Really? A Choir? CCLI says that only 20% of their churches have a choir, so why would I want to do that?

Whether you're an Acts 29 church plant or a decades-old suburban church, here are ten reasons, in no particular order.

1. You may have misconceptions about what a choir is. When you imagine a choir, do you imagine one that wears robes or one that wears robes? Maybe you had a bad choral experience growing up that shaded your whole perception of choir. If you release your inhibitions about having a choir at your church, you'll quickly come to the realization that a choir is just a group of people singing, and you probably already have that at your church. Turning a group of people into a choir means they just face a different direction on Sunday morning.

2. Starting a choir is as easy as asking. If you took inventory right now of the people in your congregation, I bet you already know the first five people you'd talk to about starting a choir. If half of them recruited one more person, you've got your choir. Really, you don't need to start with fifty... five to ten is fine.

3. Choirs are cool again. Just look at the buzz around NBC's The Sing-off to see that singing doesn't have to be "old school."

4. It gives people a reason to stick. Being part of a choir can convert a "fair weather" attender into a consistent one when they know they have a purpose for being at church each Sunday. And, involving one family member often means the entire family will come.

5. Choirs model worship, no matter the style. The choir serves as a mirror for the congregation, showing "people like me" participating in corporate worship. No matter your church's worship style or the direction that God is changing your church in worship, the choir can serve as the lead for the entire congregation.

6. Churches who thought they could do without one now have one (or more.) Churches like Saddleback and Willow Creek have both re-started choirs for their worship times. Churches like Summit Church use them in worship and beyond. The choir serves a purpose both in worship and in the spiritual formation of their members.

7. Choirs serve. With young adults looking for opportunities for service, social action and missions, a choir provides a public, up front, always available organization for week-to-week service, and on occasion, focused social action and missions.

8. Choir members do more than stand behind you. They stand behind you. If you're a worship leader, it's almost guaranteed that there's been a situation where you've felt alone... whether it was something as simple as a Sunday morning that just didn't go right, or something as complex as a church controversy. Your choir members are prayer warriors who can hold you accountable and give you support when you need it.

9. You can get started for free. Start with the music you already have for worship. Add in things that are familiar and easy to learn for everyone. Use the LifeWay Worship Project charts you've already purchased, or download the "Singer's Edition" versions for ten cents a person - they're great, easy choir fodder. When you're coming up on a special occasion in the life of your church, check out the anthems and musicals and collections that are available.

10. It's Biblical. Choirs were a central part of the early church's worship experience. They were up front, leading the way when God's people were doing His will.

So, are you going to start a choir in 2010? Restart a choir? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments!

I'm spending the holiday away from the office and with my family. I hope your Christmas is filled with joy and peace. If you happen to be reading this on Christmas day, I want to offer you 5 FREE downloads from LifeWayWorship.com. It is good for Christmas day only. Just use the promo code XMASDAY09 at checkout.

In the meantime, checkout this video I saw on Ann Voskamp's blog the other day. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Merry Christmas and I look forward to many wonderful conversations in the new year.

Well, it's that time of year again and I know that many of you are swimming in last-minute choir rehearsals and church presentations. So, in the spirit of a little respite, I thought I'd share with you some lesser-known songs you won't likely be singing in your church this Sunday, but nonetheless are some of my personal favorites.

What follows is a list, in no particular order, of songs you would likely hear coming from my iPod if you were to come to my house for dinner during this time of year. I'm also including a playlist at the bottom so you can hear them via LaLa's music playing service. (If you're not familiar with LaLa, they'll let you listen one time for free. But they let you listen to the entire song, which is cool). I've chosen these because of the song itself, the performance, or both.

• A Child Is Born by Oscar Petterson. This is a beautiful lullaby from a little known 1940's radio Christmas drama. And who plays it better than Oscar?


• In the Bleak Midwinter / O Sanctissima. Liz Story delivers a nice touch on this tender hymn.


• I Come With Love by Harry Connick Jr. OK, so we all know and love Harry, but this one is somewhat hidden among the other great tracks on his Harry for the Holidays CD. I checked this CD out from the library and was listening to it in shuffle mode. His presentation of the gospel stopped me in my tracks.


• Cry of a Tiny Babe. This song is a great relief to the romanticized imagery so prevalent in church music. This is a gritty re-telling of the birth of Jesus and its implications for mankind. The best rendition that I know of is by its songwriter Bruce Cockburn for the Columbia Records Radio Hour. He is joined by Roseanne Cash, Rob Wasserman, and Lou Reed. I should warn you about Lou Reed. If you're not used to Lou's singing, it can be quite a shock to the system. To make matters worse (or better, depending on your perspective) he forgets how the song goes and tries to make it up as he goes along. The producers decided that it added charm and chose not to fix it. Hang in there though and you'll get one of the best perspectives of the incarnation in popular song: "It isn't to the palace that the Christ child comes, but to shepherds and street people, hookers, and bums."


