"but enjoyment for both the performer and audience."
There is no reason why a bunch of people should 'enjoy' poor, ill-prepared singing and I can't imagine why a singer should enjoy singing badly.
This argument only seems to be applied to folk song, as if it is somehow of less value than any other form of music or performing art.
Imagine a singer turning up to sing Tosca and saying, "I haven't learned this yet, so, if you don't mind, I'll read it off my phone".
Practice is essential, but not in public - you wouldn't get away with it anywhere else - why should folk singing be an exception?
We all have trouble remembering words - just wait till you reach 70-odd, but there are tricks to learning and remembering songs and if you can't manage to tackle something as basic as that, I don't thing, for yours or the listeners sake you really shouldn't be singing in public.
Every club I've been involved with, certainly over the last 3o years, has had a facility for helping new singers to overcome the basic hurdles of being a singer - in some cases, we have gone much further.
It shouldn't be just a matter of wanting to sing, certainly if you're no prepared to put in the work.
Jim Carroll