Listen and subscribe to these playlists (Spotify/Apple) to hear some of our favorite KBC worship songs:
We are committed to using music in our worship services that reflects the following principles:
God-Centered – (Ex. 15:1, 21; Ps. 115:1; Ps. 100)
Fundamentally, our worship is a response to the character and self-revelation of God. It is our aim to make musical choices that focus on the glory of God and His sovereign work in this world.
Word-Saturated – (Ps. 95, 96; Col. 3, Eph. 5)
We believe that our corporate worship should be thoroughly controlled by the Word of God. In other words, Sola Scriptura applies to our music.
Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 both state that one way in which a believer gets God’s Word into His heart is through singing. Proclaiming the truths of Scripture through singing is a powerful way of allowing “the word of Christ to dwell in you richly.”
Gospel-Focused – (Ps. 113, Rev. 5)
Because of where we are in God’s redemptive plan, we believe our worship to be incomplete if we neglect to exalt God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
The gospel of Jesus Christ must remain central in our worship if we are to be faithful in communicating the whole of biblical truth.
We strive to not only communicate the gospel through the preached Word, but also to communicate the gospel through robust, Christ-centered worship.
Heart-Oriented – (John 4, Phil. 2:1-4, 1 Cor. 13:1)
Heart-oriented worship is worship that proceeds from a heart passionately overflowing with Scriptural truth! The Spirit-filled believer will live a life that naturally spills over in worship to God.
From a heart of love for God flows a heart of love for God’s people. Corporate worship is not about spotlighting certain groups or individuals, but of exhibiting love toward others.
Intentionally Diverse – (all of Psalms, Eph. 5:19)
The goal in our worship is neither formal traditionalism nor contemporary innovation. We desire to embrace the rich history behind us while pressing forward to the lessons God is teaching us today. This commitment is clearly modeled in Ephesians 5:19 – “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”
However, for worship to be authentic, it must be intelligible. Guided by biblical discernment, each generation must appropriate and express Scriptural truths in musical genres germane to his or her time and culture.
Musically Proficient – (Ps. 33:3)
Ps. 33:3 – “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”
It is our aim to offer the best of our musical abilities before the Lord in corporate worship. Our worship team seeks to lead the congregation with a level of proficiency that does not distract the corporate worship of God’s people.
Bottom line: We’re looking for songs that are:
- Correct – in doctrine, theology and philosophy
- Clear – not overly poetic or archaic, but language that is easily understood by the majority of our people
- Compelling – invokes an emotional, passionate response and encourages worship in spirit and in truth
- Congregational – simple melodies, lyrics, and vocal range that can be sung, easily remembered, and embraced by the majority
- Cultural – songs that amplify the truths of our historic faith but that are relevant in our modern context; also songs that coincide with our local church culture
Finally, we think C.H. Spurgeon got it right to emphasize that in striving to be a biblically discerning church that loves truth and rejects error of all forms, we do not necessarily have to separate from songs, artists, and composers who may represent associations marred with error. At Keystone, we want to sing the best examples of truth-filled, gospel-centric lyrics that move us toward unashamed worship of Jesus Christ. If a song’s lyrics are deemed worthy of such a task, after being held up to appropriate biblical scrutiny, then we are far less concerned about the sources of those songs than we are the truth content that they herald.
C.H. Spurgeon: “The area of our researches has been as wide as the bounds of existing religious literature—American and British, Protestant and Romish, ancient and modern. Whatever may be thought of our taste, we have exercised it without prejudice; and a good hymn has not been rejected because of the character of its author, or the heresies of the church in whose hymnal it first appeared; so long as the language and the spirit of it commended the hymn to our heart, we included it and we believe that we have thereby enriched our collection.” (page 320 of Spurgeon’s autobiography, which can be viewed here.)