:contemporary worship music

File: Lifehouse-tokyo-church.jpg, Tokyo, August 2013]]

In the early 1950s, the Taizé Community in France began attracting youths from various religious denominations with worship hymns based on modern melodies.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

In the mid-20th century, Christian unions in university settings{{where|date=December 2024}} hosted evangelistic talks. The Universalists and Unitarians—two youth groups—took final steps toward a merger at a convention, and in 1953, the groups formed the Liberal Religious Youth.{{where|date=December 2024}}{{cite book |last=Miller |first=Russell E. |date=1985 |title=The Larger Hope, The Second Century of the Universalist Church in America, 1870–1970 |location=Boston, MA |publisher=Unitarian Universalist Association |page=211 |isbn=0-933840-00-4}} Amateur musicians from these groups began playing Christian music in a popular idiom. Some Christians felt that the church needed to break from its stereotype as structured, formal, and dull to appeal to the younger generation.{{Example needed|date=May 2010}} By adopting the conventions of popular music—the antithesis of this stereotype{{Clarify|date=May 2010}}—the church rearticulated the message of the Bible through Christian lyrics, thereby conveying that Christianity was neither outdated nor irrelevant. In 1964, the U.K. gospel pop group The Joystrings became one of the first Christian pop groups to appear on television, performing in Salvation Army uniforms and playing Christian beat music.{{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=1329}}

Churches began to adopt some of these songs and styles for corporate worship. The early songs for communal singing were characteristically simple. Youth Praise, published in 1966, was one of the first and most well-known collections of these songs. It was compiled and edited by Michael Baughen and published by the Jubilate Group.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

By the early 1990s, songs such as "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High", "Shine, Jesus, Shine", and "Shout to the Lord" had been accepted in many churches. Integrity Media, Maranatha! Music, and the Vineyard were already publishing newer styles of music. Supporters of traditional worship hoped the newer styles would prove to be a passing fad, while younger people cited {{bibleverse||Psalms|96:1}}, "Sing to the Lord a new song." Prior to the late 1990s, many believed that Sunday morning was reserved for hymns, with younger people free to enjoy their preferred music during the rest of the week. A "modern worship renaissance" helped establish that any musical style was acceptable if used by true believers to praise God. This shift was influenced by the Cutting Edge recordings by the band Delirious?, the Passion Conferences and their music, the Exodus project by Michael W. Smith, and the band Sonicflood. Contemporary worship music became an integral part of contemporary Christian music.{{Cite journal |last=Breimeier |first=Russ |date=July 29, 2008 |title=Modern Worship Is Going Nowhere |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/julyweb-only/modernworship.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151101101449/http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/julyweb-only/modernworship.html |archive-date=November 1, 2015 |access-date=October 31, 2015 |journal=Christianity Today}}

As CWM is closely associated with the charismatic movement, its lyrics and even some musical features reflect that theology. In particular, the charismatic movement is characterised by its emphasis on the Holy Spirit, focusing on a personal encounter and relationship with God that can be summed up in agape love.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Lyrically, informal and sometimes intimate language of relationship is employed. The terms "You" and "I" are used rather than "God" and "we," with lyrics such as "I, I'm desperate for You,"Barnett, Marie, 'Breathe', 1995 and "Hungry I come to You, for I know You satisfy, I am empty but I know Your love does not run dry"Scott, Kathryn, 'Hungry', 1999 exemplifying the similarity of some CWM lyrics to popular love songs. Slang is occasionally used (for example, "We wanna see Jesus lifted high"Horley, Doug, 'We wanna see Jesus lifted high', 1993) and imperatives ("Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, I want to see You"Baloche, Paul, 'Open the eyes of my heart', 1997), reflecting the friendly, informal tone that charismatic theology encourages for relating to God personally. Often, a physical response is included in the lyrics ("So we raise up holy hands";Tomlin, Chris, 'Great is your faithfulness', 2002 "I will dance, I will sing, to be mad for my king"Redman, Matt, 'Undignified', 1995).

