Worshiping God Through Music

I suspect that many here may have similar sentiments to me towards musical worship at church and I would love to hear your thoughts.  I've never been to a church that I *like* the music.  Sometimes it's tolerable and other times it's just miserable for me.  Regardless, I am always grateful once the music is over and we get on to the message.  But as I think most people here acknowledge, worship (in any form) is not for us but for God.  I think I can honestly say that I want to do the right thing that will be the most honoring and glorifying to Him.  But I just do not know what that is.  So my question is: what is worshipful and honoring to God?  Do I a) sing along anyways, b) silently mediate on and pray the lyrics, c) show up late and leave early to avoid the music altogether, or d) something else?  Is God after our hearts only (i.e. "singing" silently) or does the act of congregational worship in itself bring Him praise?  I want to worship my Creator and even if I didn't, I think it's pretty clear in God's Word that we are instructed to worship Him.  But how?  What is the role of our emotions in this (such as the people waving their hands up in the air with their eyes closed and such)?

Another part of this is within the context of worship, is there any music that is not worshipful to Him?  With musical worship, there are two elements: the music and the lyrics (perhaps we should consider instrumental praise/worship music not a point of discussion for this topic?).  I'm pretty decided that not all "Christian music" is necessarily "worship," i.e. a song about The Fall isn't praising/worshiping God though can be used for the edification of believers and for evangelism purposes, etc.  But what do you think (and why)?  Can a lyrically fluffy song all about one's emotions (such as many of the modern "worship" songs) be worshiping to God if the people singing it at church are really "into" the music and emotionally moved by it?  Can the musically bland song with strong lyrics be?  Is there any music that is not appropriate to be used as worship?  Do you agree with me that not all music can be considered worship?

I'd like to hear what folks here think about this and why.  But please don't turn this into a nasty theological debate...  I'd really hate to lock my own thread haha.

Well God created music for the sole purpose of worship, and to take that even further the human race was created to worship God.

You can not only praise Him through any music genre but our worship does not have to be limited to music either. Pretty much anything we do in life can be worshipful with the right attitude if we dedicate it to Him.

1 Corinthians 10:31

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

I am have been reading The Purpose Driven Life lately by Rick Warren, its a great book, and a few of the chapters specifically talk about worship, and how its not just done through singing. You can praise him simply by using the abilities he gave you, because He enjoys seeing us utilize the skills and talents he gave us.

Heres a chapter on pleasing God that touches on some of this:

https://blindcaveman.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/purpose-driven-life-chapter-9-what-makes-god-smile-day887/

I highly recommend the book. I'm still working through it.

I dont believe that God created music..I believe that man did. I also dont believe that everything we do and say has to be about worship and I dont believe that God created us soley to worship him...however here is a video by pastor Bob and he brings up some great points..(for the record kerrick I hate the music section of most churches as well...

Excelente questions.

Kerrick wrote:I want to worship my Creator and even if I didn't, I think it's pretty clear in God's Word that we are instructed to worship Him.  But how?  What is the role of our emotions in this (such as the people waving their hands up in the air with their eyes closed and such)?

I don't have the time at the moment to write a long reply, but let me point out two things.

Firstly, worship is one of the elements that survived as a duty from the Old Testament, as in that Jesus didn't fulfil that part of the sacrificial law. I don't know the exact terms in English, but the only things we still have to "sacrifice" to God is worship and thanksgiving. With this in the back of your mind, the subject of worship music isn't one to be taken lightly.

Secondly, when I still lived in the Netherlands I sang in the church choir. There we were told that it is nonsense to "sing with feeling". Not much room for pathos in the delivery. The music can (and is allowed to) summon emotions. But joining in a mass event that is all about emotion, that's something else. I don't know how it is in the USA, but in the Netherlands you can ascertain something like the longing for emotions. Or maybe: the longing for a feeling of longing.

Very interesting, I will keep thinking about it

I support corporate worship, but at the same time, the ability to worship as you are led. Where I go to church, some people jump and shout. Some people raise their hands. Some fall flat on their faces in the middle of the aisle. Some of my most powerful encounters with Christ have been spent on my face.

As for the music, I will admit that I used to HATE it with a passion. Years later, though, it has grown on me. As much as I love metal music, it just isn't the right atmosphere for me to worship, unless it's an obvious praise and worship theme album like Scandinavian Metal Praise.

