Why Churches Should Ditch The Projector Screens And Bring Back Hymnals

[Jonaitis]

Why Churches Should Ditch The Projector Screens And Bring Back Hymnals

While there are some humor to it, there is so much truth to it too.

What are your thoughts?

 

[vinsight4u]

deleted....see later post under this thread
faith group - for me would be Baptist

 

[St_Worm2]

Hi @Jonaitis, what's a "hymn"





--David

 

[vinsight4u]

deleted
not correct denomination for me

 

[renniks]

Technology is not evil. It's merely a tool.

 

[Jonaitis]

no

Hymnals are usually not enough supplied in the row, so must be shared. They
are very small print, to see at a distance sometimes in the hands of another person.
They can be difficult to remove from the back of a pew holder and get dropped on
the floor. People also must make sure they heard the correct page number, then
find it before the song is over.

Oh, the day when men will say that a virtual church rids us the problems of getting up too early to attend service, wasting our gas to get there, losing our favorite seat in the back row, having to sit for three hours without eating, and talking to other people with social anxiety! I am afraid of the times I am living in...

 

[Jonaitis]

Technology is not evil. It's merely a tool.

I agree in that technology isn't evil, and that it is a tool that benefits us. However, technology isn't always good either.

 

[joshua 1 9]

What are your thoughts?

There was a Lutheran church that split into progressive and conservative. They built the new church across the street from the old. I talked to the pastor and he said he is not worried about the progressives, and their new hymnal. They have a zeal for God. He is worried about the people that want to follow the established way. If they were to drop out of Church he is afraid they would be lost. So he wants to keep them attending in the hope they can get more excited for God.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Why Churches Should Ditch The Projector Screens And Bring Back Hymnals

While there are some humor to it, there is so much truth to it too.

What are your thoughts?

Brick and mortar congregations are getting too big so projection is helpful however, forced. I would think if you really want to "join in" you would make every effort to pick up the book and sing. After all, God knows our heart. Good way to start a sermon, checking one's heart.
Blessings

 

[Tigger45]

I prefer the screens. More people tend to participate ‘from my experience’ and they sing up and out due to watching the screen projecting their voices better rather than down into a book. Just my 2 cents

 

[Bobber]

An interesting topic. I'm afraid I can't just buy the concerns about doing away with the screen concept and reverting back to the the hard copy hymn book idea. First if a minister actually insisted his congregation have what we think of today as the old songs you could still do that with a screen. So is it really the screen which is a real problem....or just a type of misplaced nostalgia that hard copy books of what we did traditionally must somehow be connected to spirituality.

Now is current complementary Christian music less spiritual? Depends. I do think much of it is born from the flesh....if there's not a real message which really causes spiritual edification but becomes pure entertainment....flashing lights, this that or the other and that's all it is....then yes things have gone amiss. I don't believe all is however. There are many good songs which bring genuine edification and lead people into true worship.

 

[Bobber]

About hymns my wife and I worship the Lord with song every day in our home. We have some more contemporary songs but I still make it a point for us to sing, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus". As for me I think it'd be to everyone's advantage to read through it's word almost daily for what a great words for edification.

 

[Halbhh]

Why Churches Should Ditch The Projector Screens And Bring Back Hymnals

While there are some humor to it, there is so much truth to it too.

What are your thoughts?

While I am used to hymnals and screens, both, I found most all of the arguments given to be false ideas. Example (even this strong sounding paragraph):
"As hymnals fade, theology also suffers. The rich repository of religious wisdom contained in hymns will be lost. The old-fashioned language of hymns may strike some as unusual, but their text teaches the Christian faith far better than most of the praise choruses that dominate contemporary services. Old hymns were carefully crafted with theology at the forefront. Traditional hymns present doctrine clearly and beautifully convey the gospel story of saving grace."

It's easy to find both modern songs and old songs (hymns) that are simple in wording and not that deep in theology...

And also it's easy to find modern and old songs both that are more meaty in theology.

No particular pattern there.

Here's a modern song, from 2001:

But still, it's very nice to put together some of the good old hymns together with modern signing styles, and then you can get something really great, and very worth hearing.

The old songs don't have to be lost:

 

[Halbhh]

Some of the top of the chart most popular Contemporary Songs of all have more theological heft than some might imagine.

Lyrics: "What a Beautiful Name"
You were the Word at the beginning (John 1:1)
One With God the Lord Most High (John 1:1)
Your hidden glory in creation (John 1:3)
Now revealed in You our Christ

What a beautiful Name it is
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King (Revelation 19:16)
What a beautiful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus

You didn't want heaven without us
So Jesus, You brought heaven down (Mark 1:15, Luke 17:21)
My sin was great, Your love was greater (John 15:13)
What could separate us now

What a wonderful Name it is
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a wonderful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus

How sweet is your name, Lord, how good You are
Love to sing in the name of the Lord, love to sing for you all?
Death could not hold You, the veil tore before You (Matthew 27:51)
You silenced the boast, of sin and grave (Romans 6:9, Romans 6:6)
The heavens are roaring, the praise of Your glory
For You are raised to life again (Matthew 28:6, Romans 6:4)
You have no rival, You have no equal (Rev 19:16)
Now and forever, Our God reigns
Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the glory (Rev 22:13, 16)
Yours is the Name, above all names
What a powerful Name it is
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a powerful Name it is
Nothing can stand against
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus

You have no rival, You have no equal
Now and forever, Our God reigns
Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the glory
Yours is the Name, above all names
What a powerful Name it is
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a powerful Name it is
Nothing can stand against
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What A Beautiful Name - Hillsong Worship Lyrics and Chords | Worship Together

 

[Halbhh]

Why Churches Should Ditch The Projector Screens And Bring Back Hymnals

While there are some humor to it, there is so much truth to it too.