Beginning in the 2010s, contemporary worship music with a distinctly theological lyrical focus—blending hymns and worship songs with contemporary rhythms and instrumentation—began to emerge, primarily within the Baptist, Reformed, and more traditional non-denominational branches of Protestant Christianity.{{Cite web |date=March 26, 2018 |title=Keith Getty Is Still Fighting the Worship Wars |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/march-web-only/keith-getty-is-still-fighting-worship-wars.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423151214/https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/calling/keith-getty-is-still-fighting-worship-wars.html |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=ChristianityToday.com}}{{Cite web |title=BRnow.org - Getty worship conference strikes a chord {{!}} Baptist News |url=https://brnow.org/News/September-2018/Getty-worship-conference-strikes-a-chord |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326152453/https://brnow.org/News/September-2018/Getty-worship-conference-strikes-a-chord |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=brnow.org}}

Artists in the modern hymn movement include well-known groups such as Keith & Kristyn Getty{{Cite web |title=Modern Hymn Writers Aim To Take Back Sunday |website=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/07/08/200013769/modern-hymn-writers-aim-to-take-back-sunday |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326152450/https://www.npr.org/2013/07/08/200013769/modern-hymn-writers-aim-to-take-back-sunday |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |publisher=NPR}} and Sovereign Grace Music,{{Cite web |last=McEachen |first=Ben |date=June 25, 2018 |title=What do you mean by worship? |url=https://www.eternitynews.com.au/culture/what-do-you-mean-by-worship/,%20https://www.eternitynews.com.au/culture/what-do-you-mean-by-worship/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423151231/https://www.eternitynews.com.au/culture/what-do-you-mean-by-worship/ |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=www.eternitynews.com.au}} as well as solo artists like Matt Papa, Enfield (Hymn Sessions), and Aaron Keyes.

By the late 2010s, the movement had gained significant traction in many churches,{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Rew |title=Doxology & Theology conference: Churches need to sing the Word of God |url=http://kentuckytoday.com/stories/doxology-theology-conference-churches-need-to-sing-the-word-of-god,16237 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326152448/http://kentuckytoday.com/stories/doxology-theology-conference-churches-need-to-sing-the-word-of-god,16237 |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=Kentucky Today|date=November 15, 2018 }} as well as on streaming services and in other areas of culture.{{Cite web |date=July 27, 2018 |title=Hymn Writer Keith Getty Becomes First Christian Artist To Be Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) By The Queen |url=http://www.breathecast.com/articles/hymn-writer-keith-getty-becomes-first-christian-artist-to-be-appointed-officer-of-the-order-of-the-british-empire-obe-by-the-queen-37965/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326152452/http://www.breathecast.com/articles/hymn-writer-keith-getty-becomes-first-christian-artist-to-be-appointed-officer-of-the-order-of-the-british-empire-obe-by-the-queen-37965/ |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=BREATHEcast}}

File:Harvest Community Church Goshen Worship Service 1-24-2016.jpg east of South Bend, January 2016]]

===The role of technology===

Technological advances have played a significant role in the development of CWM. In particular, the use of projectors means that a church's song repertoire is not limited to those found in a songbook.{{Clarify|date=May 2010}} Songs and styles tend to follow trends. The internet has increased accessibility, enabling anyone to view lyrics and guitar chords for many worship songs and to download MP3 tracks. This has also contributed to the globalisation of much CWM.

Some churches, including Hillsong, Bethel, and the Vineyard, have established their own publishing companies. There is a thriving Christian music industry that parallels the secular one, complete with recording studios, music books, CDs, MP3 downloads, and other merchandise. The consumer culture surrounding CWM has prompted both criticism and praise. As Pete Ward discusses in his book *Selling Worship*, no advancement is without both positive and negative repercussions.{{Cite book |last=Ward |first=Pete |title=Selling Worship: How what we sing has changed the church |publisher=Authentic Media |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-84227-270-1}}

==Criticisms==

Criticisms include Gary Parrett's concern that the volume of this music drowns out congregational participation and therefore turns it into a performance.{{Cite web |last=Parrett |first=Gary, A. |date=January 28, 2005 |title=Theses on Worship: A disputation on the role of music |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/february/24.38.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011094058/http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/february/24.38.html |archive-date=October 11, 2012 |access-date=April 22, 2013 |website=Christianity Today}} He quotes Ephesians 5:19, in which Paul the Apostle tells the church in Ephesus to be "speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit"; Parrett questions whether the worship band, now often amplified and playing like a rock band, replaces rather than enables a congregation’s praise.

Seventh-day Adventist author Samuele Bacchiocchi expressed concerns over the use of the "rock" idiom, arguing that music communicates on a subconscious level, and that the often anarchistic, nihilistic ethos of rock stands in opposition to Christian culture. Using the physical response induced by drums in a worship context as evidence that rock distracts worshippers from reflecting on the lyrics and on God, he suggests that rock is actively dangerous for the Church.Bacchiocchi, Samuele (ed.), The Christian and Rock Music: A Study on Biblical Principles of Music

The theological content has also raised concerns for some, including Martyn Percy, who argues that there is too great an emphasis on a highly intimate relationship with God. He critiques the use of personal pronouns such as "I" and "You" in place of "we" and "God," along with the use of passionate and physical language, arguing that this imbalance needs urgent correction. Percy contends that the emotional emphasis may promote hype and a need to artificially generate an atmosphere of encounter with God, rather than allowing space for God to act independently.