I have attended churches where the worship  music was rock and metal..we have a church like that here in tulsa..I also went to one like that in Texas...it helps if you like the music being played..I absolutely am turned off to the point of shutting down my mind and ignoring the music by "traditional" hymns..or as my wife calls it "dead music written by dead people" ..but as The pastor Bob video pointed out people should use whatever they are into (even though we are all praying with Pastor Bob for some peoples music choice  )

To be honest, I don't view music and the words we sing to be worship.  I believe we praise God with music.  We teach others/ourselves and express our fallenness with music.  While I see nothing wrong with this at all, it isn't worship.

I look at it this way. 


Romans 12:1

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.

I think that we emphasis music as worship more than we do how we live.  Living our lives as a sacrifice to the Lord is worship.  Whether we sing or not has little to do with it.  Sure, we can express our need for Him, our love for Him, or teach any of His glorious attributes, but true worship is how we live our lives.  If we are living like the devil, then we are honoring the Lord with our lips only while our hearts are far from him.

So, while music can be used to praise the Lord and His greatness, teach the mysteries of God, express our feelings towards Him, etc., our lives are how we worship.  What we do is how we honor Him whether it is in making music, helping the poor, or just doing our job like we were hired to do. 

I could be wrong, but that's how I see it.

You couldn't say it better alldat, sadly I am not well spoken as you are. But that was exactly how I would have said it.

I didn't expect this thread to be about the music in church, just from reading the title. ...and I'm sure what I'll say will brand me a heretic, but here we go.

I dislike ALL contemporary worship because bands equate entertainment. No other way around it. ...and while I like entertainment like anyone else, entertainment is lousy worship. It takes focus away that should be God's.

It's always bugged me to watch overdressed performers making O faces for Jesus on stage. I'm also not thinking about God at all when I'm watching what the musicians are doing. My opinion, people that like that stuff are feeling emotion about God, but it's not worshipping God.

Best worship music I've EVER heard was at the Primitive Baptist Church that my late grandmother attended her whole life (and is now buried there). This church is out in the middle of the woods. The pastor is in his mid 90's. The church is less than 50 people. No musical instruments. No song leader drawing attention to themselves up front. Just the congregation, singing in trained quality (bass, alto, soprano, etc.) these ancient underground hymns from centuries ago and I've never heard or felt anything like it.

Now THAT'S worship.

Old people singing a capella isn't my preferred genre of music obviously, but during that worship - entertainment and preferences fade away, and it's all about God now.

That being said, if that part of the service is annoying to you, or something you have to put up with, or you have to "entertain" yourself during it just to stand it... it's just a joke and a waste of time. It's reminiscent of pity. (Like I don't want to watch this new movie that just came out in theatres, but I'll go because my buddy wants to see it. Well, that's a nice thing - but if you're doing this goofy music thing you don't really want to, but you'll force yourself because you think God likes it... that's not worship, that's only a sacrifice of time.)

No way am I obligating myself in regards to God's glory. I should, with all my heart, WANT to worship Him.

I'm sure most of you know this, but I don't go to church. Haven't been to a church service in like 8 years. I absolutely gather with others "in His name", but music isn't part of that equation. My worship outlet comes from something not involving music.

Blake wrote:Well God created music for the sole purpose of worship, and to take that even further the human race was created to worship God.

You can not only praise Him through any music genre but our worship does not have to be limited to music either. Pretty much anything we do in life can be worshipful with the right attitude if we dedicate it to Him.

This is my opinion

And yes I dont normally get into the car and listen to Christian radio because I dont enjoy it.

But when it comes to my church itself, I usually get into worship. They may play a song, and 10 minutes later I get in the car and its on the radio, I'll usually turn it off.

I just really love the church Im going to currently, and Im learning something every week, which is all that matters in my opinion.

I have been going to this church for about a year now, and it is far better than all the others I tried before it, here in Spokane.

ThomasEversole wrote: My worship outlet comes from something not involving music.

Another good point, that worshiping God can be done in many different ways.

alldatndensum wrote:


Romans 12:1

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.

