Cultural Studies: The Story of Contemporary Worship
Exploring the history, music, movements, and culture that shaped modern worship.
During A Term, August 10-October 3, students will explore the story of contemporary worship through Scripture, listening examples, and historical moments. Each week connects the development of worship music with the student’s own role as a developing musician.
Course Objectives
Discover how worship music has developed across generations.
Learn about important movements that shaped contemporary worship.
Understand the development of the modern worship band.
Explore how technology influenced worship music.
Connect worship culture with Scripture.
Recognize how students today participate in the continuing story of worship music.
-
Scripture Reading
Romans 12:2Cultural Study
Worship is rooted in Scripture, but every generation expresses worship within a culture. The songs people sing, the instruments they use, the way music is arranged, and the technology surrounding worship can change over time.Sometimes the clearest way to understand this is to hear the same worship song expressed in different generations.
Listen & Compare
“Amazing Grace” — Traditional Hymn
Listen Here <======
Listen for the melody, lyrics, instrumentation, tempo, and overall style.“Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)” — Chris Tomlin
Listen Here <======
Listen for what remains familiar and what sounds more contemporary.Think About It
Do you hear the same song in both versions?
What sounds different?
Which version sounds older? Which sounds newer?
What stayed the same?
Journal Response
What stayed the same, and what changed between the two versions of “Amazing Grace”?
Big Idea
Worship remains centered on God, while the musical language surrounding worship can change across generations and cultures. -
Scripture Reading
Colossians 3:16
“...singing to God with gratitude in your hearts through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.”
Cultural Study
Christians have sung hymns since the early Church. During the 1700s, congregational hymn singing grew significantly through writers such as Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley. Watts published Hymns and Spiritual Songs in 1707, and Wesley’s hymns became central to Methodist worship during the eighteenth century.¹
These hymns became an important part of Protestant worship and helped shape the worship music that followed.
As culture and musical styles changed, the sound of worship also began to change.
By the late 1900s, guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards became increasingly common in church worship. In many churches, however, these instruments—especially drums and rock-influenced musical styles—were initially considered controversial or even inappropriate for worship.
The purpose of worship had not changed, but the musical language used to express worship was changing.
This transition helped shape what we now call contemporary worship music.
Listen & Compare
“How Great Thou Art” — Traditional Hymn
Listen for the melody, tempo, instrumentation, and overall style.
“How Great Thou Art” — Contemporary Worship Version
Listen for modern instruments, dynamics, arrangement, and anything that sounds different.
Think About It
What sounds traditional in the first version?
What sounds contemporary in the second version?
What stayed the same?
Which instruments help create the modern sound?
Did the message of the song change?
Why might a new generation present an older hymn in a newer musical style?
Journal Response
What changed musically between the two versions, and what remained the same?
Big Idea
Christians have sung hymns for centuries. As musical culture changed, churches began expressing the same faith through the musical language of new generations.
Footnotes
1. Isaac Watts, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, first published in 1707.
-
Scripture Reading
Psalm 96:1
“Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.”
Watch & Learn
The Jesus Movement and the Birth of Jesus Music
As you watch, notice:
Who were the Jesus People?
Why did their music sound different?
How did churches respond to them?
Cultural Study
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, many young people became followers of Jesus. They became known as the Jesus People.¹
These young Christians used the folk, rock, country, and gospel sounds of their generation to sing about Jesus. Guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards became part of what was called Jesus music.
Artists such as Larry Norman and Love Song helped lead the movement. In 1971, Maranatha! Music began recording and sharing this new music.² Jesus music helped prepare the way for Contemporary Christian Music and modern worship.
Listen & Discover
“Little Country Church” — Love Song (1972)
Listen for the guitars, drums, vocal harmonies, and relaxed musical style.
Think About It
What instruments do you hear?
How is this different from a traditional hymn?
Why might this music have connected with young people?
Did the musical style change the message about Jesus?
Journal Response
How did the Jesus Music Movement use a new musical sound to share the message of Jesus?
Big Idea
The message of Jesus remained the same, but a new generation expressed it through a new musical language.
Footnotes
Larry Eskridge, God’s Forever Family: The Jesus People Movement in America (Oxford University Press, 2013).
Maranatha! Music was founded in 1971 to share the music emerging from the Jesus Movement. Maranatha! Music History
-
Scripture Reading
Psalm 40:3
“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.”
Watch & Learn
Amy Grant’s Rise in Contemporary Christian Music
As you watch, notice:
How did Christian music begin reaching larger audiences?
What role did Amy Grant play?
Why did some Christians question the new sound?