What are your thoughts?

I do still like hymnals though. I really do enjoy opening up a hymnal and singing a familiar old song and glancing to see which verse is next, or how the 3rd or 4th verse goes. (It's just that singing those hymns from a screen works pretty well too, I can testify)

 

[bekkilyn]

It doesn't have to be an either/or thing. A church can use both hymnals and screens. Other than a non-denominational church I visited a few months ago, all of the churches I've attended (Methodist and Baptist) have used hymnals for much of the music, even if they also had screens, and size of congregation didn't matter (though none were mega-churches).

 

[redleghunter]

Why Churches Should Ditch The Projector Screens And Bring Back Hymnals

While there are some humor to it, there is so much truth to it too.

What are your thoughts?

YES!

After the PowerPoint guy made three mistakes while we were singing I thought the very first thing. Great guy too. He tried. It was a failure due to last minute rehearsals which you DO NOT Need if you have hymnals.

I said to the music director. Great guy love him. I said what if we take all the songs, bind them in a book with the lyrics and music sheets and stick them in the pews. He smiled and said “like the old hymnals?” I said “precisely.”

The Bee addressed this too.


To Avoid Problems With Lyric Slides, Innovative Church Prints Out Songs And Compiles Them Into Book

The PowerPoint guy or gal are under a lot of pressure. We have a solution. Then the young folks who do that task can help with the heavy set up stuff. Instead of leaving that to the older folk.

 

[redleghunter]

It doesn't have to be an either/or thing. A church can use both hymnals and screens. Other than a non-denominational church I visited a few months ago, all of the churches I've attended (Methodist and Baptist) have used hymnals for much of the music, even if they also had screens, and size of congregation didn't matter (though none were mega-churches).

In some places it’s getting crazy. Even the Bible passages are put up on the screen. One place I visited had no Bibles in the pews because of this. Sure people should be bringing their own to church whether hard copy Bible or device with app.

 

[redleghunter]

Technology is not evil. It's merely a tool.

Go into a kids Sunday School and ask them to perform their Sword Drills and they will be befuddled.

Interesting Calvinist rapper Shai Linne is answering the call.

 

[miamited]

Hi jonaitis,

I read this bit from your supporting article:
Informality in worship is way up (shouting “Amen,” wearing shorts to church) and formality is way down (calling the minister “Pastor So and So,” dressing up for services).

While I'm not much into wearing shorts here in South Carolina, I have worn shorts to fellowships in South Florida. I, and a couple of other congregants in attendance at my fellowship often throw out a hearty 'Amen' when we feel that the teacher's message is particularly on point concerning the greatness and glory of God and His Son. I've often wondered where and when the 'formality' in fellowship gatherings came about.

I've generally considered that when the first apostles were planting fellowships throughout Asia and the middle east and Europe, they didn't really carry a hard chest full of special clothes that they would don to attend such fellowships. Paul likely wore his same street clothes, as he stopped in the many cities and byways, that he wore every other day of the week. As did, I'm fairly confident, the other first disciples and apostles. I think a lot of the 'fancy dress' code of 'church' finds it's beginnings as the Catholic brand of 'religion' began to supersede the original means and dress of christian fellowship.

I'm always reminded, when people say that some don't 'dress up enough' for worship, that Jesus spoke of how the people going out to see John the Baptist might have been looking for someone in fine clothes and how those people are to be found in palaces. I spent a number of years ministering to the homeless in South Miami-Dade and one of the most oft heard complaints as to why they didn't attend worship services was that they didn't have decent clothes to wear. To me, that was just so sad, that somewhere back there we turned worship of God into it being necessary to have those fine clothes that Jesus said were to be found in palaces.

Look, if people feel that they need to dress up the outside to show what's on the inside, so be it! But me, I'd rather disregard what's on the outside for what's on the inside. I want the beggar to be as comfortable to come and worship his God as the well to do man. In the days of Paul, people didn't have entire wardrobes of clothes in which they could pick and choose their fine 3 piece suits and ladies silk dresses. The people who were called to worship the God and Creator of all things in Paul's day likely met with the same clothes they wore to do everything else throughout the week.

So, when I look to 'how we should worship', I want to do the things that were done in the days of Paul and Peter. I want to have the same kind of heart that they have and I really don't care what the clothes on the outside of a man look like so long as they're suitable covering. I would definitely draw the line at G-strings and bikinis and men with no shirts. Those things are not everyday dress for most people.

I sometimes think that the people who get all excited about the songs and the clothes are just a bit to involved in the pageantry and the pomp and circumstance, rather than the relationship of an individual with God through His Son, Jesus.

God bless,
In Christ, ted