Worship Thoughts: Finding New Worship Songs

It's a challenge that every worship leader faces: how to find fresh new worship songs for your church to sing. To make matters worse, the abundance of new music being churned out makes it difficult for a worship leader to sort through it all and make a wise decision about what to use. I've been there and can certainly sympathize with this struggle. So here are a few tips on how to make the process of finding new songs easier.

First, don't listen to the hype from publishers. Every record company that publishes worship music will try to push a particular song or CD as "the best worship song ever" or something like that. Don't listen to them. Don't buy into the hype. Instead, try to listen to songs with an open mind and decide what will work best for your congregation.

Second, just because it's new doesn't  mean you suspend your guidelines for picking worship songs. As a worship leader, you should have certain criteria that you use to select worship songs.The rules aren't suddenly irrelevant because you are dealing with new songs. You should still follow the same guidelines as you do for picking any other worship song.

Third, look to artists/writers/publishers that are responsible for the songs you are currently using in church. Although past history is not always a predictor of future success, it can be a good guide in evaluating new music. For example, let's say that there is a writer who has written a number of the songs you're currently using. If he or she suddenly has a new CD come out, you would probably be wise to give it a listen. It's not guaranteed that you will want to use their songs. But the fact that you have used other songs by that writer is a good indicator that new songs might also be worth considering in your services.

Fourth, listen to the song first for what it is and then for whether it's something you can use. One of the issues I struggled with in evaluating new songs was immediately trying to determine whether it was a song my worship team could handle. However, the better thing to do is determine whether the song is a good song and then determine whether it can be used with your congregation. Since your worship team is going to likely have a different makeup than the band whose CD you're listening to some degree of modification will be needed to make the song work for your church. It's better to listen to the song and determine whether it's a good song on its own merits before deciding whether it's appropriate to use in your church.

Fifth, remember that it's more than likely you will end up using a very small fraction of the new music that comes to your attention. When I led worship I would often receive sampler CDs from different publishers. It was not unusual for me to use only 1-2 songs out of every 4-5 CDs I would receive. In other words, I utilized a very small percentage of the total music that I received. Part of that has to do with the fact I'm picky about what I use. It's also partly due to the fact that there is a high volume of worship music being produced but very little of it fit my needs.

Leading worship is both a terrific honor and tremendous responsibility. It's a job that is not to be taken lightly. Worship songs whether new or old should be selected carefully. As worship leaders we are also teachers. It's important to remember that whatever we are singing we need to be sure that it is teaching the truth of God's Word.

For previous posts in this series, click here.

Worship Thoughts: Picking the Worship Songs

A worship leader's biggest challenge is always choosing songs. Regardless of whether it is for a Sunday morning service or just a small group Bible Study the challenge remains the same: picking songs that are appropriate for the setting. Here are a few simple guidelines I follow in selecting songs when I am leading worship:

Does the song's lyrics reflect sound doctrine? Many worship songs are very shallow and don't convey sound biblical teaching. There are plenty of songs that are very popular but not very deep theologically speaking. Over the years I have discarded a number of songs that I had sung previously because on closer examination I have discovered that they were not teaching sound doctrine. Each song should be examined carefully to determine whether what is being said is true when measured against the standard of Scripture.

Is the song one that me (or my worship team) can play and sing? This is an area that can trip up many a worship leader. It's important to keep in mind the skill level of your team (or yourself if you're leading by yourself). Often a worship leader will hear a song and think that it would be a great song for the congregation to sing. But the skill of the team might not be such that they can lead the song.

Or consider someone like myself who leads worship in a small group setting. My worship team consists of one person: me. This limits to some extent what songs we can sing. It has to be a song that can be done with me just playing my guitar.

Another consideration is whether the song can be sung by the team (or in my case, me). In order to effectively lead a song I've got to be able to sing it so others can follow. And I have to be able to sing it in a key that everyone will be comfortable with.

Don't worry about themes or trying to fit the songs to the message. There are different schools of thought on this. Some try to tie the songs to the sermon and others don't. I've typically been in the latter camp. If I can tie the songs thematically to the sermon then that's an added bonus. However, it's not something I normally strive for. But there is nothing wrong with trying to do it if you can. It all depends on the sermon and the topics that are being dealt with.

On the other hand, some songs are grouped naturally together to fit a particular theme. Sometimes the worship sets I put together are tied together by a common theme. But as I said before, this is usually not my intention. I don't try too hard to make everything fit a particular theme or message.

Don't plan on more songs than  you have time for. This seems like common sense. But it is an important point to remember. It's crucial to cooperate with your fellow leaders to work out a mutually agreeable amount of time for worship music.

Plan ahead. I find it helpful to start working on the next week's worship set as soon as possible. For example, if I have led worship on Sunday I am already starting to think about the next Sunday's worship set on Monday. Part of the reason for this is you never know how long it will take for your worship set to come together. Part of the reason is also that it gives you the freedom to make changes as the week progresses.

Be flexible. As stated above, things can change during the week. Something can happen to throw off your entire plan for a given service. You should not be so married to your worship set that you don't have the freedom to make changes (sometimes even right before the service is to start).

Don't think too hard about it. I have found that sometimes the more I think about a worship set the harder it is to pull together. Certainly you want to put some thought into it but not so much that you are not open to what God has in store for you. Some of the "best" worship sets I have put together have come to me at the most unlikely times and when I have been thinking about it the least.

Pray. Finally, and most importantly, you should be praying over every aspect of your worship. Pray that in leading you will have an attitude of worship in front of your congregation. Pray for your team members. Pray for your pastor. And pray for your congregation.

