Question:
Hello all I'm a guitar player on my church's youth praise team, and we're starting some new songs. One song I suggested was "I Can Only Imagine." What do y'all think? A bit past its time, or doesn't that matter? I'd like some feedback.

Oh, and if you have any other praise and worship suggestions, that would help.
Answer:
How can a song ever go "past its time?" If its a good song, its a good song. If you're thinking of not using it because its too old, thats silly.
Answer:
Thx for the feedback It's just that one of the other members was wondering if that would be the case, that it was getting a bit old. I never thought so, but I wanted to know where others stood on this.
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I would think there would even be a distinction between hearing it on the radio too much and using it a service. There is something very different about using it in a service and merely hearing a song on the radio.
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I don't think it matters that much if it's not the hip song to do that it once was. I'm not a big fan of it as a congregational song, though. In times when I've sung it as not part of the praise team, I found the melody to be not that congregationally friendly.
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I've done it, and it worked great
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"I can only imagine" is a pretty decent song for a worship song, however keep in mind, like Jay Tea said, it is hard to sing congregationally so it may take a while for the congregation to really "get into the music".

A couple of other songs that might be good: "Oh, The Wonderful Cross" By Chris Tomlin, "Blessed Be your Name" is pretty good, I believe it is by Matt Redman???

I have a few more, but I'm not thinking right now, sorry...

Blessings,
Nathan
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Well the older congregation's not really a concern, because this is for the youth group (I hope that didn't sound bad at all).
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One of my concerns is that we as Christians are starting to mix our music. I'm all for contemporary worship, but I think that the songs should be genuine worship. Now, I know that worship is a lifestyle, and not just the songs we sing, but for the rest of this post when I say Worship, I'm referring to the "Christianese" that we use to mean our style of singing to the Lord.
Let me use an example. Let's say my church wanted to sing "Sea of Faces" by Kutless as a "Praise and Worship" song. It's a good song. You're talking to God ("You traded Your life for mine"), but does it lend itself to singing as a congregation, or would it be best performed as a special in front of the church?
I Can Only Imagine is a song, definitely contemporary, lots of people know it, but, in my opinion, is just that. A contemporary song that lots of people know. It's a great song. My family performed it in front of a church once. But that's just it. We performed it.
I'm all for Christian Music, and new songs, and new styles, but I think that we too quickly adopt the hit (albethey{albeit in the plural?}) good songs, as songs that we have to sing in church. I don't think it's meant to be like that. I think we need to keep our entertainment seperate from our worship. "I can only Imagine" borders. It could go either way, but I think there's something deeper.
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I think it'd be a great song to do, It has a great message in it. When we think about seeing Jesus, there is soo many things that go though your head and rightnow we can onlu imagine what I'll be like, And when I hear the song it feels me with great wonders you could say, and for a youth group song, I think it'll go good, Since it's a newer song it'll also grap then.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Ring of a bell "I can only imagine" is a pretty decent song for a worship song, however keep in mind, like Jay Tea said, it is hard to sing congregationally so it may take a while for the congregation to really "get into the music".
I agree. It's a good song, but not the greatest for congregational worship (in my opinion).
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I would not suggest our band to play it in church during our worship set. I would think it would be better off as what we would call a "special music" song. I don't really see it as a praise song but it is a great song. My son plays in the youth band and they have never played it either.
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We just did it as a special music last Sunday, and I think everyone appreciated it, but I don't see it as a congregational song for the above reasons.
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Originally Posted by parkway We just did it as a special music last Sunday, and I think everyone appreciated it, but I don't see it as a congregational song for the above reasons.
Ditto that. I am not inclined to do anything like that in a congregational setting.
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my one beef with that song as a worship song is that it doesn't seem to have the staying power that some songs have. but that's not to say it's not a good song, it's a beautiful song but i just don't feel it being used in worship (at least at my church).