I think that we emphasis music as worship more than we do how we live.  Living our lives as a sacrifice to the Lord is worship.  Whether we sing or not has little to do with it.  Sure, we can express our need for Him, our love for Him, or teach any of His glorious attributes, but true worship is how we live our lives.  If we are living like the devil, then we are honoring the Lord with our lips only while our hearts are far from him.

So, while music can be used to praise the Lord and His greatness, teach the mysteries of God, express our feelings towards Him, etc., our lives are how we worship.  What we do is how we honor Him whether it is in making music, helping the poor, or just doing our job like we were hired to do. 

Agreed 100%

I'd also like to share a quote I read recently that to me was pretty powerful, although simple:

"The problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the altar"

In my case, music actually tends to distract me from praising and worshipping the Creator. I have an ear for music that quickly leads me to think of the music (and, worse yet, judge the musicians) rather than the lyrics, let alone God Himself. It doesn't help me either that I tend to be playing an instrument during worship times where I am present, so I'm more minded towards not screwing up than praising God, and I feel like a hypocritical slug. It's to a point where I feel like we sing too much in church, and don't read the Word, pray, or praise enough - but that's my view of things, and I don't think I'm the only one.

That said, there are a few songs that will lead me to a place of contemplation of the truly Great God. Oddly enough, some of them are Barnabas's longer songs (Star, Crucifixion, and of course Breathless Wonderment). As well, a couple of French worship bands have been writing excellent music with excellent lyrics. Here's one based off of Psalm 121, translating to "My Rescue is in You":

Blake wrote:Well God created music for the sole purpose of worship, and to take that even further the human race was created to worship God.

You can not only praise Him through any music genre but our worship does not have to be limited to music either. Pretty much anything we do in life can be worshipful with the right attitude if we dedicate it to Him.

1 Corinthians 10:31

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

I am have been reading The Purpose Driven Life lately by Rick Warren, its a great book, and a few of the chapters specifically talk about worship, and how its not just done through singing. You can praise him simply by using the abilities he gave you, because He enjoys seeing us utilize the skills and talents he gave us.

Heres a chapter on pleasing God that touches on some of this:

https://blindcaveman.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/purpose-driven-life-chapter-9-what-makes-god-smile-day887/

I highly recommend the book. I'm still working through it.

Thanks!  I've heard many good things about that book but haven't read it myself.  I'll check it out.

I definitely agree that we were made to worship God and this is something we should take very seriously.  I wonder if, similar to what Alldat said, there's a distinction between worshiping God and doing things to the glory of Him.  Evangelizing would bring glory to God but isn't necessarily worship I think.

Savage Amusement wrote:I dont believe that God created music..I believe that man did. I also dont believe that everything we do and say has to be about worship and I dont believe that God created us soley to worship him...however here is a video by pastor Bob and he brings up some great points..(for the record kerrick I hate the music section of most churches as well...

Hmm, what Bob says is nice fuzzy-feel-good... but he doesn't back it up with any scripture or reasoning.  How do we know that God likes all styles of music?  I'm not necessarily disagreeing with him, but he doesn't really substantiate his opinions which is what I was hoping for.

LOL about praying for those who listen to country and pop hahahahaha...

Andreas89 wrote:

Kerrick wrote:I want to worship my Creator and even if I didn't, I think it's pretty clear in God's Word that we are instructed to worship Him.  But how?  What is the role of our emotions in this (such as the people waving their hands up in the air with their eyes closed and such)?

I don't have the time at the moment to write a long reply, but let me point out two things.

Firstly, worship is one of the elements that survived as a duty from the Old Testament, as in that Jesus didn't fulfil that part of the sacrificial law. I don't know the exact terms in English, but the only things we still have to "sacrifice" to God is worship and thanksgiving. With this in the back of your mind, the subject of worship music isn't one to be taken lightly.

Secondly, when I still lived in the Netherlands I sang in the church choir. There we were told that it is nonsense to "sing with feeling". Not much room for pathos in the delivery. The music can (and is allowed to) summon emotions. But joining in a mass event that is all about emotion, that's something else. I don't know how it is in the USA, but in the Netherlands you can ascertain something like the longing for emotions. Or maybe: the longing for a feeling of longing.