Despite the frequent use of Biblical justification for contemporary worship music (CWM), such as {{bibleverse||Ephesians|5:19}}, critics note that its culture often excludes the systematic use of the psalms in weekly worship, particularly psalms of lament.{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=David |year=1998 |title=How long, O Lord, will we forget? |url=http://www.servicemusic.org.uk/docs/psalmuse.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110081133/http://www.servicemusic.org.uk/docs/psalmuse.php |archive-date=November 10, 2019 |access-date=August 16, 2010}} The emphasis on praise and a consistently positive interpretation of "worship" can result in neglecting more somber or challenging biblical themes. Michael Vasey observes: "Scripture is, of course, full of lament—and devotes its finest literary creation to warning the godly against quick and easy answers. The power of many of the psalms we are embarrassed to use lies precisely here. Of all this there is little echo in our contemporary reading."{{Cite book |last=Vasey |first=Michael |title=Reading the Bible at the Eucharist |publisher=Grove Books |year=1986 |isbn=1-85174-018-X}} While many traditional denominations use a weekly lectionary that incorporates a wide range of scriptural texts—including psalms—CWM-oriented churches often lack an agreed lectionary, and thus a comparable breadth of thematic material.{{citation needed|date=August 2010}}

Pope John Paul II, reflecting on music in worship, emphasized the need for serious artistic training, stating: "today, as yesterday, musicians, composers, liturgical chapel cantors, church organists and instrumentalists must feel the necessity of serious and rigorous professional training. They should be especially conscious of the fact that each of their creations or interpretations cannot escape the requirement of being a work that is inspired, appropriate and attentive to aesthetic dignity, transformed into a prayer of worship when, in the course of the liturgy, it expresses the mystery of faith in sound."{{Cite web |last=Hakim |first=Naji |author-link=Naji Hakim |year=2003 |title=Music in the Catholic liturgy in France at the end of the 20th century |url=http://www.najihakim.com/writings/musiqliturgifr-e.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714150326/http://www.najihakim.com/writings/musiqliturgifr-e.html |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |access-date=August 16, 2010}}

Some critics have argued that CWM lyrics reflect a broader cultural trend toward individualism, emphasizing personal experience and relationship with God even within communal settings.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} In a 2011 interview in Christianity Today, Grove City College professor T. David Gordon noted that contemporary worship music is not necessarily easier to sing or musically superior to traditional forms, but that its familiarity makes it appealing to congregants. He observed that churches often choose songs primarily based on their contemporary sound, rather than on theological depth or musical quality. Gordon also noted a trend of reintroducing hymns into contemporary services, observing that musical novelty had not historically been the primary concern in worship.{{Cite journal |last=Moring |first=Mark |date=March 2011 |title=Pop Goes the Worship |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/march/popgoesworship.html |url-status=live |pages=22–25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110133750/http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/march/popgoesworship.html |archive-date=January 10, 2016 |access-date=April 10, 2016 |journal=Christianity Today}}

In 2014, Gordon expanded on these views, arguing that contemporary worship music cannot match the depth of a musical tradition developed over multiple generations. He pointed out that even popular modern worship songs are often simply updated versions of older hymns. He stated that writers of new worship songs struggle to produce texts that are both theologically sound and artistically rich—“significant, profound, appropriate, memorable, and edifying.”{{Cite journal |last=Gordon |first=T. David |date=October 27, 2014 |title=The Imminent Decline of Contemporary Worship Music: Eight Reasons |url=http://secondnaturejournal.com/the-imminent-decline-of-contemporary-worship-music-eight-reasons |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414111018/http://secondnaturejournal.com/the-imminent-decline-of-contemporary-worship-music-eight-reasons/ |archive-date=April 14, 2016 |access-date=April 8, 2016 |journal=Second Nature}} Gordon also remarked that the novelty of contemporary music had faded, diminishing its appeal as a growth or marketing strategy. He argued that the performance-oriented nature of praise teams may contradict biblical principles of congregational participation in worship.

