Is Singing More Important Than Preaching?

By Scott Hill of "Fide-O"

"Is singing more important than preaching? The answer to the question in the title is obviously no. Paul didn’t say it is through the foolishness of singing that men will get saved. Yet, just how important is our time of corporate singing?

I have heard 1000’s of sermons in my life. In fact there is the possibility I have heard over 6000 sermons in my 34 years of life. How many of them do I specifically remember? How many of them do I think about on occasion and reapply the teaching? I don’t know, maybe 50 or 60. Maybe more if something jogs my memory. Yet, how many songs do I know every word to. 1000’s! Now I have a strange ability to remember lyrics and melody lines after one or two hearings of a song, but still most people remember 100’s of songs more than they remember sermons. I know this frustrates those of you that preach every Sunday, but the cold hard facts are its true. At least in our modern times.

I don’t believe this diminishes the importance of preaching. I believe it raises the level of responsibility for those of us who choose what our congregations sing from week to week. I get to use a format that attaches emotions to words through music. I also, unlike preachers, get to sing these words over and over again for decades solidifying them in the memories of the congregation. This brings with it a high level of accountability to those of us who choose congregational songs.

To sing songs in corporate worship for any other reason, other than the desire to teach the great truths of scripture, edify one another, and testify to what God has done for a congregation is a dangerous, dangerous game. Picking a song because of its popularity or its ease of use has no place in corporate worship. To flippantly choose a song without thoroughly checking its accuracy is no different than stepping to the mic to preach error. If you choose a song that teaches error then you have just taught that same error to your congregation. Do you think God will hold you responsible? I do.

To those of us who are responsible for the first half of our corporate worship services it is high time we see our responsibility and begin to take it seriously. We are teachers of the whole body and we will be held responsible for what is taught."