24/10/2020
The Four
Functions of
a Church
Choir
November 27, 2016 by
From Our Readers — 4
Comments
Since starting at my
current church, the
choir has rallied
behind four
“functions” of a
church choir and has
been central in
helping the church
become what song-
enliveners
affectionately call a
“singing
congregation.” As the
director of a church
choir I use four
functions to explain
why the church choir
exists. Those priorities
help determine the
programmatic choices
that our music
ministry makes. The
functions are in a
specific priority order,
but I also believe
each function is
equally important as
they must be present
to have a vital music
ministry. The four
functions are to lead
and enliven the
congregation’s song,
to sing music that the
congregation cannot,
to serve as a small-
group within the
church for faith
formation, and to sing
beautiful and
challenging music to
glorify God and to
edify the
congregation.
1. The church choir
leads and enlivens
the congregation’s
song
This may come as a
surprise to some
readers that the first
and most important
function of the church
choir is to lead the
congregation’s song.
It is important,
however, that this be
the top priority. Let’s
not forget that
without a
congregation, there
could not be a church
choir! The singing
group would instead
be a community
choir. But why is it
important that the
congregation’s song
be supported instead
of just focusing on
the church choir’s
musical success?
Choral musicians
inherently know the
answer. We become
what we sing. When
we take words and
put them to music, it
becomes part of who
we are. Therefore, it
becomes imperative
that we put as much
of the Word into the
bodies of the
congregation as
possible. If the
congregation can sing
it but we don’t let
them, we miss an
opportunity to
transform people’s
lives in the most
direct way possible.
By giving the
congregation new
singing skills and
confidence, we
empower them for
the rest of their lives
to better emboto better embody
God’s word through
music.
Therefore, taking our
cue from the great
church musician John
Ferguson, it is
important to view the
congregation as the
“big choir,” and the
church choir as the
“little choir,” or as I
like to think of it, my
chamber group. I
often utilize my choir
as “section leaders,”
positioning them
around the
congregation
strategically to
support the parts that
I’m teaching for a
congregational hymn
or song. I have the
choir stand in front of
the congregation to
lead them in rounds
and canons. They
become active leaders
in building up the
congregation’s song.
By doing this, the
congregation is
prepared for
discipleship through
the soul-embracing
power of song.
2. The church choir
sings music that the
congregation cannot
Let’s be real. There’s
lots of great music
that needs to be sung
that just cannot
reasonably be done
by a congregation.
Whether it’s too
complex to be done
by untrained
musicians, or just too
difficult to be done
without extensive
rehearsal, there’s a
lot of music that
cannot or should not
be done by a
congregation. That’s
why this function is
number two on the
list. There are some
texts set to
challenging music
that congregations
need to hear,
whether it’s because
it is comforting in
times of crises,
praising in times of
joy, or inspiring in
times of apathy. By
spending the time
and effort to rehearse
each week, the choir
provides a great
service to the
congregation by
opening up the
amount of literature
the congregation can
be exposed to. Used
appropriately, this has
significant theological
and musical
implications,
broadening the
congregation’s
experience of the
divine.
3. The church choir
serves as a small-
group within the
church for faith
formation
I imagine that we all
have stories about
our choral groupour choral groups
taking care of each
other or holding
someone up in a time
of need. When we
sing together, a bond
is created that unites
us unlike any other
activity. In a church
setting, this function
can be intentionally
formed and nurtured.
Because we meet
together once a week
to do work for the
glory of God and
benefit of neighbor,
taking care of each
other is no longer an
option, it’s a
responsibility. As the
leader of this small-
group, a church choir
director’s job is no
longer limitelonger limited to
musical direction, but
also spiritual
direction. This doesn’t
mean you’re
responsible for giving
a sermon each week
or listening to
people’s confessions,
but it does mean that
you are charged with
ensuring your group
enacts the Word you
sing week in and
week out. A great
example of this is the
familiar Latin text
“Ubi Caritas,”
something that most
church choirs have
sung at one time or
another:
“Where charity and
love are, God is
there. Christ’s love
has gathered us into
one. Let us rejoice
and be pleased in
Him. Let us fear, and
let us love the living
God. And may we love
each other with a
sincere heart.”
Because we sing this
text often as a biblical
witness to the
congregation, I expect
my singers to treat
each other with
“charity and love.” I
expect them to act
like “Christ’s love has
gathered us into
one.” What I find is
that my expectations
are almost always
met because the
majority of my singers
have been singing
their faith for decades
and have already
been formed by the
church’s song. I also
always hold myself to
the same standard,
striving to be an
example of showing
love and charity while
seeking musical
excellence. By
expecting myself and
my choir to act out
what we sing, the
choir naturally takes
care of each other. I
rarely have to ask for
food to be brought or
people to be prayed
for because before I
can bring it up
someone from the
group has already
asked for it to be
done by their fellow
choir members. It’s a
witness that is
refreshing to see each
and every year I
direct.
4. The church choir
sings beautiful and
challenging music to
praise God and edify
the congregation
The music that we
create shoulcreate should be
beautiful and
challenging. This is
where the majority of
our rehearsal time is
taken up, because
singing challenging
music beautifully is
difficult to do and
takes lots of practice.
It is important that
when we sing we sing
beautifully, because it
touches people’s
souls. The reason that
we work so hard to
create beautiful music
together is so that we
can glorify God and
help people
experience a holy
moment. On the
opposite end of the
spectrum, it is
important that our
singing is not
distracting and
therefore prevent
people from having a
holy moment. I find
that one of the best
motivations for my
choir when rehearsal
is getting into the
nitty-gritty, is to say
something like, “This
is a moment where
we can touch
someone and help
them have a moment
with God.” Reminding
the choir that by
changing these little
musical details can
make the difference
in someone’s spiritual
life goes a long way
to power throuto power through
tough rehearsal
moments. It is
important, however,
that the first three
priorities in this
article are not
forgotten when
digging deeper and
deeper into the
rehearsal process to
try and achieve our
most beautiful
sounds. A church
choir’s job is not just
to sing beautifully,
but rather it is to
minister to the
congregation and to
each other in a
variety of ways,
helping to change the
world into a more
loving and peaceful
place.
By taking these four
functions and letting
them guide your
program’s decision
making, you ensure
that the choir serves
as a conduit of faith
for both your
congregation and
choir members. By
telling your choristers
that this is what and
why they do what
they do, it gives them
a framework to
express the
importance of the
church choir and be
an advocate for music
ministry. Most
importantly, I hope
that these four
functions can enliven
your congregation’s
singi
