Hymns vs. praise songs

[Patrick]

In this thread, let's discuss which you prefer to hear in worship service, hymns or praise songs. Also, share your favorite hymn and/or praise song with us.

[Patrick]

I tend to like both hymns and praise songs, although my church has abandoned hymns n recent years. Hymns contain a lot of theology that you simply can't get from a praise chorus. But, at the same time, I feel there's more emotion in a praise chorus and a greater freedom to praise God....hymns are simply stale.

[PUGalicious]

I like both. I tend to like contemporary praise & worship songs more, but there are some artists that have combined the two and that's like the best of both worlds.

Any praise/worship song by Michael W. Smith or Hillsong Australia I love.

[mranderson]

Give me good ole' Southern Gospel quartets anytime. I also like the traditional hymns as sung by the late Tennessee Ernie Ford and the current Andy Griffith... Yes, Andy of Mayberry. What a voice.

I can listen to that type music 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

[ibda12u]

I like them both, I play in my church praise and worship band, but I tend to love the newer praise songs we play, as well as write. I think we're blessed with a outstanding worship minister, who does a great job of knowing how to put together hymns and news songs, at just the right time, to really allow people to worship.

[Karried]

Praise Songs always enabled me to communicate what I was feeling in church.... I have many that I love but this is my favorite, when our worship team sang it - I had goosebumps everytime.

Shout to the Lord

My Jesus, my Saviour
Lord there is none like You
All of my days I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love

My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You

Shout to the Lord All the Earth,
let us sing Power and majesty
Praise to the King
Mountains bow down
And the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work
Of Your hand Forever
I'll love You
Forever I'll stand
Nothing compares
To the promise
I have In You

[PUGalicious]

That's one of my favorites as well. I love to hear Darlene of Hillsong sing it.

[mranderson]

I love Southern Gospel so much that it is in my will that when I die, my funeral is to be a Southern Gospel concert with a Dixieland band. My final gift to friends and family.

[Keith]

Praise Songs always enabled me to communicate what I was feeling in church.... I have many that I love but this is my favorite, when our worship team sang it - I had goosebumps everytime.

Shout to the Lord

My Jesus, my Saviour
Lord there is none like You
All of my days I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love

My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You

Shout to the Lord All the Earth,
let us sing Power and majesty
Praise to the King
Mountains bow down
And the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work
Of Your hand Forever
I'll love You
Forever I'll stand
Nothing compares
To the promise
I have In You

I love that song, Karrie. I like both praise songs and hymns, however, since I have been working with our youth (the last 6 years), then I have experienced more praise music than hymns. Hymns like "Victory in Jesus," "The Old Rugged Cross," "Saved, Saved," "He Lives," and "When the Roll is called up Yonder."

Then there are the praise songs that the youth like to sing.

"Amazing love, how can it be,
that you my King would die for me,
Amazing love, I know it's true,
and it's my joy to honor you, in all I do, I worship you."

"I could sing of your love forever"

"Our God is an awesome God, he reigns from heaven above, with wisdom, power, and love, our God is an awesome God."

"Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that you're my Lord, you're altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me."


Our former music minister was more of a hymn person, whereas, our interim music minister does a lot of praise songs. Personally, I could sing praise songs all day long. The "older" people love to do all the hymns, and the younger ones like praise songs, so I am still young.

Of course, either one is great, just as long as you are singing for the Lord and worshipping him at the same time.

[PUGalicious]

More good songs, Keith. I love all of them that you mentioned.

[karlanee]

I love praise and worship music. I grew up singing hymns mostly so occasionally I like them, but I'm mostly a praise and worship person.

My favorites are also Hillsongs (by the way Darlene and the Hillsongs team along with their pastor Bryan Houston (he will speak) will be in OKC at Ford Center Oct. 13-15 leading worship for the Joyce Meyer conference, if anyone is interested, it's free to all).

I also really like the worship of Terry MacAlmon (http://www.terrymacalmon.com) out of Colorado Springs. I love Dennis Jernigan from the Muskogee area (http://www.dennisjernigan.com).

I'm not sure what my favorite song is - I'll have to think on that and post it later.

[Patrick]

Some of my Favorites:

"We Fall Down"

"Knowing You"

"The Potter's Hand"

"Better is One Day"

"God Will Make A Way"

[Karried]

I also love 4 Him ... this song has gotten me through many a tough time...

WHERE THERE IS FAITH

I believe in faithfulness
I believe in giving of myself for someone else
I believe in peace and love
I believe in honesty and trust but it's not enough
For all that I believe may never change the way it is
Unless I believe Jesus lives

CHORUS
Where there is faith
There is a voice calling, keep walking
You're not alone in this world
Where there is faith
There is a peace like a child sleeping
Hope everlasting in He who is able to
Bear every burden, to heal every hurt in my heart
It is a wonderful, powerful place
Where there is faith

There's a man across the sea
Never heard the sound of freedom ring
Only in his dreams
There's a lady dressed in black
In a motorcade of cadillacs
Daddys not coming back
Our hearts begin to fall
And our stability grows weak
But Jesus meets our needs if only we believe

[gbyte]

It all depends. There are some of both I like very much but I think the problem with a majority of the hymns that are sung in most churches are that they always choose a set from the same 20-30 which means some congregations never really sing the ones I really enjoy or there are some congregations where the song leaders tend to stick to the incredibly old hymns which for the most part do not seem as upbeat as most of the praise songs.

There was a group named "Acapella" and when they first started I really liked their acapella songs (some original some remakes) but I do not like the new ones as much. If I had a preference I would probably say I enjoy singing songs that have more of a temp and upbeat feel such as their original few albums (that and their bass lines are usually not as boring as most other songs to sing, heh)

[mranderson]

It all depends. There are some of both I like very much but I think the problem with a majority of the hymns that are sung in most churches are that they always choose a set from the same 20-30 which means some congregations never really sing the ones I really enjoy or there are some congregations where the song leaders tend to stick to the incredibly old hymns which for the most part do not seem as upbeat as most of the praise songs.

There was a group named "Acapella" and when they first started I really liked their acapella songs (some original some remakes) but I do not like the new ones as much. If I had a preference I would probably say I enjoy singing songs that have more of a temp and upbeat feel such as their original few albums (that and their bass lines are usually not as boring as most other songs to sing, heh)

I would be willing to bet if you surveyed all the people with whom you go to church, you would find out if the church sings mostly traditional hymns, the majority of the congregation prefers them. If the type music is a major concern for you, it may take a more liberal thinking church.

Personally, I like the traditonal hymns. They have more meaning.

[ColumbiaCowboy]

I have nothing against Praise songs. Some are really great. But I really hate seeing churches where these are taking over in place of our traditional hymns. We've left a church that had a lot of great things about it because we couldn't both go to Sunday School and go to a service that wasn't "contemporary" with drums and "casual dress" and a bunch of stuff I feel very uncomfortable with in church. I want my kids to learn the hymns, the traditions of our family and generations before. There's a time and a place to "rock out," but church isn't it. I know there are a lot of older people who simply cannot stand the drums and electric guitars and we've forgotten them in a desire to bring in young people instead. There needs to be respect for the needs of BOTH.

On short notice, "Blessed Assurance" or "He Lives!" would be favorite hymns, I have dozens I just love, and collect old hymnals I find in flea markets and used book stores, out of fear these great old songs will die out in favor of rock and roll church everywhere.