7 Ways to Help a Musically Challenged, Older Believer Worship
Chuck Lawless

I’m that person. I love to sing God’s praises, but I know nothing about music. I’m also old enough that I’m offered the senior discount at restaurants (even though I actually don’t qualify yet . . .). Here’s how you might help people like me worship better:

At least when you first introduce a song, sing it through a few times. With hymnals long laid aside, I often don’t know the melody of a song. By time I catch it, I’ll have lost an opportunity to worship. Let me hear the song a couple of times first, though, and I’ll soon be ready to sing.
Don’t assume I know the lyrics. The fact that it’s a song you and all your friends know well doesn’t mean the rest of us know it. Somehow – on the screen, in the bulletin, via a hymnal, etc. – make sure I have the words.

Help me to hear the words over the music. I openly admit my age here, but I really don’t think my age is the issue. If the music is so loud that I can’t hear the leader, the worship team, or myself sing, what’s the point of the words?

Sing a hymn once in awhile. I don’t want to sing hymns all the time, and I never want to sing hymns poorly. Occasionally, though, a well-done hymn takes me back to the early days of my faith walk – and helps me renew my commitment to God.

Tell me when praise choruses come directly from the Bible. I hope I recognize when that’s the case, but maybe not always. Here’s the point: when you show me that I’m actually singing the words of the Bible, I listen and sing better. (And, as a side note, people will think twice before complaining about music selections that come directly from God’s Word . . . ).

Help me to see the lyrics of any song, including individual and choir specials. Any song is a message, and I will hear the message better if I can see the words that others are singing. Plus, seeing the words will help me to hear them when a choir’s enunciation is not as clear as it should be. I miss the message if I don’t understand the words.

Smile, and genuinely worship as you lead us. I don’t want you to be a show, but nor am I inclined to follow you if you seem to be the lead corpse among the dead. I want to worship God, so let me see your joy in Him.

All right, older and musically challenged believers, here’s your opportunity. What would you add to this list?

The above article, “7 Ways to Help a Musically Challenged, Older Believer Worship” was written by Chuck Lawless. The article was excerpted from chucklawless.com. November 16, 2016.

The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.

This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”