Cultural Study
As Jesus music grew during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Christian record labels, radio stations, concerts, and music stores helped it reach a wider audience. This developing industry became known as Contemporary Christian Music, or CCM.
Artists such as Andraé Crouch, Keith Green, Amy Grant, and Michael W. Smith combined Christian messages with the popular musical styles of their time.
Amy Grant’s 1982 album Age to Age became an important milestone. Its success demonstrated that contemporary Christian music could reach a large audience.¹
Amy Grant Article
CCM was broader than worship music. It included songs for personal listening, testimony, encouragement, and evangelism. However, its growth helped contemporary musical styles become increasingly accepted within Christian culture.
Listen & Discover
“El Shaddai” — Amy Grant (1982)
Listen for the clear melody, contemporary production, and biblical names and images used throughout the song.
Think About It
How does this song differ from Jesus music in the 70’s
What makes it sound contemporary for its time?
What biblical ideas do you recognize?
Is this primarily a worship song, a listening song, or both?
Journal Response
How did Contemporary Christian Music help Christian artists share their faith with a wider audience?
Big Idea
Jesus music grew into the Contemporary Christian Music industry, allowing Christian messages to reach people beyond the local church.
Footnote
Amy Grant’s Age to Age became the first Christian album by a solo artist to be certified gold and later platinum. Tennessee Arts Commission
-
Week 5 — The Modern Worship Band
Scripture Reading
Psalm 33:3
“Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.”
Watch & Learn
The Story Behind “Shout to the Lord”
As you watch, notice how a personal song of worship became a song for the worldwide Church.
Cultural Study
During the 1980s and 1990s, contemporary music increasingly moved from Christian concerts and recordings into congregational worship.
Churches began using worship teams made up of vocalists, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and drums. Ministries such as Maranatha! Music, Vineyard Music, and Integrity Music helped churches discover and share new worship songs.¹
During the 1990s, ministries such as Hillsong and Passion helped develop the full modern worship-band sound. Their music used dynamics, repeated choruses, instrumental builds, and lyrics written for congregations to sing together.
The purpose of a worship band is not to perform for the congregation. The musicians work together to support the song and help the congregation worship.
Listen & Discover
“Shout to the Lord” — Hillsong Worship (1994)
Listen for how the instruments begin gently and build together as the song progresses.
Think About It
Which instruments do you hear?
How does the arrangement grow?
How do the musicians support the worship leader?
Does the band encourage the congregation to participate?
Journal Response
How can worship musicians play skillfully while still serving the congregation?
Big Idea
A modern worship band works as one musical team to support congregational singing and direct attention toward God.
Footnotes
Maranatha! Music, Vineyard Music, and Integrity Music helped distribute contemporary worship songs through church networks during the 1980s and 1990s. Worship Leader Research
“Shout to the Lord,” written by Darlene Zschech in 1993, appeared on Hillsong’s People Just Like Us in 1994. Hillsong
-
Scripture Reading
1 Corinthians 14:26
“Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.”
Watch & Listen
“How Great Is Our God” — Chris Tomlin (2004)
As you watch, notice:
The role of the acoustic guitar.
The simple, memorable melody.
The repeated chorus.
How the arrangement encourages the congregation to sing.
Cultural Study
Contemporary worship commonly uses singable melodies, repeated sections, simple chord progressions, and a verse–chorus–bridge structure.
During the 2000s, Chris Tomlin helped define a guitar-led, highly singable worship sound. Songs such as “Forever,” “Holy Is the Lord,” and “How Great Is Our God” used memorable melodies, repetition, and strong choruses that encouraged congregational participation.¹
As contemporary worship developed, keyboards and electric guitars created more sustained sounds and musical space. Bass and drums established the pulse, while instruments entered in layers to help arrangements grow.
Dynamics, repetition, and musical builds created a musical journey. These techniques should support the lyrics and help build up the church—not distract from worship.²
Listen & Compare
“What a Beautiful Name” — Hillsong Worship (2016)
Compare this song with “How Great Is Our God.”
What sounds similar between the two songs?
How did the worship-band sound change between 2004 and 2016?
Which instruments create musical space?
Which instruments create the musical build?
How do both songs use repetition?
What makes both songs singable for a congregation?
Journal Response
How can dynamics, repetition, and musical space help communicate the message of a worship song?
Big Idea
The sound of contemporary worship is created through singable melodies, musical space, layered instruments, repetition, and dynamics working together to serve the song and the congregation.
