Every now and then I get asked how I go about putting a meeting together. Which songs do you sing when and why?
Every church will have different and equally valid ways of doing this. There is no blueprint, and I certainly don't have all the answers, though there are some important principles that should govern the general shape of the Christian meeting. From Colossians 3.15-16 and Ephesians 4.7-16 it's clear that the New Testament writers expected two main things to be going on as Christians met together.
First, the 'vertical' engagement between God and his people. This happens as the Word is read and as we pray and sing to God in response to that Word. Second, the 'horizontal' engagement between believers. This happens as we exhort each other in song, creedal affirmations and other times of interaction like over coffee after the main meeting. In all meetings, the vertical should inspire and inform the horizontal.