• White Christmas by Ella Fitzgerald. Yes, we all know this song and love Bing's rendition of it. However, this song really showcases Ella's one-of-a-kind vocal quality. For my money, she is one of the best vocalists popular music has ever known. It's also a great arrangement of horns / winds.

The Church Resources division of LifeWay has lately played fruit basket turnover with employee's office space. We've just survived a highly orchestrated endeavor of 30-some-odd moves a day over the month of October. The good news for LifeWay Worship is that we are all together now. LifeWay Worship has over 40 employees and, until recently, our offices have been spread across three different locations on LifeWay's campus (including a separate building for our sales team). With the exception of the IT employees, all of us who are directly involved with LifeWayWorship.com are located on the same hallway, within earshot. ... Hey, quiet down over there!

Question: As a worship leader or music minister, what is the best piece of advice you can give for workplace harmony?

LifeWay recently hosted music leaders from various Southern Baptist state conventions. I have much gratitude for these men and women as they seek to equip and empower the music ministers in their respective states through various training events. The support that they have given LifeWayWorship.com is greatly appreciated.

Check our list of training events to see if there's one near you.

Question: If you could design an event for worship leaders / music ministers, what would it include?

LifeWay Worship hosts SBC state music leaders

Marvin Owen (WY), Bill Archer (MD), and LifeWay's Keith Wilbanks

LifeWay Worship director Mike Harland addresses state leaders

LifeWay's Jonathan Riggs and Paul Clark (TN)

LifeWay's Celia Powers and David Red (NM)

Tom Ingram (VA), Steve Blanchard (IN), and LifeWay's Terry Terry

Tim Studstill (TX Baptist) and LifeWay's Karen Gilchrist

David Red (NM), Paul Clark (TN), and LifeWay's Michelle Guy

More new songs have been added to LifeWayWorship.com! This release features Hillsong's strongest songs over the last few years: From the Inside Out, The Stand, and Hosanna. Also included is Tim Hughes' Happy Day and Michael W. Smith's A New Hallelujah. And we've added a full orchestration parts for Casting Crown's Until the Whole World Hears. Here's a full list:

• From the Inside Out
  
• God of This City
  
• Hosanna
  
• We Will Remember
  
• A New Hallelujah
  
• All Because of Jesus
  
• Awesome is the Lord Most High
  
• Happy Day
  
• Hear the Call of the Kingdom
  
• Joyful, Joyful
  
• The Stand
  
• Until the Whole World Hears
  

Now in addition to the previously released SuperCharts from Casting Crowns' latest CD, Until the Whole World Hears, LifeWayWorship.com is pleased to bring you titles from Chris Tomlin's new Christmas CD, Glory in the Highest - Christmas Songs of Worship. These SuperCharts include note-for-note transcriptions from the recording, as well as additional vocal parts for praise team. Recorded over two nights in Nashville, TN, by Chris and a community of worship leaders and artists, this special live recording features familiar classics including a new refrain for "Joy to the World" and four new sure-to-be long-time seasonal favorites, including:

* O Come, All Ye Faithful
* Angels We Have Heard On High
* Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground)
* Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
* My Soul Magnifies the Lord
* Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy)
* Glory In the Highest
* O Holy Night
* Light of the World
* Winter Snow
* Born That We May Have Life

I'm excited to tell you that we are working, even as you read this, on redesigning this blog site. And I'd love your feedback. Simply leave a comment below. What sort of things would you like to see LifeWayWorship.com use this site for? What topics would you like to discuss, what features or "widgets" would you like to see? Are there some things you would like to see us do without? I want to know it all, so let me know.

Oh, and one more thing. Part of the redesign will be renaming the blog. Leave me your suggestion in the comment box. If you're chosen, you'll win some free downloads from LifeWayWorship.com and your name and ministry will be featured in a future blog post.

Wisdom Moon from the All About Worship podcast writes a satirical post about the qualifications of a modern worship leader. Have you observed this pitfall?

This year my wife and I will celebrate our 15th Christmas together. Early in our marriage we became interested in observing Advent in our home, especially once we had children (which we did 11 years ago). Neither of us came from families or churches that celebrated this season and we've had to find our own way of "doing" it, but it has been my favorite tradition that our family embraces.

I thank our current church (especially Ms. Sally) for introducing me to the warm, Christ-focused, wonderfully non-commercial aspects of the this tradition. I read that Advent is growing in popularity among evangelical (i.e. not liturgical) churches. I know that many of Nashville's Southern Baptist churches are observing it and I'm just learning about the Advent Conspiracy.

If you're curious about using aspects of Advent in your church or home, but need a primer, I recommend an excellent blog post from Presbyterian minister Mark D. Roberts or this article from LifeWay Research. For music suggestions, check out these songs from LifeWayWorship.com.

Do you celebrate Advent? What advice would you give to others who are not very familiar with the tradition? Why do you think it is growing in popularity?