New data reveals an appalling lack of musical resources is hampering the ministry of many Sydney Anglican churches.
A Southern Cross survey of 330 Sydney Anglican congregations has revealed the majority are musical "have nots', with many struggling to field even a couple of musicians.
The congregation at Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands battles to sing to an ageing ghetto-blaster playing tapes and CDs owned by members of the congregation.
"It is an embarrassing turn-off for outsiders," admits minister, the Rev David Pratt.
Other congregations have resorted to downloading MP3 files off the internet, still others sing without any backing at all.
Yet, the Sydney Anglican music scene is far from monochrome. At one end of the spectrum some 5 per cent have full choirs with sung liturgy.
At the other around 10 per cent of pm congregations mosh to seriously fast-paced rock bands with heavily distorted electric guitar.
There is a further 3 per cent of congregations who regularly feature Taize, Celtic, traditional African, or jazz music.
Hillsong and hymns: the facts
Jon Baldwin, a participant in music ministry at Gymea Anglican Church for 15 years, believes young people have "lost the desire to sing hymns'.
This view is borne out by the SC survey.
Unsurprisingly, less than one per cent of early morning services are contemporary, while four in five evening services sing no hymns at all.
In contrast, Hillsong or EMU songwriting is favoured on a parish-wide basis.
Jon says rejecting hymns is problematic.
“Churches on the whole have replaced singing God's praises with singing of our response to God.”
“This can be seen in the majority of "me' focused songs sung, distorting the role of music in church,” he says.
Expert verdicts on Sydney’s top three
(see fact box)
How Deep the Father's Love
Mark Baddeley: How Deep the Father's Love has the greatest depth of the three songs, achieved by sustained reflection on the cross with strong poetic images held closely to scriptural ideas.
It is a God-centred song with an evangelical heart, beginning with God's love, focusing on the cross as the expression of that love, and finishing with the redemption of the believer.
Implicitly Trinitarian, it refers not just to "God' but names him as Father and recognises that Christ is the Son.
Few things come without cost, and the song enlists three striking images that draw upon ways Christians try to explain the gospel that cause problems if pressed too far.
"The Father turns his face away' suggests Christ was rejected by the Father rather than dying in obedience to the Father.
"My mocking voice calls out among the scoffers' captures the idea of humanity's solidarity in rejecting Christ, but goes beyond what Scripture actually declares.
While the suggestion of the last stanza that there is some reward for Christ's death that benefits us, captures the gracious paradox of the cross, it implies a kind of commercial, quantifiable arrangement.
Cathy Sampson: Composer Stuart Townend has successfully fused the haunting characteristics of Celtic music with a modern-style hymn, capturing the pathos of the lyrics.
The melody rises to a climactic point in each verse as the lyrics also reach a point of emphasis, enabling the singer to feel the profundity of Christ's sacrifice for us.
Townend creates an emotionally-charged vehicle for us to engage with the depth of God's pain and love.
Shout to the Lord
MB: Shout to the Lord has two key strengths. First, is the way that it unselfconsciously applies Old Testament descriptions of the LORD to Jesus Christ " "tower of strength', "refuge', "work of your hands', encouraging a Christ-centred reading of the Old Testament and an implicit recognition of Christ's deity.
Second, the line "mountains bow down and seas will roar' grasps the cosmic scale of the majesty of Christ. Praise of Christ is not just something a Christian chooses to do.
It is something that all creation will take part in when Christ returns.
Its weaknesses are characteristic of songs of Charismatic origin.
The strong focus on the singer's response could encourage a human-centred spirituality if representative of the songs sung.
"Forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand' would need careful explanation.
As a declaration that Christ's saving love will enable me to stand and love him forever, it is a gracious promise.
But if understood to say, "I intend to make myself love Christ forever', it will encourage a naive confidence in one's own ability to be good.
CS: The melody of Shout to the Lord is uncomplicated and has a natural joyfulness in style.
It is easily singable in its vocal range.
In the verse composer Darlene Zschech has successfully created a sense of awe about there being "none like Jesus', by using reflective lower notes.
As she rises into the pre-chorus and declares her devotion to her "tower of refuge and strength', the melody rises to a crescendo where it is easy to feel that you could "Shout to the Lord!' along with all God's creation.
The Servant King
MB: The Servant King plays a straight bat, and so raises the least theological problems.
It focuses on the person of Christ Jesus, clearly affirming Christ's full humanity and deity.
Its particular strengths arise from the way it applies this Christological reflection to the singer, with its affirmation that Christ is the model for the Christian and that worship is all of life and not merely the singing of songs.
While it declares what Christ did on the cross, it does not explore how the atonement works.
CS: Because The Servant King is a reflective ballad it becomes plodding when a reasonable tempo is not set.
Sometimes less competent musicians interpret reflective as slow.
The verse should be dealt with in a quiet reflective manner but must be built into a much stronger chorus.
It is an easily singable tune in good vocal range, allowing a sense of reflective wonder in each verse rising passionately to the top of the vocal range in the chorus to declare, "This is our God.'
Mark Baddeley >> lecturer, Moore Theological College.
Cathy Sampson >> B.Music, Sydney Con. Her latest church music album Stand Firm is available at the Emu website.
