BIG DAY – What Type of Music Is Meaningful: Silly Or Serious? | Ryan Rench

I am a C-hicken

I am a C-hicken.

I am a C-hicken H-icken.

I am a C-hicken H-icken R-icken – I – S-icken T-icken – I – A – N-icken.

Weird. I know. Blame the Indiana churches where my wife grew up. They sing weird, non-spiritual songs like, “I Am a C” with a twist.

And we have transported the crazy songs to the west coast.

One tradition we have at our Preaching Rally is to test our guests’ ability to sing “I Am a C” by singing the vowels normally, but adding “icken” to the end of each consonant.

It turns out about like you would expect. Mayhem. Confusion. How unbiblical. How fun!

Fun songs fit a service like the Preaching Rally. I do not typically recommend silly, fun songs for a church worship service because Sunday services are meant primarily for worshiping God and not entertaining the attendee. But the Preaching Rally is not a worship service, so we love the fun, crazy songs mixed into the day. We sing upbeat Scripture songs, and traditional choruses like “Isn’t He Wonderful,” and “This is the Day.” These songs get the teens singing out, clapping, and enjoying the day.

Other songs are more serious, and might set the mood for the preaching. For example, we will sometimes sing a reflective song like, “I’ll Say Yes, Lord, Yes” just before the preaching, or learn a slower Scripture song on the theme verse.

Special Singing Groups

I try to work with our young people to do the special music before each preaching time. We have had various groups including our young adults choir, a men’s trio, a ladies ensemble, a mixed trio and more variations of special groups. I like giving our teens a chance to serve in the meeting, and they enjoy singing in a new setting like the Preaching Rally.

Our special music usually coincides with the theme (I’ll admit… sometimes it’s a stretch!), which makes the impact of the day that much greater. Even if it is not a perfect fit, our songs promote godly principles and attitudes that a Christian ought to have. We choose simple songs that the young people can learn well, and sing from memory, rehearsing for several weeks on Sunday nights after church.
Without music–the silly AND the serious–our Preaching Rally would not be the same. Sure, the focus of the day is on the preaching of God’s Word, but the music serves the theme and enhances the message, deepening the impact of the event.