Worship Thoughts: Greeting Time

So far in this series of posts, I've been sharing some thoughts about worship and some of the things that are being done routinely in church that perhaps would be better left out. Today, I want to address another of the "sacred cows" of the church: the greeting time.

In almost every church I have visited, there is some period of time set aside during the service to "greet one another". Presumably this is an opportunity for church members to greet visitors and get to know them better. What seems to happen more often than not is that folks spend lots of time shaking heads but never really getting to know one another. Part of that is the constraints of time. It's hard in the course of a couple of minutes to start a meaningful conversation with someone especially when that person already feels a little uncomfortable and out of place. Of course, as an introvert I'm not inclined to engage in meaningless conversation. I'm naturally uncomfortable in large gatherings. Greeting time usually ends up being the most excruciating part of the service. 

By the way, is it too much to ask for folks to introduce themselves? I can't tell you how many times I have visited a church where no one wants to tell me their name. 

The other issue is the fact that the greeting time ends up disrupting the flow of the worship service. I've experienced this both as part of the congregation and as a worship leader. It's difficult to get folks focused back on worship after they have been up shaking hands and chatting with each other.

I'm all for trying to make visitors feel more comfortable in the church. As a matter of fact, I think most churches don't expend enough energy welcoming visitors to the church. But it also seems that the best time to do this is either before or after the worship service. But interrupting the service for a few minutes of chit-chat seems to be counterproductive. Like so many of the other elements of worship that have become entrenched in our services it would be wise to reconsider whether greeting time is really accomplishing what needs to be accomplished. If it isn't then maybe it's time to stop doing it. 

Previous entries in this series:

Worship Thoughts: The Visitor's Card

Worship Thoughts: Special Music

Worship Thoughts: The Visitor's Card

In almost every church I have ever visited there is always the issue of the visitor's card. Churches routinely use such cards to gather information on guests to the church. How such information is used varies from church to church but the purpose is generally the same: find out as much information as they can about newcomers to the church.

Recent experiences with the visitor's card have put me off filling out one ever again. Not long ago I was in a church where I had filled out a card. The next morning the pastor showed up unannounced at my front door wanting to talk about the church. Sadly, I had already determined based on our visit that the church was not a fit for our family. So from now on, I am adopting the following attitude towards the visitor's card:

Please don't force me to fill out a visitor's card. Don't make me write down any information, especially if I have already sidestepped your first appeal to get me to do so. I don't want to hurt your feelings, so don't make me have to keep coming up with excuses. The truth is that I’m not going to fill out anything until I am sure that your church might be a real option for me.

That's the rub. It's hard for a person coming to a church for the first time to decide whether that's the place for them based on one hour of worship. It would be like deciding to marry someone after only a single date with them. It's not advisable. You haven't had an opportunity to get to know them yet.

The same holds true for church. Church needs to be a place where you can be involved, where you can fellowship with other believers and be an integral part of the body of Christ. Membership in a church is a serious commitment and one that should not be entered into lightly. So it would be better for churches to keep that in mind and not pressure newcomers into rushing into a relationship they may not be comfortable with.

Previously in this series - Worship Thoughts: Special Music

Worship Thoughts: Special Music

I have a pet peeve when it comes to worship services. In just about every church that I have been a part of or visited in the past 25 years there is a tradition to have someone sing a solo during the service (usually called "special music" in church lingo). While I don't have anything against well-meaning believers who bravely stand up and sing in front of their congregations, I do have an issue with what appears to be a worldy practice that has creeped into our worship.

As a worship leader, I understand the challenges of leading a congregation in song. Congregational singing is an important part of worship. Music helps bring us together in worshiping the Lord. Music speaks to our hearts. It can be used to teach sound doctrine. Music is a critical part of our worship.

Worship leaders face a constant challenge to keep the focus of their congregations on the Lord rather than on them and the other singers and musicians that join them at the front of the church. One of the common pitfalls many worship leaders face is getting caught up in their own performance and losing sight of their true mission: focus on the Lord.

This is why I don't understand the practice of featuring a soloist. "Special Music" takes the congregation out of the equation by depriving them of the opportunity to participate in worship through song. It turns the focus of our attention away from God and to whomever is singing on the stage. In addition, the tradition of applauding once the performance has concluded seems to add to this sense that we've just witnessed a performance rather than worship.

Compounding the problem is the fact the person singing is not always capable of pulling off a solo. Although I consider myself a decent singer and musician I also know my limitations well enough to know that I couldn't handle a solo performance. It's a tough job for a singer to complete. When you have someone who can't handle the job it becomes a distraction rather than drawing the audience further into worship.

At the other extreme are those who sing well but get caught up in performing rather than worshiping. Sitting in the audience you almost feel like you're watching an American Idol audition rather than participating in worship. It's been a rare occasion when I have witnessed a special music performance that drew me further into worship.

Finally, if we're doing the same thing every week how can we then call it special? If the church is going to continue this practice perhaps it should be done less frequently?

As with anything else that we do as part of our worship service I think it's time we re-examine whether the practice of including special music is one that we need to continue. Given the choice, I would rather see the church spend more time in corporate worship in song rather than highlighting the talents of one or two individuals. We need to be sure that everything we do in the context of our worship service is truly focused on worship. We need to be willing to examine our traditions carefully and to discard those things that distract our focus from God. The church will be stronger and our worship will be more pure as a result.

UPDATE: After I finished writing this post I ran across this article by Bob Kauflin. After reading it I am convinced that there is a place for soloists in the church but that it perhaps is done too often and for the wrong reasons. Bob offers some good cautions to worship leaders who want to incorporate soloists into their services. I appreciate his wisdom and insight.

Have you had any similar experiences? Do you agree or disagree with this post? I would love to hear from you. Please give me your feedback in comments below.