Hi, David.  This actually parallels a question I sometimes ask my students to consider, whether choral music should be performed in the language it was written for or in the language of the listeners.

 

My own answer is strictly pragmatic, but I think is reasonable.  If you are doing it in concert, as a work of choral art, the language is part of the music and should be the original.  But if you are doing it as functional music it should be in the language of your audience or congregation.  We had a Bach wedding cantata for our wedding, and did it in English for our families' benefit.  If I were to program it in a concert I would certainly do it in German.  (Although when we did the Coffee Cantata I did do it in English because the translation in the new Kalmus edition is so very good and so true to the original!)

 

So is your church choir doing it as part of a concert or as part of a service?

 

All the best,

John