How different Denominations use music differently in worship

For this blog I will be comparing how a Catholic mass uses music in its worship and how a non-denominational church does. First I will start with the Catholic mass. The Catholic mass has a heavy emphasis on music. It is primarily used to proclaim their faith as well as a form of prayer. The music that is within the mass is meant to deepen the spiritual experience within and to help people encounter the presence of the Lord. The church uses ancient hymns as well as Gregorian chants to emphasize the sacred tradition of the mass. They also have choirs and instruments. The organ is a big part of the traditional catholic mass as it again reflects the tradition. During mass, there is a reading of the Gospel, as they are preparing for that, they sing Alleluia, this is meant to ready the congregation and bring joy to reading the Holy scripture as it is a very important part of the mass. The entire church sings this together as they prepare to read God’s word. As mentioned earlier, Gregorian chants are monophonic and based purely on scripture. It is seen as a highly honoring way to read Gods word. Music has a key place in the Catholic mass and reflects a lot of the theology through emphasizing tradition, unity among the church and even using it as a form of prayer. Another church I am going to be touching on is a non-denominational church. Non-denominational churches generally have music incorporated into their service through a band of worship leaders. They use contemporary songs to connect to people specifically. They have song books that they can chose from and select their setlists to align with the pastor’s message or even to lead the congregation to a specific direction. Non-denominational churches incorporate music to bring focus to Gods love and grace, Jesus’ sacrifice and salvation and even personal devotion and reflection within the service. They do things such as encouraging expressive worship (Lifting hands/clapping/etc.), they believe that worship is led by the Holy Spirit, and it is meant to feel personal connection. There is also spontaneity in their worship, meaning the worship leaders can add or take away things as they feel led by the Lord. An example of this could be repeating a chorus multiple times for the congregation to really reflect on the words they are singing. They tend to stay away from choirs to promote congregational worship. The non-denominational church also stays away from tradition to make worship more accessible for everyone. Non-denominational worship has less structure to it, they have a general outline but listen to the spirit for the direction of it. Their worship is grounded in scripture but also emphasizes emotion to promote feelings of a personal relationship with the Lord. Non-denominational and catholic worship have clear differences, but both are in preparation for the Lord. Non-denominational worship prepares the congregation to receive the sermon, while the worship in a catholic mass prepares the congregation for the Eucharist. There are positives and negatives to both styles of worship.