Congregational Singing as Pastoral Work
Pastoral Reflections on BCO 51
When modern Christians talk about “worship,” it’s easy to slip into the modern habit of meaning “the music part.” But the PCA’s Book of Church Order does not let us do that. In the Directory for Worship, music is not the warm-up before the “real stuff.” Congregational song is itself a substantive act of public worship.
BCO 51 addresses the place, purpose, and governance of congregational singing in public worship. It builds naturally on the principles of worship (BCO 47), the ordering of worship (BCO 49), and the public reading of Scripture (BCO 50).
Below I want to walk through the chapter section by section, drawing out the worship and pastoral concerns that are front and center here.
51-1 — Singing is a duty and a privilege (and it belongs in worship)
Praising God through the medium of music is a duty and a privilege. Therefore, the singing of hymns and psalms and the use of musical instruments should have an important part in public worship.
The chapter begins not with style, taste, or preference, but with theology. It calls congregational singing both a duty and a privilege.
Calling singing a duty resists consumerism. It pushes back against the posture that says, “I’ll sing if I like the song,” or “I’ll sing if the mood strikes.” No. Praising God in song is part of what the church owes to God—and part of what God commands his people to do together.
Calling singing a privilege resists legalism and joyless formality. Our duty is not a cold burden. God gives his people the glad honor of praising him with their voices.
The sentence that follows also matters: “Therefore … should have an important part in public worship.” Music is not a filler between “real elements.” It is an element. An act of praise offered to God.
This is where a basic clarification helps: when we say “worship” we mean everything that is happening in corporate worship (and even in private worship)—Word, prayer, sacraments, praise, confession, benediction, and so on. Music is a part of worship, not “the worship” as though the rest were something else. That may seem semantic, but it shapes how a congregation thinks. If people are trained to speak as if worship equals music, then Scripture reading, prayer, and preaching will subtly become “the things between the worship.”
The section also affirms the use of musical instruments, but without making instruments the center of gravity. The subject is not performance. The subject is the church singing praise to God. The congregation’s voice is primary, and everything else is servant to that end.
Finally, there is a gentle firmness here that is easy to miss: the Directory does not over-specify forms, but it does place congregational song under the same basic commitment that governs all worship. Singing is part of what God has appointed his church to do. It is not a playground for novelty; it is not a stage for personal expression; it is not a consumer product.
51-2 — Sing with worshipful spirit and with understanding
In singing the praises of God, we are to sing in the spirit of worship, with understanding in our hearts.
Here the Directory gives two instructions: spirit of worship and understanding in our hearts.
Singing “in the spirit of worship”
This is a pastoral warning against two opposite dangers.
On the one hand, it warns against empty formalism—the kind of singing where the mouth moves, the words are familiar, but the heart is disengaged. We can sing true things in a dead way.
On the other hand, it also warns against emotional manipulation—the kind of singing where the goal becomes “create a feeling,” regardless of truth, regardless of intelligibility, regardless of reverence. In public worship, we are not trying to manufacture moods. We are offering worship to the living God.
BCO 51-2 pushes us toward a sane, biblical center: worship that is heartfelt without being engineered; reverent without being cold.
Singing “with understanding”
The Directory also insists on understanding. That harmonizes with the biblical emphasis on worship that engages both heart and mind.
Psalm 47:7: “For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!” (often rendered with the sense of singing “with understanding”)
John 4:23–24: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Understanding implies at least three things.
Intelligible words. If the congregation can’t understand what it is saying, the congregation can’t truly sing “with understanding.”
Accessible language. Sometimes the issue is not the language of the service (English vs. something else), but the vocabulary within English. Many hymn texts are worth keeping even when they require a little teaching—but teaching may be required.
Doctrinal clarity. We cannot sing “with understanding” if what we sing is muddled or misleading.
This is one reason it can be pastorally wise, at times, to explain a phrase before singing. There are lines and words that need a quick sentence of clarification if we want the congregation to sing them with understanding. (“Hoary hairs” is a classic example: people will sing it, but many won’t know what they just said.)
This section also applies pressure to decisions that we sometimes treat as merely “musical.” For example:
musical style and tempo (can the congregation actually sing it meaningfully?),
lyrical density (how much are we trying to say at once?),
length (sometimes you don’t need to sing seventeen verses of something).
The question for officers is not “Do I like this?” but “Can the congregation sing this as worship, in spirit and in truth, with understanding?”
51-3 — Sing psalms; choose hymns with caution; keep worship unified
It is recommended that Psalms be sung along with the hymns of the Church, but that caution be observed in the selection of hymns, that they be true to the Word. Hymns should have the note of praise, or be in accord with the spirit of the sermon.
Several pieces here deserve attention.
“It is recommended that Psalms be sung”
The word recommended is significant. It communicates a principled encouragement without turning it into a bind-the-conscience rule. But don’t miss the emphasis: psalm singing is not an optional eccentricity; it is something the Directory wants for our churches.
In practice, psalmody can be challenging depending on a congregation’s resources. Many churches sing from a single hymnal (like the Trinity Hymnal), which makes it harder to have a regular diet of psalms unless you intentionally pursue it.
But there are ways forward even in those constraints. In fact, there are more psalms present in the Trinity Hymnal than many realize—sometimes not labeled as “Psalm ___,” but clearly based on or paraphrasing the Psalms. I’ve benefited from a document put together by a friend that categorizes which selections in the Trinity Hymnal are psalms (and where they can be found). Even if you are “Trinity Hymnal only,” there are still practical ways to sing the Psalms.
“Caution be observed” in selecting hymns
The caution is explicitly about hymns, not psalms, for an obvious reason: the Psalms do not need to be screened for doctrinal faithfulness. Hymns do.
