Last night my church (Immanuel) had a joint worship night with another local church (Redemption). We gathered together to read Scripture and respond in worship. As we sang praises to God, I was reminded of the value of congregational singing.

• Congregational singing is valuable for expression. Human beings from every culture express their emotion through music. Christians are no different.
• Congregational singing is valuable for camaraderie. Singing together bonds people to each other. It gives us a tangible sense of togetherness.
• Congregational singing is valuable for identification. Singing helps people identify with moments, ideas, feelings, movements, and people.
• Congregational singing is valuable for celebration. We celebrate politics, history, and sports through song. Christians celebrate Jesus through song.
• Congregational singing is valuable for remembrance. Singing helps us remember important things from the past, things we don’t want to forget.
• Congregational singing is valuable for service. God has gifted people with musical and technical abilities, and their serving helps build up the body of Christ.
• Congregational singing is valuable for indoctrination. When done right, congregational singing teaches important truth and doctrine.
• Congregational singing is valuable for obedience. Christians were created to worship together, so congregational singing is an act of obedience.
• Congregational singing is valuable for joy. Even when you feel spiritually dry, gathering with believers for worship can restore the joy of your salvation.
• Congregational singing is valuable for focus. Life is so busy we tend to lose focus on what is most important. Worship helps us focus on what matters.