I've had a few discussions recently, inside and outside of my parish walls, which have led me to reflect on this topic.


What is it that congregations know how to sing ... and more importantly, how do they know it?


Obviously, all of the music that "congregations know" was new at some point.


How did they learn it?


Perhaps us DM's ought to stop being so weak about this. All of the hymns that our congregations are familiar with were new at one point in time. They are familiar because of their repetition ... and this happened over decades and/or centuries.

If the text is good and the music is good, USE IT! If the congregation doesn't sing it during that first week, use it for a second week! Use it for a third! Use it for a fourteenth! Whatever it takes ... but isn't familiarity the key here?

And, how do we establish that? By constant use of good materials.



Congregations deserve better music.