The Directory is reminding us that hymns are not neutral. They lodge in the mind more easily than many other forms of instruction. Most believers can quote whole stanzas of hymns they have sung for years, while struggling to recall a line from a sermon preached three weeks ago. That’s not a knock on preaching. It’s simply an acknowledgment of how God has made us.
Because hymnody teaches, the church must choose with caution.
Unity in worship: praise and the sermon’s spirit
Finally, 51-3 gives a principle of worship unity: hymns “should have the note of praise, or be in accord with the spirit of the sermon.”
That last phrase does not require a perfectly curated thematic package every week. In real pastoral ministry, bulletins get printed and sermons develop as the week unfolds.
But the Directory is giving us a great principle: worship is not a variety show. We should not choose music randomly, as though the service were a playlist. There should be an internal coherence to what we are doing: we gather before God, confess faith, confess sin, hear the Word, respond in praise, and depart with blessing. Song selection should serve that movement.
51-4 — The Session oversees music; character matters; choirs must not displace the congregation
The leadership in song is left to the judgment of the Session, who should give careful thought to the character of those asked to lead in this part of worship, and the singing of a choir should not be allowed to displace congregational singing.
This may be the most plainly “Presbyterian” sentence in the chapter, and it is also one of the most pastorally important.
The Session has responsibility
The Directory explicitly names the Session as the body charged with oversight of singing leadership. This is not left to staff, musicians, or “whoever is talented.” The Session judges who leads and how.
That does not mean elders must be musical experts. It does mean elders must take responsibility. And it can be wise—and sometimes necessary—for elders to seek help if the Session lacks musical knowledge. But the responsibility remains with the Session.
This is consistent with the broader pattern of the BCO. (BCO 12 identifies the Session as responsible to order the worship of the congregation according to Scripture and the Directory.) The Directory assumes that worship, including music, is shepherded.
Character matters, not only competence
The Directory is also explicit: leadership in song is not merely technical. Character matters. Why? Because leaders shape how people worship.
Putting someone up front communicates something, whether we intend it to or not. If the church is taught to watch and admire, then congregational worship becomes spectator worship. If the church is taught to sing as the body, then leaders will serve that end with humility, reverence, and clarity.
Choirs can serve, but must not displace congregational singing
The Directory doesn’t forbid choirs. But it forbids the choir from becoming a substitute for the congregation.
That line is essential, especially in a world where music easily becomes performance. The congregation is the primary choir in Reformed worship. The singing in worship is not fundamentally something done for the people, but something done by the people.
However choirs may be used, the congregation must not be turned into an audience.
51-5 — Pastoral judgment about time and proportion (and the duty to encourage congregational singing)
The proportion of the time of public worship given to praise is left to the judgment of the minister, and the singing of psalms and hymns by the congregation should be encouraged.
Here the Directory reflects confidence in pastoral judgment. It rejects a one-size-fits-all approach.
There is a real need for discernment about how much singing is wise and fitting. Too little, and we fail to give due place to praise. Too much, and congregational singing can become exhausting—especially if it becomes a prolonged “set” rather than integrated worship.
But don’t miss the second clause: congregational singing “should be encouraged.” That implies active pastoral leadership, not passive permission. Pastors should cultivate the congregation’s singing. This includes simple, practical things:
selecting singable tunes,
choosing words that can be understood,
teaching unfamiliar terms when needed,
not introducing new music constantly,
repeating a new song enough for it to become the congregation’s song.
In earlier ministry contexts, I planned worship elements for an entire year at a time—one spreadsheet, fifty-two weeks. And when introducing something new, I made a point to sing it more than once early on so people could learn it and actually carry it. If a new piece appears one week and disappears for six months, it never becomes congregational. If it returns soon and is sung with intention, it can actually be learned and loved.
And that’s part of the pastoral dimension of song: we are not curating novelty; we are building a shared vocabulary of praise.
Why this chapter matters
BCO 51 is not merely an administrative guideline. It is a chapter about obedience, joy, and pastoral care.
1) Scripture commands God’s people to sing
One reason this chapter matters is simple: God commands it.
Psalm 95:1–2: “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”
The Psalms are full of calls to sing, praise, shout, bless, and extol the Lord.
And it is worth saying plainly: if you don’t like singing in worship, that is not a personality quirk to baptize. “Make a joyful noise” is a comfort to the tone-deaf, but it is not permission to disengage. It doesn’t have to be in tune, but it does need to be joyful, and it does need to be offered as worship.
2) Music in worship is pastoral work
The second reason is that music shapes people.
What we sing shapes what we believe. It shapes our affections. It shapes congregational identity. Over time, churches develop a repertoire. And those songs show up later in life: at bedsides, in grief, at funerals, in seasons of fear, and in seasons of joy.
That is why elders and pastors must take congregational singing seriously. They are keeping watch over souls (Hebrews 13:17), and one part of that watchfulness is guarding and cultivating the church’s sung theology and sung piety.
How a congregation sings is part of how it is shepherded.
A final pastoral encouragement
BCO 51 gives us a remarkably balanced vision:
Singing is worship, not filler.
Singing is duty and privilege, not consumer choice.
Singing must be in spirit and with understanding, not empty and not manipulative.
Singing must be true to the Word, because hymns teach.
Singing must be shepherded, because it shapes the church.
And the congregation must remain the central actor: the choir must not displace the people.
If you are a pastor or elder, this chapter is a call to treat congregational singing as part of your pastoral labor. Give it attention. Plan it. Guard it. Encourage it. And don’t be afraid of the slow, steady work of building a church that sings to the glory of God.