A dynamic drumbeat. Fat, full bass. Screaming electric guitars. Soaring vocals. Expansive effects boards. MIDI players. Three or more part harmonies. Synthesizers. Keytars (if you’re super cool). Tambourines. Trash cans. All of these are typical must-haves for all churches today (right???). 
Ok, maybe not all of these things, and of course, not all churches . . . . But, for the most part, depending on the specific church tradition and setup, we (worship leaders) work hard with their teams to have what we perceive as “high quality” and “dynamic” times of musical worship. We look for full arrangements and a lot of dynamics. We want there to be a consistent movement and build from intro, to first verse, to first chorus, to second verse, to second chorus, to bridge, and so on. And, none of that is wrong.
In fact, I think it’s great. Music is proven to have an impact on human beings. It stirs. It moves. It draws us in. And, hopefully, when it comes to worship, it helps us amplify the praise we are lifting. “Dynamic worship” is definitely a buzzword, and is often both scoffed at and criticized in many circles. But, regardless of personal taste, it makes perfect sense to do our best to have creative arrangements and utilize this tool of music to the best of our ability when leading God’s people in praise. You know what else makes perfect sense? Throwing it all out the window.
Say what? Didn’t see that coming, did you? Now, this post is not necessarily about full a capella worship services, although those certainly are valid and are wonderful. I wanted to take this time to merely point out where some a capella moments could be useful in a worship service. Primarily, I’ll look at two good uses/reasons to incorporate some a capella into your worship services.
First, have you ever struggled with a transition between two songs in different keys? Sometimes you can work out a nice walk or transitional chord sequence. Sometimes you may just force a hard ending on the first song because you’re not quite sure what to do. Other times, you may have actually thrown a song out because the transition wasn’t working right (even though you may have been led by the Spirit to do that song?).
Transitions can be difficult and sometimes even more so for others. I propose that a great solution is to incorporate some a capella singing as your transition. At the end of the first song, bring it down (or keep it up, whatever works) and let the voices ring out – alone. Drop all the instrumentation and take the congregation through the chorus again (or whatever part is fitting). Dropping the instrumentation, followed by perhaps a nice open moment or two at the very end, allows you to go into the next song pretty easily, even if it is in a different key. It also provides another cool benefit . . .
Have you ever really heard a group of voices singing praise to God? I mean really heard it? Not just a crowd singing with a band. Not even a congregation singing along with your band. But I mean, really, really heard a group of people, with no instrumentation, lifting up worship to the Lord? It’s amazing! It’s pure. It’s passionate. There is just something about hearing that sound that is so fulfilling and wonderful.
As a worship leader, there is absolutely nothing better than hearing the people of God worshipping their Creator. And, it’s cool for those in the congregation too! There is something to be said of the benefit of corporate edification. It’s uplifting to know you are in the midst of a group of people, joining in with them in singing praise to the Lord. It’s a powerful, wonderful thing.
Now, I am not suggesting that we give up working on transitions. A great transition is super cool and can certainly add some great energy to a song change. It’s very easy to overuse the a capella approach. But, it’s also possible to underuse it.
It’s a great tool that provides both a practical function and a great opportunity for the people to lift up their voices in unison, unhindered by rhythms, guitar solos, or high Dbs. In a world of big time arrangements (which are super cool), it’s good to strip it down every now and then and let the people worship loudly and clearly. After all, our voices are the instruments that God built into us – let’s let them shine through every now and then! (Yeah, I know that’s a bit cheesy, but you get the idea.)
-Mark Logan
I am a worship leader at a church that does all a capella music. It is simply incredible to hear everyone singing all the time. Don’t get me wrong; I love to play with a live band as much as anyone, and teaching modern worship music in a 4-part harmony congregation with no instruments is often difficult and frustrating. I arrange music for SATB most every week to keep up with the onslaught of contemporary music flooding our stages, and it is much more difficult that working with a band using the number system or leadsheets. But…even in this setting it can be very easy to start focusing so much on getting all the harmonies just right and the praise team balanced, focused, and pitch perfect, that the musicians can soon lose sight of the real purpose. And that’s what worship leaders are entrusted with, really. Whether we are in charge of a full orchestra, a praise band, an a capella octet, professional musicians, or ragtag off the street “sing or play it by ear” volunteers, we are all in it for one purpose, and one alone. I really appreciated this article and hope all of us can keep our focus on what really matters so we can assist in leading others to the throne of the Ruler of the universe, and join with the angels in a resounding chorus to Who was, and is, and is to come.
Thank you for the comment! We appreciate you sharing your thoughts.