Some songs now appear in more traditional hymnals. Evangelical Lutheran Worship (published in 2006 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) includes "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High" by Rick Founds'Lord I Lift Your Name on High', Rick Founds, copyright 1989 Maranatha Praise, Inc. and "Shout to the Lord" by Darlene Zschech.'Shout to the Lord', Darlene Zschech, copyright 1993 Hillsong Publishing The United Methodist Hymnal (1989) includes "Thy Word Is a Lamp" by Amy Grant'Thy Word Is a Lamp', words by Amy Grant, music by Michael Smith, arrangement by Keith Phillips, copyright 1984 Meadowgreen Music Co./Bug and Bear Music and "Take Our Bread" by Joe Wise.'Take Our Bread', Joe Wise, copyright 1966 by Joe Wise, used in the United Methodist Hymnal by permission of G.I.A. Publications, Inc.

Songs by contemporary Christian worship groups such as Hillsong United rank in the top ten on Billboard and other national charts and are publicised in pop culture publications.{{Cite magazine |title=Hillsong United Chart History |magazine=Billboard |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/hillsong-united/chart-history/tsl/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520050136/https://www.billboard.com/music/hillsong-united/chart-history/top-album-sales |archive-date=May 20, 2018 |access-date=March 5, 2018}}{{Cite magazine |title=Hillsong United Chart History |magazine=Billboard |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/hillsong-united/chart-history/tlp/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520050213/https://www.billboard.com/music/hillsong-united/chart-history/billboard-200 |archive-date=May 20, 2018 |access-date=March 5, 2018}}{{Cite web |last=Hung |first=Steffen |title=Australian charts portal |url=http://australian-charts.com/search.asp?search=hillsong&cat=a |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227102456/http://australian-charts.com/search.asp?search=Hillsong&cat=a |archive-date=February 27, 2014 |access-date=March 4, 2018 |website=australian-charts.com}}{{Cite magazine |title=Hillsong United Chart History |magazine=Billboard |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/hillsong-united/chart-history/cna/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520050123/https://www.billboard.com/music/hillsong-united/chart-history/canadian-albums |archive-date=May 20, 2018 |access-date=March 5, 2018}} In 2019, the U.S. radio network Air1 (which was previously devoted to Christian hits) changed its format to focus primarily on worship music.{{Cite news |title=EMF Adjusts Air1 Programming To Focus On Worship. |url=http://www.insideradio.com/free/emf-adjusts-air-programming-to-focus-on-worship/article_25923f82-0ebf-11e9-bef3-1b913850a47c.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423151224/http://www.insideradio.com/free/emf-adjusts-air-programming-to-focus-on-worship/article_25923f82-0ebf-11e9-bef3-1b913850a47c.html |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |access-date=January 12, 2019 |website=Insideradio.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=December 31, 2018 |title=EMF Unveils Air1 Worship Now |work=All Access Music Group |url=https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/182831/emf-unveils-air1-worship-now |url-status=live |access-date=January 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101031057/https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/182831/emf-unveils-air1-worship-now |archive-date=January 1, 2019}}

• List of Christian worship music artists
• Christian liturgy

{{Reflist}}

• Bacchiocchi, Samuele (ed.), The Christian and Rock Music: A Study on Biblical Principles of Music (Michigan, 2000)
• Darlington, Stephen, and Kreider, Alan (ed.), Composing Music for Worship (Norwich, 2003)
• Jones, Ian and Webster, Peter, "The theological problem of popular music for worship in contemporary Christianity", in Crucible. The journal of Christian social ethics (July–Sept 2006), pp. 9–16; full text in [http://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/2434/ SAS-Space]
• Miller, Donald, E., Postdenominational Christianity in the Twenty-First Century, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 558, (July 1998), pp. 196–210
• {{Cite magazine |last=Parrett |first=Gary, A. |year=2005 |title=Theses on Worship: A disputation on the role of music |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/february/24.38.html |magazine=Christianity Today}}
• Sheldon, Robin (ed.), In Spirit and in Truth: Exploring Directions in Music in Worship Today (London, 1989)
• {{Cite book |last=Ward |first=Pete |title=Selling Worship: How what we sing has changed the church |publisher=Authentic Media |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-84227-270-1}}
• Webster, Peter and Jones, Ian, "Expressions of Authenticity: Music for Worship" In: Redefining Christian Britain. Post 1945 perspectives. SCM, London, 2007, pp. 50–62; full text in [http://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/2437/ SAS-Space]
• Webster, Peter and Jones, Ian, "Anglican 'Establishment' reactions to 'pop' church music in England, 1956–c.1990". Studies in Church History, 42 (2006), pp. 429–441; full text in [http://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/2293/ SAS-Space]
• Wilson-Dickson, Andrew, A Brief History of Christian Music, (Oxford, 1997)
• Wuthnow, Robert, All in Sync: How music and art are revitalising American Religion, (California, 2003)

{{Christian music articles}}

{{Contemporary Christian Music}}

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Category:Contemporary Christian music

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