Background: I was raised Methodist. Went to 1-room country churches with my parennts as a child. Later I went to small town churches. After college I joined a large Methodist church where I took my first job. But I got turned off by the church and have not gone for about 30 years.

Last night I got roped into going to a special singing program at the local downtown Baptist Church. It lasted about 2 hours. It was a combined celebration of all the Baptist churches in the area. There were probably 300 people in the sanctuary plus 50 in the choir section.

It was pure misery to me. I had never heard any of the hymns they sang. The singing was VERY, VERY loud high-pitched women screaming words that I couldn't understand (but they projected the printed words on a giant screen). But 90% of the folks knew the words and sang along and waived their arms the whole time.

I'd just as soon go to a rap concert.

Question for you folks who go to church: Do churches no longer sing the old hymns like we used to in the old days?

Hymns such as:
"Amazing Grace"
"How Great Thou Art"
"What A Friend We Have in Jesus"
"The Old Rugged Cross"

I like the songs we sang when I was young too.

Our church sings a mix of new stuff and enough old stuff to make us old folks happy.

I hate hearing you suffered so.

 

The church I was going to split over old vs new hymns. The newer pastor wanted the new hymns to bring in a younger congregation. The choir master and most of the choir wanted to keep the old hymns. The choir master was fired - it went downhill from there.

 

We sing those at the little church I attend!

 

Same here.
I go to a small Lutheran church in a small rural town. It’s all the traditional songs I grew up with.
My sister lives just outside Madison Wisconsin. Her large, more urban, Lutheran church has old traditional services, or more modern ones with rock music for the younger generation.

 

We have a hymnbook that was compiled in the 1930's (I think) but a few new songs. No screeching or arm waving.

Church is not supposed to be performance art, in my opinion. If the younger group doesn't come for the Good News, why bother?

 

I think Baptists are known to put more emphasis on singing. The choice of Hymns probably depends on the Pastor.

 

Methodists fancied themselves the Singing church , but lots and lots of places have gone to praise bands vs traditional piano or organ songs.
contemporary Christian music take modern , rap , pop, rock and put Christian lyrics to it , there have been hymns made all through the last 1500 years , in many languages , it makes sense it continues to follow popular music trends.

 

Background: I was raised Methodist. Went to 1-room country churches with my parennts as a child. Later I went to small town churches. After college I joined a large Methodist church where I took my first job. But I got turned off by the church and have not gone for about 30 years.

Last night I got roped into going to a special singing program at the local downtown Baptist Church. It lasted about 2 hours. It was a combined celebration of all the Baptist churches in the area. There were probably 300 people in the sanctuary plus 50 in the choir section.

It was pure misery to me. I had never heard any of the hymns they sang. The singing was VERY, VERY loud high-pitched women screaming words that I couldn't understand (but they projected the printed words on a giant screen). But 90% of the folks knew the words and sang along and waived their arms the whole time.

I'd just as soon go to a rap concert.

Question for you folks who go to church: Do churches no longer sing the old hymns like we used to in the old days?

Hymns such as:
"Amazing Grace"
"How Great Thou Art"
"What A Friend We Have in Jesus"
"The Old Rugged Cross"

IMHO, this is the result of the takeover of church music by the ‘praise worship’, 'contemporary worship' folks, and the Gaithers. Newer hymn books have been largely taken over and filled with the newer stuff. It leaves me rather cold. I find it repetitive, unthoughtful, and boring. I grew up with the 1956 Baptist Hymnal, and learned to love it. Take a look there. I think you’ll find the old standards by Fanny Crosby, BB McKinney, and others that will sound just right to you. You can have one yourself by looking at used bookstores online. This one is rather expensive, but there are less costly versions. Good luck. Pardon Our Interruption...

 

If you attend a church where the main entrance is a wheelchair ramp, the average member's age is 94, and the pews are Hedgewood at 90-degree angles, then you'll get all the old timey hymms your vocal chords can take. I love the old stuff, but Jesus didn't write "Blessed Assurance". Youth are the lifeblood of the Church, and will either be the ones who grow a congregation or mow the grass for the realtor.

 

No, Jesus didn’t write that one, but Fanny Crosby did, and her friend Phoebe Knapp wrote the music. If the old hymns don’t get played for the younger crowd, then how will they learn them? Blessed Assurance is #269 in the 1956 Baptist Hymnal.

 

My wife told me, "Well, people change; so churches have to change in order to keep the new generations coming."

My reply, "So . . . do churches also have to change what the Bible teaches and the standards for Christians as laid out by Jesus in order to keep the new generations coming?"

(We all know that the answer is, "Yes. What is now taught as Christian morals and behavior has been relaxed in order to avoid offending the latest generation.")

 

Some churches have two services. One is a more traditional, classic worship service and the other a more modern service.

 

I love the old stuff, so no, it didn't take a music director playing trendy worship tunes that sounded like the Monkees to get me in the door after I left home. However, I saw what my kids connected with early on. It was modern rock, with catchy melodic hooks and riffs and a drum kit. Yet, they are to this day inspired to witness their parents and grandparents sing these classics word for word while the hymnal sits in the pew pocket.
Meanwhile, they know the message of Salvation and share an interest in theology.

The Hymns are traditions, not conditions, and though many favorites have brought tears to my eyes, the Gospel message is core; music is peripheral.
How will we learn Latin if we don't go to a Cathedral that speaks it?
How will anyone practice dancing and snake handling at Joel Osteen's spread?

It is just my 2-cent opinion, but traditional Churches tend to appeal to the saved, the established. Christ died for the miserable and the corrupt.

BTW, Blessed Assurance is #341 in the Lutheran Hymnal. I have it and my Baptist version, which are not allowed to touch, at risk of catching each other on fire.

 

This song will never replace "Beautiful Saviour," but it might put tender butts in seats.

 

Just a few thoughts before tending to my neighbor and starting the medical calls:

Former church keyboardist here and this is from personal experience: first it was the survey, with the question do you prefer old draggy funeral like hymns or modern happy upbeat music. My thought was hymns need not be draggy or funeral like, and some of us find breathy Jesus is my boyfriend music sung by folks whose lives show no signs of conversion just plain icky.

Next it was explicitly teaching the musicians and song leaders how to use beat, lighting, smells, harmony, lack of harmony, and decible level to cause the timed release of explicitly chosen endorphins. And that standing and long times standing and raising hands lowers blood in the brain leaving people more apt to accept without question what the preacher says.

Left for a hymn singing church and never looked back.

 

I attend a Cowboy Church. The band is composed of country boys and a girl. They only know so many songs. Amazing Grace is a favorite. Other songs are country western type songs that carry a message like His Master's Call. Current band can't handle that one but previous one could knock it out. Old Rugged Cross is occasional. Some things I never heard before and don't try to sing along to. Thiry minutes at beginning of service is music, or what passes for it.

 

There’s always a dozen or more ways to sing any particular song and, in my opinion, it’s easy enough to make sure that traditional church hymns aren’t soggy, dreary and off-putting. I was raised in the 70s and 80s so I’m familiar with both ways. I’m not a great fan of the contemporary folk section in church but that isn’t license to make the choir humdrum either. If you want God and Jesus to live, the music shouldn’t force them to die.