What to Do When Your Church Sings Hillsong and You Would Rather It Didn’t

The author, Tim Challies, begins by noting that his church does not sing songs by Hillsong, Bethel, or Elevation. He frames this as a matter of wisdom and conscience rather than clear right and wrong, and says he would not look down on churches that choose differently. This post turns to a related question: what should a member do when they share that concern but their church’s leaders do not?

His general advice is to keep singing, as long as the songs do not require declaring something unbiblical. Most songs from these groups contain no real error. He does point to a few exceptions. One is a Hillsong song whose second verse, he argues, most naturally reads as affirming a form of theistic evolution, which he could not sing. He also finds the word “reckless” unsuitable for describing God’s love, though he understands why some Christians cannot sing it.

When the elders have approved the music, he suggests that members usually submit to their leaders’ choices, since following leaders involves setting aside personal preferences. He reminds readers that no church is perfect, and that Christians who keep searching for one tend to miss the blessing of settling into an imperfect congregation and bearing its weaknesses with patience.

If a song contains genuine error, he advises quietly stopping, without making a scene. Afterward, a member should speak humbly with the pastors, using Scripture, explain how the songs affect their worship, and perhaps suggest alternatives. If the pastors remain unmoved, he says the member may face a hard choice about whether to stay. He generally does not recommend staying in a church whose songs one regularly cannot sing, but in a sound church where the songs contain no actual error, he encourages members to sing and to thank God for the church’s strengths.

Source: Read the original report