Why Does Worship Music Matter In 2022

In 2019, nobody had any idea what was around the corner. In March, 2020 our world changed overnight as we faced a pandemic and global shutdown. There was so much fear surrounding us. On top of the fear over the COVID-19 pandemic, our nation faced tremendous racial tension and tragedy, and a bitter election race that divided us even further. Yet in 2015, a song emerged from a church in Nigeria that the entire world would sing exactly when we needed it. Shout out to David A. Dein for being the first person to text me with “this song is the next one” in early 2017. The song had a simple purpose: remind us of the truth about who God is for us in the middle of our trouble. In 2019, “Way Maker” started it’s journey to radio and was the right song at the exact right time FOR THE WORLD. I believe moments like this are prophetic and that we would benefit from being both mindful and curious about this as we promote music and chose which music is played on the radio.

Consider this: “Great Are You Lord” was written to get people out of their seats in celebration and awe of who God is. Writer and producer, Jason Ingram, said he wanted to write a song that people could easily sing and couldn’t help but get loud when they heard it or sang it. When the bridge comes in and says, “And all the earth will shout Your praise. Our hearts will cry, these bones will say. Great are You, Lord” AFTER we just sang “You give life. You are love. You bring light to the darkness. You give hope. You restore every heart that is broken”, you can’t help yourself. You have to sing. And if you don’t follow Jesus or attend church (many radio stations I talk to each week say that half their audience doesn’t go to church), knowing who He actually is can change everything for you.

“O Come To The Altar” was written FOR Elevation Church. They wanted to have a soundtrack for people who came forward on Sunday and surrendered their life to Jesus. That was the purpose of that song. It’s a simple song that merely shares the reality of the gospel for us. Are you weary? Overwhelmed of the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling. Have you come to the end of yourself? My gosh. How many time have I needed to come to the end of myself? Literally a dozen times this week alone. This simple song written from a place of purity for a church in Charlotte has gone all over the world and I guarantee that you have at least a few emails or DMs from someone who heard it on your radio station and responded to the call of Jesus as a result of it.

I could write about dozens and dozens more songs that came from a beautiful and pure place that make much of Jesus. Songs that boldly declare the hope we have because of the finished work of the cross and His resurrection. These are songs that millions of people listen to every week or sing in church every week because they desperately need to remember.

Yet, worship music seems to be the most-difficult music to get played on the radio in 2022. On Mediabase Christian Audience, there are only 3 songs in the top 30 on the chart that also appear in the top 100 on Planning Center (real-time church usage chart that gathers data from more than 40,000+ churches each week). In music meetings and subsequent promotion calls, worship music is often met with comments from programmers like “it’s boring”, “I don’t get it”, “it doesn’t sound like radio”, “I see how it works for church but radio is background”, “it kills our momentum”, “it’s too insider”, “the songs are too long”, and so on.

The public behavior around music suggests this is the Christian music of our time…especially for people younger than 40-years-old. Elevation Worship is one of many examples I can reference. They have nearly 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone and 79% of them are under the age of 44-years-old (60% female). According to the latest Top 100 weekly consumption chart in Nielsen Music Connect, 52 of the top 100 most-consumed songs in the US (Christian genre) are worship songs…as in, songs we sing at church.

Worship music is important to people committed to following Jesus and can boldly share the gospel with folks sampling your radio station who may not know or follow Him. It might be more important for your ministry than you realize.

I asked a few programmers I have a great deal of respect for this question: Why does worship music hit people different in 2022?

Taylor Hohulin at Life 107.1 in Des Moines, IA said, “We try to worship a lot of things, whether it’s money, politicians, faith leaders, or our own comfort. We’ve seen that none of those are strong enough to hold the weight of our worship. This is music that praises God for his identity rather than the situations he places us in. That’s something that won’t crumble.”

Hailey Reid at 104.9 The River in Columbus, OH says, “People are DESPERATE to feel close to God. Worship music creates an environment where that is possible.”

Matt Deane at KTIS in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN says, “I think worship music hits different right now because we need it. We need something to pull us out all that we see around us and reminds us of the hope that can be found in God alone. The last few years have been really hard for all of us. A worship song may not solve the problem(s), but it will remind us of where our help comes from.”

Why does my good friend and artist, Erik Nieder lead worship? “I am a firm believer that the power of a melody, coupled with the truth of the Gospel, is a force that can be used to change the world. To be honest, it's not the music that excites me the most. I love the music, but what fuels my soul is the relationship that the music brings. And more importantly, the purpose behind the songs that we sing.”

I believe Christian radio is uniquely positioned to boldly share the gospel with more people than ever before. I also believe we are in need of some revival and reformation…not because I want more worship songs to run up the charts but because I believe a lot fo these songs carry the truth in a very easy to sing, memorable way. They speak boldly about God and what He’s done for us through Jesus. Additionally, the power of a song is that often, we can sing what we are currently struggling to believe and over time, that thing we’re doubting (God’s goodness, His love for me, His faithfulness, His provision, etc.) eventually becomes that thing we believe. When we sing what is true of God in the midst of great trouble, which we’re all guaranteed, we can more easily find hope and remember what He’s done for us and who He is for us.

In future writings, I’ll explore the data surrounding worship music and hope to peak your curiosity about why this music connects so deeply with people. I also seek to share how we can interpret the glut of information that’s available to us right now. For today, I want to challenge you to be curious about why we need worship music both on Sunday and on the radio. Perhaps, approach your next music meeting with an open heart to what the Lord might be laying before you and your audience. Perhaps it’s a song that prepares us for something that’s yet to come…just like Way Maker did in 2022