Frequently Asked Questions about the music at Grace:

What kinds of songs do you sing?
Since Grace is a multi-generational fellowship, we include a variety of songs in our worship set. That means you will hear hymns like “Amazing Grace” and “How Great Thou Art” as well as contemporary songs such as Matt Redman’s “10,000 Reasons” and Keith Getty’s “In Christ Alone.”

Do you sing the same songs at both services?
Yes, we have purposely decided to not create distinct traditional and contemporary services out of a concern for maintaining the unity of the fellowship. We realize that everyone has a musical preference, like everyone has a food preference; some choose hot and spicy, others are meat and potatoes types, etc. But unless you take your family to the food court at the mall, each person will not get exactly what they prefer every time. However, there is usually something on the menu they can accept, and maybe even enjoy. So our song service offers a blend of musical styles that will be palatable for most of our members. And to push the food metaphor to its limit, we'll be the first to admit we have served up a song that nobody cared for and that has been taken off the menu...forever.

What kind of instruments do you use at Grace?
Our team of vocalists is accompanied by piano, keyboard, acoustic and bass guitars, violin, and drums.

How do you choose the songs for the worship time?
Believe it or not, the songs we sing at Grace are not just the worship leader's "favorites." They are chosen prayerfully and carefully, with the goal of bringing the individual members of the congregation from a world of cares and chaos into the presence of God. Our decisions are guided by the following criteria.

1. On the basis of Lyrics that...
a. are Biblical
b. are God-centered – not what I think of God, but what God says about Himself
c. reflect a common experience (in the case of testimony songs)
d. address the issue of rhyme – don’t sacrifice meaning for rhyme but rhyme can be a significant
memory tool.
e. address the issue of repetitiveness. Biblical poetry is structured around restatement of thought
and progression of thought but rarely restatement of specific words. However, repeating
thoughts can be as numbing as repeating words.

2. On the basis of Music that...
a. supports the lyrics
- with the emphasis on the right syllable
- where the style of the music matches the message of the lyrics
b. is singable by the average congregant
- by following a consistent meter
- by staying within a one octave vocal range of the average singer (ideally, “C to shining C”)
- by being built on distinct musical patterns
- by addressing the issue of syncopation and its impact on corporate singing

3. On the basis of its appropriate-ness
a. To the season
b. To the occasion
c. To the overall movement of the service

In the final analysis, it is not how well the worship team sang or played (performance), but how well the congregation vocalized together (participation) in their worship of God Almighty.