1,413 Quotes About Worship

...what songs from your childhood do you most remember? What hymns do you know? What Bible verses and stories do you know because of songs? What hymns do you want to pass down to your children?

Creative types know that simplicity is often this highest form of creativity... it is often the most simple thing done well and sincerely in church that will make the most significant impression. A stunning melody with clear and moving lyrics, sung with gusto and authenticity by a congregation, is a more powerful statement than a song that's difficult to play or is awkward for the congregation to sing.

Are we communicating a deep faith through what we sing and how we sing it, or are we entertaining teenagers with something that will not hold water when they hit college or head out in to the workplace?... Biblically rich content in songs, sung by people who look like they mean what they are saying, helps teach the gospel as something that is credible and powerful rather than cultural and optional.

Though we sing with the tongues of men and of angels, if we are not truly worshipping the living God, we are noisy gongs and clanging cymbals. Though we organize the liturgy most beautifully, if it does not enable us to worship the living God, we are mere ballet-dancers. Though we repave the floor and reface the stonework, though we balance our budgets and attract all the tourists, if we are not worshipping God, we are nothing.

Worship is humble and glad; worship forgets itself in remembering God; worship celebrates the truth as God's truth, not its own. True worship doesn't put on a show or make a fuss; true worship isn't forced, isn't half-hearted, doesn't keep looking at its watch, doesn't worry what the person in the next pew is doing. True worship is open to God, adoring God, waiting for God, trusting God even in the dark.

Singing together bears compelling witness to the truth. It says to those watching on and listening in that, just as we sing the same melody together, we share the same faith, the Faith; not a self-made creed for a solo journey toward nowhere, but commitment to our one Lord of all, who transforms the life we live together and will bring us home to eternity.

being vague and gospel-lite in congregational songs is not the way to be "seeker friendly." Communicating the gospel in a way that informs the mind and engages the emotions is. The gospel is the church's central lyrical distinctive.

Ensure that your church's song list includes hymns and songs that touch on all the major doctrines and seasons of life, just as the Psalms and historical hymnals do.

Aim for your choices, like the Psalms, to give:* A vast vision of God's character* How we fit into God's redemption story* A broad understanding of human experience