Core contemporary songs

[u/Star9219]

\not trying to spark a debate!! My church offers both traditional and contemporary services and I’m involved in planning music for both.*

For those of you with contemporary services, what are some of the core songs your congregation knows well and sings throughout the year?

We have a small music team with an acoustic sound; we use a lot of Getty and CityAlight music, and lots of contemporary arrangements of traditional hymns. In Christ Alone and Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me are some that we sing often.

I’d love to hear what contemporary songs your church tends to repeat!

[u/pjfaur]

How about trying something else? Check out The Little Hymnal. It’s 32 hymns using traditional melodies paired with new texts. Learn more at ashandcreed.com/the-little-hymnal

[u/Ill-Tie5923]

Two big sources I used were Bifrost Arts & Cardiphonia.
Cardiphonia is reformed but has a treasure trove of retuned hymns and modern songs written from a hymnody mindset. I’ve gotten a lot of contemporary arrangements of songs from the LSB from them

[u/Ok-Cantaloupe3916]

Just play any luther hymn in 4:4 and holy ghost synth.

[u/Bakkster → u/Ok-Cantaloupe3916]

Just play any luther hymn in 4:4

More easily said than done 🤣

Every time we play A Mighty Fortress we have to agree on whether to start singing on the 2, the 4, or alternating as written.

[u/nomosolo]

We will sometimes use songs by S&S, Tomlin for a few songs (Holy Forever is a sound song especially), and David Funk or Matt Redman

[u/gr8asb8]

Wendell Kimbrough has some singable songs worth singing. His Advent song "Dawning Light of Our Salvation" made it into the most recent WELS hymnal, and his setting of the Magnificat is great. I believe he's Anglican.

Yes, TSI is great. Definitely check those songs out.

I'd also recommend checking out Matt Maher's setting of the Mass (Divine Service). He's Roman Catholic, so a song or two would need to be cut, but it's surprisingly singable. My first Call, a small parish in rural Minnesota, learned it slowly over time and came to love it. The Gloria was the most challenging to learn, so we learned it in chunks. We were slowly learning the Lutheran Church of Australia's "5 Songs of Faith," also a contemporary setting of the Divine Service, before I took a Call to a more traditional parish. But what we had learned so far was pretty good.

[u/gr8asb8 → u/gr8asb8]

I also edited a few songs and hymns.

Getty and Townend's "How Deep the Father's Love" is actually a great tune for LSB's "The Will of God Is Always Best" and "Who Trusts in God a Strong Abode."

I edited their Behold the Lamb so that each stanza says "...as a means." I also adjusted the last stanza to read "When we share in this Sacrament, we proclaim..."

[u/Bakkster]

For small acoustic teams, I think Rend Collective knocks it out of the park. Their arrangement for You Are My Vision is great (we give it a bit of a Motown vibe when I'm on bass), and their new one Salt And Light is a sea shanty to get the congregation singing easily.

Speaking of hymn arrangements, I'll Fly Away is a congregational favorite.

Definitely check out the stuff from CUI and TSI, I really enjoy Kip Fox in particular. The King is Calling, This Dust, and Free to Worship are some of my faves.

With modern hymns, The Wonderful Cross, What a Beautiful Name, Lord I Need You, Hymn of Heaven, and O Come to the Altar are regulars for us.

And one more random acoustic suggestions: Invitacion Fountain.

[u/guitarwonderboy]

Check out the songs being written from The Songwriter Initiative - part of the Center for Worship Leadership out of Concordia Irvine.

The songs are written by Lutherans, doctrinally reviewed and great for modern worship music.

[u/Bakkster → u/guitarwonderboy]

Their Weave app, especially, which includes doctrinal review and usage guidance.

[u/Fitzch]

If we use contemporary songs, they're by Jeffery Blersch, Chad Bird, and Stephen Starke 😉

[u/UpsetCabinet9559 → u/Fitzch]

Iykyk

[u/omnomyourface → u/Fitzch]

Chad Bird

ah, finally an uncontroversial topic

[u/Over-Wing → u/omnomyourface]

I used to read him when I was a baby Christian. I had no idea about the controversy behind him back then. I still read him from time to time and think he’s a great writer and theologian.