Very interesting, I will keep thinking about it

I tend to agree more with this perspective than that of Pastor Bob's: that worship is a commandment and something we need to do - whether we "want to" or "feel like it" or not.  Emotions are a possible product of worship, but not the driving factor or motivation behind it.  I think so much of worship is emotionally-based and therefore very quickly becomes about us and not Him.

alldatndensum wrote:To be honest, I don't view music and the words we sing to be worship.  I believe we praise God with music.  We teach others/ourselves and express our fallenness with music.  While I see nothing wrong with this at all, it isn't worship.

I look at it this way. 


Romans 12:1

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.

I think that we emphasis music as worship more than we do how we live.  Living our lives as a sacrifice to the Lord is worship.  Whether we sing or not has little to do with it.  Sure, we can express our need for Him, our love for Him, or teach any of His glorious attributes, but true worship is how we live our lives.  If we are living like the devil, then we are honoring the Lord with our lips only while our hearts are far from him.

So, while music can be used to praise the Lord and His greatness, teach the mysteries of God, express our feelings towards Him, etc., our lives are how we worship.  What we do is how we honor Him whether it is in making music, helping the poor, or just doing our job like we were hired to do. 

I could be wrong, but that's how I see it.

Hmm, that is a very interesting distinction between worship and praise!  Thank you.  I tend to think of them as being synonyms though this is something I'd like to explore more.  This goes back to what Blake wrote about doing everything for the glory of God.

ThomasEversole wrote:I didn't expect this thread to be about the music in church, just from reading the title. ...and I'm sure what I'll say will brand me a heretic, but here we go.

I dislike ALL contemporary worship because bands equate entertainment. No other way around it. ...and while I like entertainment like anyone else, entertainment is lousy worship. It takes focus away that should be God's.

It's always bugged me to watch overdressed performers making O faces for Jesus on stage. I'm also not thinking about God at all when I'm watching what the musicians are doing. My opinion, people that like that stuff are feeling emotion about God, but it's not worshipping God.

Best worship music I've EVER heard was at the Primitive Baptist Church that my late grandmother attended her whole life (and is now buried there). This church is out in the middle of the woods. The pastor is in his mid 90's. The church is less than 50 people. No musical instruments. No song leader drawing attention to themselves up front. Just the congregation, singing in trained quality (bass, alto, soprano, etc.) these ancient underground hymns from centuries ago and I've never heard or felt anything like it.

Now THAT'S worship.

Old people singing a capella isn't my preferred genre of music obviously, but during that worship - entertainment and preferences fade away, and it's all about God now.

That being said, if that part of the service is annoying to you, or something you have to put up with, or you have to "entertain" yourself during it just to stand it... it's just a joke and a waste of time. It's reminiscent of pity. (Like I don't want to watch this new movie that just came out in theatres, but I'll go because my buddy wants to see it. Well, that's a nice thing - but if you're doing this goofy music thing you don't really want to, but you'll force yourself because you think God likes it... that's not worship, that's only a sacrifice of time.)

No way am I obligating myself in regards to God's glory. I should, with all my heart, WANT to worship Him.

I'm sure most of you know this, but I don't go to church. Haven't been to a church service in like 8 years. I absolutely gather with others "in His name", but music isn't part of that equation. My worship outlet comes from something not involving music.

Very well said.  Haha, you and Veronika would get along great with regards to the "entertainment" factor of "worship" at church.  She absolutely loathes the "concerts" that so many churches put on and I fully agree.  Your grandmother's church sounds pretty awesome with regards to how they musically worship our Creator.  I would like to find a church like that.  Do you think going to the movies with your friend is wrong to do in this sense?  Wouldn't your friend really appreciate it?  And isn't sacrifice in a way worship in itself?  I do want to worship God and my preferred method of praising Him is usually through prayer.  But that ignores corporate worship and I feel like we shouldn't do that (though admittedly I don't have anything to back that up with).

he doesn't back it up with any scripture or reasoning.  How do we know that God likes all styles of music?

If ya dont want a theological debate then dont ask questions like this..  

Kerrick wrote: Do you think going to the movies with your friend is wrong to do in this sense?  Wouldn't your friend really appreciate it?  And isn't sacrifice in a way worship in itself?

I think sacrifice could be worship, but I don't think putting up with being a spectator at a church concert is the right kind of sacrifice.

Nothing wrong with going to a movie JUST for a friend. ...it's only wrong if he wants you to go because you want to see the movie, but go just to hang out with him instead.

