The State of Music and Worship in the SBC

As we begin a new year, we naturally find ourselves thinking with a broader view toward ministry than at any other time of the year. It is a normal tendency to contemplate a bigger picture at this time. When I look back over 2025, I might suggest two sweeping (perhaps over-) generalizations about the practice of music and worship in our churches: 1) there is a lack of a compelling, cohesive vision for what music and worship should be in Southern Baptist Churches (SBC); and 2) everyone does what is right in their own eyes.

Southern Baptists are famously independent, even as we are miraculously cooperative. Our history is marked with varying demonstrations of this tension. At times, we appear more idiosyncratic; at other times, more galvanized. But historically, we have maintained a view towards music in the church that at least verbally commends certain non-negotiable biblical standards while allowing for highly variable application in each local church.

The commitment to sound doctrine in worship has at times been challenged by another, less admirable trait of Southern Baptists — pragmatism. In numerous instances over the past several decades, we have compromised biblical principles that should govern corporate worship in the rush toward the apparent vista of musical (and church growth) success. It seems to work elsewhere, so we adopt it, disregarding the potential consequences. In every case where this has occurred, the vista inevitably proved to be a mirage, and correction ultimately ensued. I believe we are currently in a period of correction, as the Lord is graciously bringing us back to an emerging unity around the non-negotiables of biblically sound worship practice.

Now, nearly six years since the first indications of a worldwide pandemic, we can recognize that the initial acceleration of musical trends through the pandemic appears to have created an inflection point that exposed errors in the popular approach to corporate worship. More recently, signs of a retreat from the precipice have begun to emerge. The concertized model of attractional musical performance by an elite group of musicians (and silenced congregations), better suited to an online video, is finally beginning to wane in many places. This has given way to a greater emphasis on in-person congregational singing of biblical truth, led by increasingly larger musical groups that involve more “common” musicians. We are also becoming more discerning about the words we put in people’s mouths and encouraging the use of worship songs that are more concerned with textual veracity than a musical hook. Some might decry this as the correction of the musical trends that killed the golden age of Baptist church music. Some might decry this correction long overdue as the so-called modern worship movement apparently “killed” the golden age of Baptist church music.

It may be true that “a” (I refuse to use the definite article here) golden age of Baptist church music we once enjoyed is over, but that does not mean that a new one is not on the horizon. It will no doubt look different from the one that many of us benefited from in the past. That is the way these things go. However, we can’t go back; we can only move forward. Therefore, we must avoid the “get off my lawn” attitude toward any perceived threat posed by new winds blowing, while benevolently championing a clear reclamation of the timeless biblical principles that should govern every age of church music. The “baby” must be returned to the bathwater.

How do we get there? How do we ignite a new “golden age” of church music in the SBC?

Hopeful Signs for 2026

Here is where I might summarize the state of music and worship in the SBC in a couple of words. Whereas in 2025 I might have simply used the term “uncertain,” in 2026 I would add “but hopeful.” While many things about worship practice in the SBC are still uncertain, there are some encouraging signs before us this year that were not present a year ago, and they are profound enough, and their potential coordination compelling enough, that I must believe they are from God.

I would like to point out some of them:

• Lifeway Worship has returned to the scene. From my perspective, a poor business decision in 2023 has been corrected by a strong leadership hire in Kirk Kirkland. He has not had time to do much in this post yet, but we should be hopeful about what is to come from Lifeway, even if we are not quite sure yet what that may be. We should be praying for him.
• Our friends at Worship Initiative are active participants in the SBC’s worship world now. (You can’t even naturally address the arena we are discussing without invoking their label—“SBC Worship.”) Truthfully, they have long been in our email inboxes and on our account statements, but now they have declared themselves to be among us, even if they are not quite “of us.” While not an SBC entity, they are true friends to the SBC and have become quite visible at our gatherings, as you no doubt noticed in Dallas last year and will see again in Jacksonville and Orlando this year. We should be excited about what they bring to the SBC table.
• Southern Baptist Church Music Conference (SBCMC) has arisen from the ash heap of forgotten events/organizations and experienced a resurgence that can only be described as meteoric. While we aren’t quite sure yet exactly how much organization and how much event we should be, we are belted in and lifting off as the Lord sorts this out. The potential for this organization’s role in the broader life of SBC worship calls for much prayer and discussion. A larger role seems to be in the offing.
• Several SBC educational institutions are surging in energy in their music and worship departments. This includes those at both the seminary and the college/university level. I have some names that come to mind immediately, and you may have others in your neck of the woods that I am not as aware of. Still, some great educators are doing extraordinary work with fewer resources than at any other point in our lifetimes. But the quality of the work is rising and spreading, and the students they are training are quality candidates for our churches.
• The unsung heroes that deserve high praise are our state denominational musicians. These nearly extinct champions who remain in a relatively few of our state conventions (our situation in Florida is complicated) are doing a yeoman’s work (yeowoman’s in the state of Alabama). They almost always handle duties beyond music, but what they do for their churches with music is quite extraordinary. (BTW, if you have not done so yet, take a look at what Kenny Lamm is doing in North Carolina and tell me if he is not some combination of Mr. Miagi and Yoda for the Tar Heel state. And he has counterparts in other states that are doing no less in their waking hours; they just need some sleep that he apparently does not require.)
• Added to these are other non-SBC publishers and resource providers who are ready to lend their aid to our tribe. Many of these will be in Jacksonville at our annual conference, and we want you to meet them!

