The Disappearance of Choirs

Podcast Episode #226

We welcome Mike Harland back to the podcast to discuss a trend we’ve noted before—the disappearance of choirs in the church.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

The church choir as we have known it historically is disappearing.
Church choirs are doing less presentational music and more congregational leadership signing.
The line between choir and praise team has blurred in many churches.
The choir ministry should be a disciple-making ministry, not a performance ministry.
Many churches don’t have choirs because they don’t have someone to lead the choir.
In the early stages of a church’s life, the entire congregation is the choir.
The largest choir in every church is the congregation.

The four areas Mike addresses are:

What is a “choir?” and are we sure they are disappearing? (Role and function)
Where did choirs come from? (Biblical and historical view of choirs)
Strategy or necessity? (The leadership gap)
The largest choir of every church. (Congregational singing)

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