, You Are Good
• Great Is the Lord and Most Worthy of Praise
• Great Is Thy Faithfulness
• He Is Exalted
• I Know Whom I Have Believed
• I Will Enter His Gates
• It Is Well with My Soul
• Jesus, Name Above All Names
• Just as I Am
• Lord, I Lift Your Name on High
• Majesty
• Mighty to Save
• Rock of Ages (Jesus Is the Rock)
• Shine, Jesus, Shine
• Stand up, Stand up for Jesus
• This Is the Day

I really like all of these!

In my church, popular ones include

Amazing Grace
10000 reasons to bless the Lord
The potters hand

I am unfamiliar with The Potter's Hand. I really like the other two.

 

[Goodbook]

The potters hand is by darlene zschezch she of Shout to the Lord fame.

I know many of those but not always sure of their titles. I especially like Great is thy faithfulness and Mighty to Save.

In christ alone is also a good one.

 

[Goodbook]

Everytime i go to church I mean to catch the guys who plays guitar after the service but they never seem to hang round for a cup of tea.i dont know their names two of them play.
This is kinda bugging me that I dont know them.

I play guitar but only by ear..I wouldnt really be polished enough to play up front.

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

Everytime i go to church I mean to catch the guys who plays guitar after the service but they never seem to hang round for a cup of tea.i dont know their names two of them play.
This is kinda bugging me that I dont know them.

I play guitar but only by ear..I wouldnt really be polished enough to play up front.

OK, here is what you need to do: next Sunday, as soon as the service ends, RUN! Run to catch them up!

 

[Leevo]

Just wondering what music is like in your church and what hymns/songs are most popular. What styles and is there anything your church wouldn't consider (even if it's used by other christian churches).

What kind of musical instruments are played - organs, piano, keyboard, drums, guitars, harps, sax or other instruments? Can anyone play or is there some kind of selection?

Does your church have good acoustics or does it have a complicated sound system needing amplifiers etc?

And lastly do you have words up on screens or in hymnbooks or you just memorize them?

The church I used to go to had an excellent band! I felt it was more like a concert than anything...

Here is a video someone recorded of them though:

 

[The Portuguese Baptist]

The church I used to go to had an excellent band! I felt it was more like a concert than anything...

Here is a video someone recorded of them though:

That is pretty cool! We do not have such a concert-like worship moment at my church, but I like it either way.