So, there are some hopeful developments in the world of music and worship in the SBC. In every case, and I mean “every case,” those entities and leaders are doing more with less. We are all required to multitask, stretch the budget, stay up later, leverage technology more, and work harder. Some luxuries of the previous “golden age” will probably not return for the next. But momentum is surging, and the intention for cooperation is growing to meet the needs that 2026 will present.

New Year’s Resolutions for 2026

Which brings me to my resolutions for the world of SBC music and worship for 2026:

1. While there should always be freedom for each worship leader to “do what is right in their own eyes” (see the aforementioned Baptist autonomy), we need to return to a unified biblical vision for what music is meant to be and do in our Baptist churches. It had become too utilitarian and performance-based, and must be reestablished as the vehicle for universal participation for all people, not just for a select few on stage.

This will require vision and leadership from a level of influence that does not appear to exist right now, but is likely emerging. The long absence of that level of influence from Lifeway Worship, the long irrelevance of SBCMC (formerly BCMC), and the late enrollment of Worship Initiative to take up a role that some resist their efforts to assume have exacerbated a leadership void that has existed for some time now. This fact, coupled with strong regional voices who are influential to their limited geographical reach, but less well known outside of them, lends itself to an unhealthy continuation of the days of the Judges (each doing what is “right in their own eyes”), or at best something akin to Corinth (“I am of Paul, I am of Apollos…” etc.). We need a clarion call from a unifying voice! We need God to establish a unifying vision for worship in the SBC.

(I will add that this issue is also a problem in the convention at large (outside of music), but that is a subject for another day and forum. God must give this spirit of unity there as well.)

This next resolution is inextricably complementary to the first.

2. There is too often a sense of “turfiness” in every ministry field, and church music is no different. Worship training and resourcing are all too often territorial.We need a truly open-handed partnership among all parties that allows gifted individuals and valuable resources to be funneled to those doing the work of worship leadership in the local churches. Some of these are SBC resources, and others are SBC-friendly resources. There is not only a need to help people know about these resources, but also an urgent need to help them understand each source’s trustworthiness (Everything looks equally beneficial online, and search algorithms and paid advertisements cannot replace discernment.). We need to work together to meet the needs we all face and help one another find the best solution to each problem.

Discernment is the first order of business, as church worship ministries are often led by lay people or bi-vocational/part-time leaders who do not have adequate time or experience to make critical decisions about what content to place in their people’s mouths (and minds and hearts). Available sources need to be vetted theologically and philosophically and curated by trusted gatekeepers, so worship practitioners can easily identify the best sources for their ministries.

The final resolution is the most urgent of these three, but it is absolutely contingent on the other two.

3. Declining numbers of students pursuing music and worship degrees is a symptom of a greater issue. This is part spiritual and part musical. I will only address the musical here.We need to prioritize basic musical instruction and encourage congregational singing for every member of every church. Every member of the church is required to sing. This is one of those non-negotiable biblical principles that has been compromised by the concertized performance model of corporate worship. We have created non-singing environments in our churches and, at the same time, jettisoned musical training for children and students. If our people are going to be obedient followers of Jesus, and we are to have a future that includes an equipped musical worship leader for every church in the convention, we must reverse these trends.

Churches need competent musical leadership now. We have a supply-and-demand crisis in musical leadership, and part of the problem can be solved quickly. The other will require some time. The easy part is to change the model for corporate worship to one that understands the most important sound on Sunday morning is the sound of God’s people singing. This is already trending in the right direction, but we have a long way to go. Let’s fan the flames and move the needle (or whatever metaphor you want) to create momentum for this transformation towards a new golden age of church music in the SBC.

The more challenging component is teaching people in the Kingdom of God to be singers again. Many adults have grown up in church environments where singing was not encouraged, and the model actually discouraged it. There is also a lack of basic music instruction for children to learn to sing, while it is normal and natural to do so. Non-singing adults are much tougher students. We must make the determination that in the SBC, every church member is called to be a lifelong musical worshiper!

Concluding Thoughts

And so we are off into the new year with all of the optimism that comes with the month of January. What might God do this year? None of us could have predicted what he was willing to do last year, but we are in a much stronger position than a year ago, and we shouldn’t be surprised. He has told us that he is willing to do “exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask or think.” Now, let’s ask for more!