How can congregations reach new people by singing Christmas carols during Advent? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center Staff shares five ways to sing more Christmas carols during Advent to share the light of Christ with your community and build relationships by singing with your neighbors.
During my time in parish ministry, I heard concerns every year about the hymns selected for worship during Advent. I resisted the temptation to jump into Christmas without the prayerful preparation of Advent, but folks would say, and they were right, “Christmas music is playing everywhere except for the church.” The resulting tension and frustration shifted the focus of worship away from God and the reason for the season. I sought a middle ground, where worship focused on preparing our hearts for the celebration of the birth of Jesus and where those who longed to sing their favorite Christmas carols could do so. If people want to sing about the birth of Jesus, why stop them? Especially since at times it was a struggle to get them to sing at all. Since Christmas carols are some of the only hymns that are familiar to our unchurched neighbors, providing opportunities for singing Christmas carols outside of the usual worship service (or services) provides pathways for the community to connect with your congregation.
Here are five ways to incorporate the singing of Christmas Carols in the life of your congregation without skipping Advent that may also help you reach new people this holiday season.
1. Sing Advent hymns set to Christmas tunes.
I found that sometimes people resented singing Advent hymns because they were less familiar than the beloved Christmas carols, so sing the Advent hymns to Christmas tunes. For example, sing “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night” to the tune of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” There are several online resources that pair Advent hymns with beloved Christmas tunes (See UMC Discipleship or hymns by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette). Sometimes changing the tune will change the tunes of the naysayers in the congregation and lead to a greater number of people singing. Don’t worry about it if people default to the Christmas lyrics, celebrate that people are singing!
2. Go Christmas caroling.
Go Christmas caroling in the neighborhood around the church and carry the light of Christ into the world. You could do this after worship one Sunday or each week of Advent. Think about how many people you could reach if you travelled in a different direction each week? Alternatively, plan to visit a local nursing home, assisted living or care facility and invite the residents to join in the singing.
See also 6 Ways to Deepen Your Congregation’s Connection to the Community this Christmas.
3. Host a Wee Sing.
Years ago, when visiting the Iona Community in Scotland, I participated in a Wee Sing: a community gathering filled with singing. Host a Wee Sing during Advent to provide people with the opportunity to sing their favorite Christmas Carols. This could be a separate event or could be for 15-20 minutes prior to or immediately following worship. I found that offering a Wee Sing before worship not only helped people warm up their voices but lifted their spirits energizing and enhancing the worship experience that followed. It also gave people a reason to arrive early for worship!
Alternatively, if your congregation offers coffee hour or fellowship after worship, host a Wee Sing during fellowship. If your fellowship space is not equipped with a piano, sing a cappella, arrange to have a portable keyboard in the space, or temporarily move fellowship to a space with a piano. This may not only encourage folks to stay for fellowship time, but imagine the smiles on their faces as they head out into the world after singing some of their favorite carols. Encourage people to invite their friends and neighbors to join you for fellowship and singing.
4. Share carols and cocoa with your community.
Plan an afternoon or evening for people to gather to share hot cocoa and Christmas carols. This can be a prepared program with Christmas carols interspersed with poetry, scripture, and stories or spontaneous caroling with people invited to call out their favorite carol. Think creatively about how to best include your community in this event as it could be held around a fire pit, on the front lawn or steps of the church, or offsite in a community space like a town square, village green, local park, shopping center, or mall. Provide song sheets or project the carols on a screen. Serve the hot cocoa in reusable mugs or travel cups with your congregation’s logo and relevant information so that everyone has one to take home, reuse, and promote the church. Partner with a local coffee shop or food truck to provide the hot cocoa and refreshments.
See also 6 Ways to Deepen Your Congregation’s Connection to the Community this Christmas.
5. Offer a Lessons and Carols service.
If your congregation does not already offer a Lessons and Carols service, consider adding one. This could be incorporated in a weekly worship time or as a special service. Some congregations offer Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve or on the Sunday after Christmas when a lot of people, including the pastor, are away. If this is the case in your congregation, consider offering another one during Advent or even one closer to Epiphany when the Christmas music stops playing in other places in the community, but the season continues.
It may seem daunting to add something new to the Advent traditions in your congregation, so remember to start small. Encourage your church leaders to select one of these ideas and give it a try. Celebrate what works well and learn from your mistakes, build on what you have learned and try something else next year. Whether it’s singing an Advent hymn to a familiar tune or singing Christmas carols in Advent, trust that God will be praised, spirits will be lifted, and hearts will be prepared to celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ, and sing “Joy to the World.”
Related Resources
- Christmas Carols in Advent? Yes! by Janet Craswell
- 6 Ways to Deepen Your Congregation’s Connection to the Community this Christmas by Jessica L. Anschutz
- Reaching More People during Advent by Lovett Weems and Tom Berlin
- Why Tradition Matters at Christmas by Stephanie Remington
