At the Decker Prairie church, it sounds like a room full of ordinary people singing together, in parts, with nothing behind them. No piano, no guitars, no band. Someone up front gives out the first note, the whole room comes in on the first word, and from there the melody and the parts around it move together. Visitors are often surprised at how much they enjoy a cappella singing.
If instruments have always led the singing where you have been, the first few seconds can feel bare. Then the parts fill in, and it stops sounding like anything is missing.
First, What “A Cappella” Means
The Italian phrase means “in the style of the chapel.” Until the 13th century AD church music did not typically have instrumental accompaniment. There is no historical record of any instruments used in church worship until the 8th century AD. At that point it was only introduced in a few isolated situations, and was soundly rejected. It did not become a common practice until the 13th century AD. We use no instrument because singing is what the New Testament discusses. Church history also demonstrates that instruments were not part of Christian worship for over 700 years after the time of the Apostles. “In the style of the chapel,” or a cappella, means voices only, because that’s the style of music found in chapels. The term itself points to how church worship was done for hundreds of years.
What You Will Actually Hear From Your Seat
Four parts, usually. The melody sits in the middle, other voices run above and below it, and the harmony is easy to find once your ear goes looking for it. A small congregation might give you thirty voices, a large one a few hundred. Wherever you sit, the singing surrounds you instead of arriving from up front.
You will hear the words plainly, too. Since nothing covers the voices, the lines come through clearly, and most people find they can follow what a song means the first time they hear it. You will find songbooks in some congregations, screens in others, and both in a good many.
Polish is not what you will hear. Some voices are strong and some are not. Nobody auditions. This is a congregation singing together, not a performance, and the rough spots quit registering after a few minutes.
Start With What Paul Told the Ephesians
We sing this way because it is what we find in the New Testament, and we would rather not add to it. Paul describes worship where the singing goes up to God and teaches the people in the room at the same time: “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” ().
Then Read What He Wrote to the Colossians
Same picture, another letter: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” ().
Notice two things in those verses. The singing is directed to God, and it is aimed at each other as well, which is a good part of why everyone here sings instead of sitting back and listening. It is one of the plainest ways an ordinary week feels like belonging to a family.
Look at Who Hebrews Pictures Singing, and What Paul Says About the Mind
In Hebrews it is Christ Himself who says it: “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise” (). Nobody here treats the singing as a warm-up for the real thing. It is worship.
The mind belongs in it too, not only the mouth, which is what Paul told the Corinthians: “I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also” (). Our singing is primarily about focusing on the words being spoken.
What Is Expected of You
Nothing. Join in on every song, hum through them, read along under your breath, or simply sit and listen. No one is keeping an eye on your mouth, and a songbook in your hands is not a request for a performance.
Being unable to carry a tune puts you in good company here. Plenty of us cannot either. No one is grading the singing, and it was never a talent show.
We can only speak for Decker Prairie. What we have described is generally what you will find among many churches of Christ, though not every church using that name does it exactly the same way.
Keep Studying
Start your reading with the passages above if the singing is what caught your attention first, because they have more to say about Christian worship than most people expect. Take them in context, go slowly, and carry your questions with you. There is no clock on how long you can simply come and listen.
Come Hear It for Yourself
A busy life can still feel hollow, and a lot of us have found that our days started to count for something when we began serving God and each other instead of ourselves. At the Decker Prairie church of Christ, the singing is part of that, and you are welcome to join us with no pressure and no pretense.
Plan your visit, and you’ll be right at home.
Want to know what the Bible says about being saved? Start here.
When we meet:
- Sunday: Worship 10:00 am · Bible Class 5:00 pm
- Wednesday: Bible Class 7:30 pm
