Why do we sing in church?
Since the earliest days of the Christian movement, churches all over the world have made singing a priority in their gatherings. Why do we do that? Is it to "warm up" for the message? Are we trying to spice up the service for the unchurched? Is it just because some of us are more "emotional?"
It turns out, that singing goes a lot deeper than that.
When you start reading the Bible, it won't take long for you to notice something strange about God's people. We sing. A lot! In fact, 400 passages reference singing in the Bible, 50 of them are direct commands. It's no surprise that there are almost 200 songs in the Bible and that in the moments leading up to Jesus' crucifixion, Jesus made sure His disciples sang together. There's a deep pattern hidden in our singing that goes all the back to the very beginning. God saves, we sing. It's what we do.
Little did we know that there's a lot of science to back up this tradition. Here are a few science-based facts for you to keep in mind next time you're tempted to opt out of the singing part of your next church service.
1. Singing together is really good for us.
There are mountains of data suggesting that singing isn't just a nice idea, it's medicine.
When we sing, our brains release oxytocin and lower cortisol, replacing anxiety, depression and loneliness with calm, delight and belonging. While many of the benefits of singing together are universal, there's a growing body of evidence that suggests women and men experience particular advantages. Women more often report higher levels of well-being, while men more often report deeper levels of conviction and transformation.
2. Singing together is soul-shaping.
Singing isn't just making noise, it's also listening.
Your auditory environment affects you in ways you probably don't realize. Amazingly, not only does your auditory-processing system gather more information than any of your other senses, but also it never turns off...not even while you're sleeping! What does that mean? Think about a week filled with the sounds of stressed-out conversations, bickering family members, buzzing alarms and wailing sirens. What do you think that does to your soul? When you sing with other believers, you are infusing the praise of God into the soundtrack of your life. That, in turn profoundly shapes your inner world as you go about your week.
3. Singing together is learning.
Can we be honest for a second? Sometimes church is boring. There. I said it.
Why is that? While theology (the study of God) is crucial, it can also feel abstract, and abstract ideas tend to put your brain to sleep. So then, why is it so much easier to sing theology than to just passively hear it talked about? Why is it so much more engaging to sing "I'm the branch and you are the vine" than to listen to a lecture on John 15? It turns out that singing is not just "fun," it's actually a powerful way to learn deep truths about God! Not only does singing make theology easier to learn, it also makes it easier to remember. Have you ever been surprised about how you sometimes walk into a room and forget why you came in, but you can instantly recall every lyric of a song you learned 30 years ago? Even when some dementia patients forget names and faces, they can still easily recall their favorite songs. That's the power of singing.
4. Singing is uniting.
If you care about the unity of believers in the midst of a crazy, polarizing election cycle, you should care about singing. Did you know that when large groups of people sing together, it literally synchronizes their heartbeats? Studies also show that when mothers sing to their babies, their brains' activity begins to mirror one another. When Paul commanded believers to sing Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, he was teaching them how to remain steadfastly united in the face of evil forces that wanted to divide them.
So whether you sound like Michael Bolton or Michael Scott, next time you gather with your fellow believers, make it a priority to sing!
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