How Many Singers Does It Take…?

Before you get angry and think that this post is going to somehow include a demeaning joke about singers – WAIT! That was just the teaser used to get you to read this, and I guess it worked! There will be no making fun of singers here today!!

There’s actually been a question rumbling around in my mind the past few months, and it has to do with how many worship team vocalists to include on the team. From observing several different worship teams over the past few months, I’ve noticed that there are a variety of ways to do it, ranging from just 1 other singer besides the worship leader, 3-4 singers, and all the way to a whole choir. I would love to hear your comments on how many singers you include with your team, and why.

We typically have 3-4 worship team vocalists on stage, along with myself leading from the keyboard. We also have a couple of singers, usually, in the band singing from guitars.  We also have a worship choir of about 20-30 people that sings once a month along with the band and worship team singers.

But, lately, as I’ve watched services online and at various conferences, I’ve noticed that frequently there’s the worship leader plus one other singer on harmony. If the worship leader is male, there’s often 1 female singer on harmony and that’s it. Is this done to give it a more contemporary sound? It does sound a lot like what you hear on the radio today. But, is the concert and radio stage different than the church platform?

How is this worked out in the church? We have so many singers on our rotation, that people would not get as much opportunity to sing on the team with only a few singers each week.  Also, what about the tenor part? I’d miss the 3 pt. harmony that we’ve developed. Do you typically use 2 part harmony on your teams; 3 part? How many people do you have on each part? Do you have some kind of a choir that you use in contemporary worship? Does the size of the church make a difference? Does the style of music you do influence how many singers you use?

Let’s use this forum to share ideas and learn from each other.  I would love to hear your comments on this topic, and learn what you are doing in your church.

Barry Westman
All About Worship

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