Why Should We Use a Song Book with Written Musical Notation?

Why Should We Use a Song Book with Written Musical Notation?  

 Many church music worship leaders can think of a number of reasons to *jettison the “Song Book”. They include: it costs too much money; the new families (with children whom some people think should be in children’s church) let their kids write in it;  it weighs a proverbial ton; it has too many selections in it; it has outdated gospel songs in it; the congregation will want to “shop” for new stuff (we only use about two dozen of the hymns and, of course, all of the praise choruses and three of the gospel songs--we sing those for Grandma Jones);  the newest praise choruses are not in it;  it also has a type of song in it called a “gospel hymn” that no one but people over sixty-five can understand. 

Postmodern praise leaders also do not seem to understand songs about the      “shed blood of Jesus” and gospel songs like “Are You Living Where God Answers Prayer?”  These music leaders believe that the types of songs mentioned above make seekers uncomfortable. They also do not seem to understand why a twenty-first century church would benefit from singing the hymns that are translated from Latin since and everyone knows that Latin is a dead language.  Unfortunately, these worship leaders are taught in worship renewal books that seekers cannot understand most of the hymns and gospel songs in published hymn books. They also have been made to believe the notion that no one likes or connects with hymns and gospel songs anymore.  They also believe most of the songs in hymn books have too many words in them.  Finally they miss songs that have “Lai-Lai-Lai-Lai” or “Du-Wa-Du-Wa- Du-Wa” choruses in them.