I would think God would want us to have great joy in regards to worship music. I'd venture to guess many people don't really enjoy the music in their church so much as they think it's something they should do...

...because it's been done this way for centuries sans a few tweaks.

I dont get this sacrificing you guys keep talking about..the way I see it if you have to sacrifice to worship there is a problem...anyway, Jesus was the last sacrifice ...I also dont see worship as a command...
Jesus said we worship God in spirit and truth..not in the temple(church)...

Savage Amusement wrote:I dont get this sacrificing you guys keep talking about..the way I see it if you have to sacrifice to worship there is a problem...anyway, Jesus was the last sacrifice ...I also dont see worship as a command...

Jesus was the sacrifice that saved us from hell, yes. But if you look in Hebrews 13, you'll see that the writer admonishes believers to offer a sacrifice of praise. 1 Peter 2 says that those who come to Christ offer spiritual sacrifices. Even the gifts that the church of Philippi had sent to Paul were referred to as a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

As for worship, Psalm 2 says to serve the Lord with fear and trembling. There's many more scriptures to be found.

but worship should come from the spirit automatically..it shouldn't be something you purposely have to do or something you have to put in your schedule...while the act of worship may involve you doing something physical it should not be forced..again it should be automatic..I dont think emotions should play any part in it at all...Too many churches use emotion instead of just flowing with the spirit of God...as a result they teach people to do the same and then it becomes religion..and religion is bad!
.........
H.M.  thanks for the answer ..The deal is some translations dont use the word sacrifice...thats why I dont read word for word...but thought for thought instead..

I'll say this. You worship God however you want to worship God. The Bible tells us to worship Him. Doesn't say how.

Nothing is forced in our worship. We have a worship leader, of course, who leads the charge corporately, among other things. But we don't force worship. People are asked to stand during the set. Some don't. That's OK.

Like I said in my first post, some of us lift our hands. Some of us speak in tongues. Some of us walk around the auditorium singing to the top of their lungs. Some of us lay face down in the middle of the floor. I tell you that NONE of this is forced. This comes from the heart.

If you ever come to the building that we call "church", I assure you that you'll not find religion, but you will see lots of emotions being displayed by people who are doing their best to love God and love people.

H.M. Murdock wrote:I'll say this. You worship God however you want to worship God. The Bible tells us to worship Him. Doesn't say how.

Nothing is forced in our worship. We have a worship leader, of course, who leads the charge corporately, among other things. But we don't force worship. People are asked to stand during the set. Some don't. That's OK.

Like I said in my first post, some of us lift our hands. Some of us speak in tongues. Some of us walk around the auditorium singing to the top of their lungs. Some of us lay face down in the middle of the floor. I tell you that NONE of this is forced. This comes from the heart.

If you ever come to the building that we call "church", I assure you that you'll not find religion, but you will see lots of emotions being displayed by people who are doing their best to love God and love people.

Best post Ive seen on here in awhile!

Worship is from the heart of person. You express how you feel about how God and all that He has done for you. The psalms are filled with different forms of worship. Many times I have been in a gathering place of the Church, a song never inspired me so I praise God with my own words. It is beautiful when God takes over an entite congragation and worhip as one body. Many times in my truck I am drawn into worship whether it be PK Mitchell or Sanctuary Praise or Glenn Kaiser. Even Seventh Avenue's Prince of Peace (now there is a fun song to perform sign language too) has drawn me into worship. Worship is about you and God. When every one comes together with their personal worship God will unite them with 1 voice

Savage Amusement wrote:If ya dont want a theological debate then dont ask questions like this..  

Hahaha yeah probably...  well I do want to know what folks have to say about worship/praise to God and I *think* (i.e. hope) that doing so doesn't necessitate an ugly debate.  Good biblical discussion is something I hope for!

ThomasEversole wrote:I think sacrifice could be worship, but I don't think putting up with being a spectator at a church concert is the right kind of sacrifice.

Nothing wrong with going to a movie JUST for a friend. ...it's only wrong if he wants you to go because you want to see the movie, but go just to hang out with him instead.

I would think God would want us to have great joy in regards to worship music. I'd venture to guess many people don't really enjoy the music in their church so much as they think it's something they should do...

