IM use in the CC, DoC, and others (non-debate)

[JDIBe]

For those of you who attend a congregation that uses IM, I was wondering if you could tell me how it is used?

1. What instruments are used?
2. Do you have a choir?
3. Do all the instrumentalists sing at the same time as they play?
4. Is it "performance-oriented", i.e. does the band play and the congrgation listen?
5. Are the instruments integral to the worship experience or are they considered merely an accompaniment?
6. Any other information you might consider relevant. Walk me through a typical Sunday, if you wish.

This is for informational purposes only, and I will not debate or reply in this thread except to say........Thank you.

Respectfully,

[crawfish]

I'll go. We've only had instruments for about 6 months, and for only one service (Saturday, two Sunday services are a capella).

1. electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, drums, keyboard. Kind of a "light contemporary" sound.
2. No. We do have a group of singers on occasion, however (even with a capella).
3. Hard to tell, but most seem to.
4. No. Words are still shown above, congregation still sings.
5. An accompaniment, although adding instruments has a different emotional impact.
6. Most elements are the same. The sermon is the same. You can't really sing four-part harmonies with accompaniment - at least most of the time. The times I attend that service, I sing differently.
3.

[Splayd]

Hey :wave:

1. It varies at our church. We tend to cycle our musicians through a roster rather than use the same guys week after week. Very rarely - we'll have no instruments. Usually the singing is led by a single pianist or a single guitar. Often there will be both playing together and occasionally we'll have guitar, piano, bass and drums. In the past we've also had various woodwinds and brass instruments.

2. Yes, but not as a part of the worship service. They usually sing at retirement villages and shopping centres etc...

3. Our singing is usually led by an instrumentalist. As it happens all of our guitarists and pianists are very strong singers anyway. I'm not sure if our drummer sings as he sings quietly even when he's not playing and I don't really look at the muso's when we sing.

4. No. Not at all. The very notion is kinda alien to us.

5. To be fair... both. We don't need them for anything more than accompaniment, but if we're going to have them playing at all, they sure better be serious about what they're doing and offer it all to God.

6. That's basically it. We do occassionally have services that run more like concerts but they're for special things and run in addition to our normal services not instead of.

Peace