Thanks for taking the time to voice your question. I would agree with you that only believers, that is, those who have been born again and given a new heart that loves God and wants to praise Him, are able to offer true worship. Unbelievers can certainly join in singing the praises of God, which still ultimately glorifies Him as the true God, but their hearts are far from trusting in Jesus. Romans 8:8 tells us “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Paul tells us of a time when every knee will bow (Philippains 2:9) – both those redeemed by God and those still in sin. To the believer, it will be a knee bowed in reverence and honor, to the unbeliever it will be a knee bowed in outward submission but inward resentment and hatred.

The question of whether to have those who are not professing Christians join you in worship on some kind of team is not black and white, and I have had several worship or choir directors who have taken different opinions on this decision, in part due to different circumstances and make-ups of their ensembles. Even though an unbeliever may not be capable of true worship, the music that they produce can still glorify God. Think of how the Psalms tell us that the rocks, trees, and hill glorify God, though they are not offering personal worship. To that end, we may use music composed by anyone to worship God, and are free to use performers who are not believers to glorify God. I regularly play with several jazz ensembles which are normally made up of mostly unbelievers.

That being said, I wouldn’t use unbelievers as part of my “song team” – in fact, I require church membership for participation. That’s because I believe that people who are on stage are leading people not simply by the music that they play, but also by the way they engage with the lyrics and focus on the Lord. We are seeking to communicate the unity that we have in the gospel, and if a member of the team doesn’t share that unity, I think it can communicate that musical excellence is more important than enjoying the gospel together. That’s also why I won’t hire musicians to play for us (at least on a normal basis) from outside of the church even if they are believers. I want to communicate the value of making music as a family as being more important than having a polished presentation.

Would I recommend you allow unbelievers as part of a choir? It depends on several factors. What about hiring an accompanist to simply play the piano for choir rehearsals or presentations? You need to think through these questions pretty deeply, and humbly trust and submit to your leadership, remembering that God will glorify Himself despite our sometimes bad decisions!

For Christ and His church,
David

When it comes to a “praise team” or choir, can the make up of such groups include the unregenerate? Those who are not saved and have not repented and confessed Jesus as savior. The reason why I asked this is because in my personal opinion, worship teams and choirs should be made up of those that are holy with pure hearts and renewed minds. Also, I addressed this issue with our choir pastor who insisted that I was wrong to think that. I felt confused and frustrated. I have not changed my mind about the conclusion that I have on this issue. I would really appreciate it if you could address this question that I have.

Thanks for your time and may our God bless you. Aloha.

Ed