...because it's been done this way for centuries sans a few tweaks.

I think I see your point.  I think most of us can agree that worship shouldn't be solely motivated by our emotions or feelings, but does that include our feelings towards the music?  Through marriage books, premarital counseling, and such, a very common theme is that love is NOT just an emotion but more so an action.  All the wise folks talking about love/marriage seem to agree that the "right" thing to do is to love your spouse - even when you don't "feel" like loving them.  Could the same be with musical worship/praise towards God?  Isn't worshiping Him just another means of loving Him?

Savage Amusement wrote:but worship should come from the spirit automatically..it shouldn't be something you purposely have to do or something you have to put in your schedule...while the act of worship may involve you doing something physical it should not be forced..again it should be automatic..I dont think emotions should play any part in it at all...Too many churches use emotion instead of just flowing with the spirit of God...as a result they teach people to do the same and then it becomes religion..and religion is bad!
.........
H.M.  thanks for the answer ..The deal is some translations dont use the word sacrifice...thats why I dont read word for word...but thought for thought instead..

Perhaps this is the difference between Free Grace and the Evangelical perspectives - and maybe this is just going down a rabbit-hole - but I have a hard time accepting that we as Christians are automatically doing all that we should be doing.  I agree that it should be natural and automatic (which is maybe all that you're saying and if so, you can disregard this) but I think it's pretty clear that things are not all as they should be.  So what are we to do then?  I agree that emotions shouldn't play any part in it, however.

godsrocker1970 wrote:Worship is from the heart of person. You express how you feel about how God and all that He has done for you. The psalms are filled with different forms of worship. Many times I have been in a gathering place of the Church, a song never inspired me so I praise God with my own words. It is beautiful when God takes over an entite congragation and worhip as one body. Many times in my truck I am drawn into worship whether it be PK Mitchell or Sanctuary Praise or Glenn Kaiser.  Even Seventh Avenue's Prince of Peace (now there is a fun song to perform sign language too) has drawn me into worship. Worship is about you and God. When every one comes together with their personal worship God will unite them with 1 voice

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you... but how did you come to these conclusions?

ThomasEversole wrote:I didn't expect this thread to be about the music in church, just from reading the title. ...and I'm sure what I'll say will brand me a heretic, but here we go.

I dislike ALL contemporary worship because bands equate entertainment. No other way around it. ...and while I like entertainment like anyone else, entertainment is lousy worship. It takes focus away that should be God's.

It's always bugged me to watch overdressed performers making O faces for Jesus on stage. I'm also not thinking about God at all when I'm watching what the musicians are doing. My opinion, people that like that stuff are feeling emotion about God, but it's not worshipping God.

Best worship music I've EVER heard was at the Primitive Baptist Church that my late grandmother attended her whole life (and is now buried there). This church is out in the middle of the woods. The pastor is in his mid 90's. The church is less than 50 people. No musical instruments. No song leader drawing attention to themselves up front. Just the congregation, singing in trained quality (bass, alto, soprano, etc.) these ancient underground hymns from centuries ago and I've never heard or felt anything like it.

Now THAT'S worship.

Old people singing a capella isn't my preferred genre of music obviously, but during that worship - entertainment and preferences fade away, and it's all about God now.

That being said, if that part of the service is annoying to you, or something you have to put up with, or you have to "entertain" yourself during it just to stand it... it's just a joke and a waste of time. It's reminiscent of pity. (Like I don't want to watch this new movie that just came out in theatres, but I'll go because my buddy wants to see it. Well, that's a nice thing - but if you're doing this goofy music thing you don't really want to, but you'll force yourself because you think God likes it... that's not worship, that's only a sacrifice of time.)

No way am I obligating myself in regards to God's glory. I should, with all my heart, WANT to worship Him.

I'm sure most of you know this, but I don't go to church. Haven't been to a church service in like 8 years. I absolutely gather with others "in His name", but music isn't part of that equation. My worship outlet comes from something not involving music.

I agree with pretty much all of this. I like the old, traditional hymns. They're written for congregational singing, not for some Bono wannabe on stage to sing in a key that most people without singing training aren't going to reach.

One thing the more traditional denominations get right is making music important without planting a band at front & centre of a church. Sung worship should be done as to not detract from the glorification of God. This is more difficult with a band and flashing lights.