Our (urban) church sings mostly gospel songs, led by our fantastic worship director, team, and band. One advantage of gospel is we repeat so many times, it's easy to catch on. (Of course musically gospel songs are typically simpler than hymns. Our main keyboard player -- excellent at improvisation, btw -- has joked that it's the same few chords over and over.) If it's a newer song, Maurice or another vocalist will sometimes sing the verses alone, with the rest of us joining on the chorus(es), but even then some of the congregation will already know it and sing enthusiastically from beginning to end. The hymns we include tend to be well-known and well-beloved by at least one of our ethnic groups.
Posted in: 4 Reasons Not to Teach a New Song During the Service
Our (urban) church sings mostly gospel songs, led by our fantastic worship director, team, and band. One advantage of gospel is we repeat so many times, it's easy to catch on. (Of course musically gospel songs are typically simpler than hymns. Our main keyboard player -- excellent at improvisation, btw -- has joked that it's the same few chords over and over.) If it's a newer song, Maurice or another vocalist will sometimes sing the verses alone, with the rest of us joining on the chorus(es), but even then some of the congregation will already know it and sing enthusiastically from beginning to end. The hymns we include tend to be well-known and well-beloved by at least one of our ethnic groups.