[Tony]

The following are my observations only, and open to interpretation. Feel free to dialog with me on this, or to clarify my historical analysis. Please note that I’m not trying to be critical, but rather descriptive of what’s been taking place in American churches over the past 30 years. Also, I concede to painting with a broad brush here, which may negate the veracity of my views for some scrupulous readers, but I believe they are a fairly accurate portrayal nonetheless. And it is my blog, after all…

How did we get here?
CCM came out of the Jesus Movement of the late 60’s & early 70’s. As CCM began to move inside the church walls, it wasn’t long before congregations began introducing contemporary music into their worship settings, similar to the way the gospel hymns of the late 19th century did a hundred years ago. In fact, there are many similarities with the Gospel Song movement worth noting. Perhaps that will be a different essay.

As the 80’s emerged, this new style was called Praise Music, or Praise & Worship. Initially in charismatic and non-denomination churches, a new role developed for the church musician – the song leader became a Worship Leader. The early recordings from Integrity Music featured dynamic, spirit-led individuals like Kent Henry and Ron Kenoly. The music was fresh, exciting, and emotional. At the turn of the century, the word “passionate” was used widely to describe it.

Mainstream and Evangelical churches took notice (again, similar to the Gospel Song movement), and began the gradual incorporation of P&W into their musical format. Music Ministers in these churches found themselves delving into new territory, as their traditional role was to facilitate/direct other lay musicians in delivering songs. A “good” music minister directed the choir and visually kept time as the congregation sang hymns to organ and piano accompaniment. Some of the best that I knew were not stellar singers themselves, or even strong instrumentalists, but performance wasn’t generally a requirement for their jobs. P&W now dictated that they be solid soloists, play an instrument, and have a stronger, more dynamic personality on the platform.

The role of the lay musician also began to change. Musical expertise had been necessary for the accompanist, but nearly anyone could sing in the choir. The Sanctuary Choir was a place for those who simply loved to sing, regardless of ability. But P&W required a higher level (and different type, which I’ll address below) of performance skill, making it difficult for the marginal musician to remain on the platform. Choirs were soon fronted – and often replaced – by a smaller Praise Team, and the pianist with an electronic keyboard player. Organs simply gathered dust.

The guitar steadily became the primary instrument of worship music.

The evolution from piano to guitar led to a shift largely from knowledge of music notation to chords. Lead sheets and chord charts replaced hymnal/choral style sheet music, requiring singers and instrumentalists who were more “ear” trained than note readers. Harmonies were generally improvised rather than written out, further alienating traditionally trained musicians. Extensive music theory knowledge was no longer required to present music in churches.

P&W also changed how congregations sang. Hymns are generally self-contained poems, complete thoughts about God, God’s people, or godly life, set to music in up to four vocal parts. Worship choruses are mostly singular in thought and shorter in duration, necessitating several be strung together thematically to make a complete statement. Musically, choruses rely on the melody; supplemental/optional harmony is relegated to the alto and/or tenor line (the bass line is virtually non-existent). This shift in style, coupled with an overall decline in public singing and music reading ability, made the hymnal more cumbersome to use in worship services. Churches took out the hymnals from the pew racks, and printed song lyrics in the bulletin (later projected electronically) in order to facilitate the flow of song medleys. Congregations no longer viewed music notation, but merely the text of the songs. And they sang primarily in unison.

This different style of musicianship, congregational singing, and need for performance-oriented leaders opened the door for a new breed of church musician. Music Ministers retired and their positions were not replaced. Instead, churches desired a young, guitar-playing tenor as their Worship Leader (yes, there are female leaders today, but the field is still largely male). And this new leader did not need to be familiar with previous traditions in order to do his job. Ten or fifteen years of this model has produced a sizable population of church musicians who know little of what came before them.

While certainly there are exceptions, the emphasis on “young” has also led to a general lowering of maturity on the platform. A generation ago, Music Ministers were often adults with college and advanced degrees (or life-experience equivalent); today, high school students in churches all across the country are called Worship Leaders.

What are the implications of this change in the role of church musicians? What are the positives and negatives of the P&W influences on our churches? I’ll attempt to discuss this next time.