Footnotes
Chris Tomlin’s nationally released career began in 2001, and his songs became widely used in congregational worship during the 2000s. Chris Tomlin career overview
Monique M. Ingalls, Singing the Congregation: How Contemporary Worship Music Forms Evangelical Community(Oxford University Press, 2018). Publisher information
“What a Beautiful Name” was recorded live at Hillsong Conference in Sydney in 2016. Official Hillsong Worship video
-
Scripture Reading
1 Peter 4:10
“Use whatever gift you have received to serve others.”
Watch & Explore
Behind the Technology of a Modern Worship Service
Watch the Worship Technology Tour
You do not need to watch the entire video. Watch the first five minutes and notice the sound, lighting, video, and projection equipment.
Cultural Study
Technology has always influenced how churches worship. Printed hymnals allowed congregations to share songs, while microphones and sound systems later helped people hear worship leaders and musicians clearly.¹
Today, churches may use digital soundboards, projected lyrics, in-ear monitors, click tracks, lighting, cameras, and livestreaming. These tools help musicians play together, allow congregations to follow the lyrics, and make worship services available beyond the church building.
Production-team members also serve the congregation. They operate sound, lyrics, lighting, and video alongside the musicians.
Technology can support worship, but it can also become distracting. Its purpose should be to remove barriers and help people see, hear, and participate—not become the center of attention.
Think About It
What kinds of technology did you notice?
How do projected lyrics help a congregation?
How does the sound system support the musicians?
When could technology become distracting?
Journal Response
Choose one piece of worship technology. How can it be used to serve the congregation?
Big Idea
Technology is a tool. When used thoughtfully, it helps people hear, participate, and worship together.
Footnotes
Churches have adopted changing technologies throughout history, including scrolls, printing, electricity, organs, and electric guitars. Reformed Worship
Sound, projected lyrics, lighting, and video are common parts of modern worship production. Worship Ministry Training
-
Scripture Reading
Psalm 145:4
“One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.”
Cultural Study
Modern worship culture is shaped by both individual worship leaders and church-based worship teams.
Chris Tomlin helped popularize simple, singable songs for congregations. Phil Wickham brought a distinctive guitar-led and anthemic sound. Elevation Worship represents the modern worship-team model, combining songwriting, live recordings, technology, and collaboration.
Modern worship culture includes worship leaders, recording artists, and church-based worship teams.
Important individual voices include Chris Tomlin, Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, Brooke Ligertwood, Charity Gayle, Lauren Daigle, CeCe Winans, and Tasha Cobbs Leonard. These artists represent the connections between contemporary worship, contemporary Christian music, and gospel music.
Influential church-based teams and worship collectives include Elevation Worship, Hillsong Worship, Bethel Music, Passion, Maverick City Music, UPPERROOM, Housefires, Red Rocks Worship, SEU Worship, Elevation Rhythm,and Sons of Sunday.
Each artist and team contributes something different to modern worship culture, including congregational songwriting, gospel influence, live worship recordings, musical collaboration, and new approaches to worship-band arrangements.Streaming, YouTube, conferences, and social media now allow a worship song to travel quickly between churches and countries. However, popularity does not automatically make a song suitable for every church. Worship leaders must consider biblical truth, singability, musical difficulty, and the needs of their congregation.
Listen & Explore
Choose at least one song to watch.
“Holy Forever” — Chris Tomlin
“House of the Lord” — Phil Wickham
“Praise” — Elevation Worship
Listen for the melody, instruments, repetition, musical builds, crowd participation, and use of technology.
Think About It
What makes the song sound modern?
Could an entire congregation sing it?
How does the arrangement encourage participation?
Should a church choose a song simply because it is popular?
How has technology helped this music reach more people?
Journal Response
Choose one modern worship artist or team. What do they contribute to modern worship culture?
Big Idea
Modern worship continues to change through new artists, church-based teams, technology, and collaboration. The musical style may change, but the purpose remains helping the church worship God together.
Footnotes
-
Final Journal Assignment
Choose one contemporary Christian artist, worship leader, or worship team from this course.
Possible choices include Chris Tomlin, Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake, Lauren Daigle, CeCe Winans, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, Elevation Worship, Hillsong Worship, Bethel Music, Maverick City Music, UPPERROOM, Red Rocks Worship, or SEU Worship.
Listen to one or two songs by your chosen artist or team. Then write a journal response answering these questions:
Why did you choose this artist or worship team?
What instruments and musical characteristics do you hear?
What makes their music recognizable?
How have they influenced contemporary Christian or worship music?
Is their music suitable for congregational worship? Why or why not?
What did you learn from studying their music?
How could their music influence your own growth as a worship musician?
Your response should be approximately one page. This is a personal journal reflection, but your ideas should connect with what you learned throughout the course.