What’s the state of contemporary worship music? And what role—for better or worse—does it play on our weekly church gatherings and experience of the Christian life? These are some of the questions Matt Merker—an elder and pastoral assistant at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and writer of congregational hymns like ‘He Will Hold Me Fast’—explores in this thoughtful review.

“The forms of worship we adopt aren’t neutral; they will mold the next generation of worshipers,” Merker explains. All of us have a stake in this discussion. So whether you’re a song leader in your church or a member enjoined to “[address] one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph. 5:19a), consider these reflections on our contemporary worship movement—how we’ve arrived here and where, by God’s grace, we should reform.