Choirs in Worship
Choirs in worship are making a comeback. I said this recently in a class of mine and I really have been thinking about that in the past year. I was able to be part of Mosaic MSC’s live recording for their most recent album, and the first thing I noticed was that they had a full choir. I was amazed because that was something that a year or two ago would not be the first thing that a worship band such as Mosaic would have as part of their album. Churches nowadays barely even have the room on their stage for a choir just based on the way they are being built. I believe that having a choir is special and as we begin to look at some of the history as well as current practices, we can see the importance of a choir in worship.
History
Biblically, we see many examples of music in the Bible and specifically some examples of choirs. One of these examples has got to be one of my favorites. This is the example in Exodus 15:1–21 when Miriam led a group of women who were singing and dancing to celebrate the Israelites’ victory over the Egyptians. This is a very simple example of a large group of women creating a choir.
“When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing.” (Exodus 15:19–20)
This is a beautiful example of a choir full of women, but the most extreme form of choir came when David created and led a music ministry in the books of Chronicles. David created this ministry in three stages. During the first stage, David calls all of the heads of the Levite family to assemble a choir and orchestra in order to be with the Ark of the Covenant while traveling (1 Chron 15:16–24). The second stage occurred when the Ark had come to its home in David’s tent, David asked for the Choirs to be present at every single time of offering. The final stage was when there was a grand choir to be assembled to be used at the new temple that Solomon was building.
Biblically we can see that choirs each time were either used as a celebration or for a time of offering and reverence. This is very interesting because of the way that we worship and specifically when choirs are used typically in the modern church for celebration and offering.
Current Practices
One of my favorite things about having a choir with the worship team is the fact that so many people get to serve and it then becomes an amazing part of the ministry. I have learned that choir rehearsals have been where God moves mightily.
Having a choir gives opportunity for many people to serve. This is such a great part of the worship team because it offers vocal development within the team but also those who are less confident or could use some work to strengthen them vocally. Choir is an amazing rehearsal and development tool that can also be used mightily to Glorify the Lord. Additionally, the choir also is a great place where ministry happens. Choirs are such a tight knit group, that we find that intercession is prevalent in the rehearsals because so many people know what the other people are struggling with, the ups and the downs. Additionally, the choir is an amazing part of the service that can give amazing offering to the Lord. Having a choir allows for many songs to have a different feel, the choir can lead the congregation.
Conclusion
The biblical history of the choir shows us how wonderful it was that music was important to David when they had offerings. I believe that the choir is such a great part of the church and the fact that so much ministry and serving opportunities happen in the choir, that makes it all the better. Finally, the choir is continuing to be seen more and more in modern churches. The choir is making a complete comeback and I hope that this will give more opportunities for vocal growth and serving.
