Do it right, and your worship set becomes one big song: You’ve planned and executed your transitions well. In that spirit, pick songs that musically fit with other songs. For example, you probably wouldn’t pick a song that has to be done hard-rock style when the rest of your songs are primarily acoustic.
Think of your library of songs as a spectrum, and pick songs that are within that range. Sure, you can stretch the spectrum one way or another slightly, but you don’t want to pick songs that are so far outside it that they will stick out like a sour note.
13. THE SONG IS NOT THE SAME TEMPO AS YOUR OTHER SONGS.
You may have heard of BPM, or beats per minute. It’s a measurement of song speed. You can find a song’s BPM simply by Googling the song title, artist and “BPM.”
Many worship songs these days are around 70-75 BPM. Solidly mid-tempo. I love those songs, but sometimes I find that I’m doing three songs in a row that are all the same speed. Playing too many songs in a row that have similar characteristics lulls the congregation into disengagement.
The point of doing the next song in the set is, well, to do the next song. It should jar participants a little and get them re-engaged. So pick some songs that are around 60 BPM, then some that are around 80. Both those tempos are appropriate mid-set, but are different enough to stand out from each other.
14. CHOOSE WORSHIP SONGS THAT YOU WILL DO IN A VARIETY OF KEYS.
Speaking of adding variety, don’t do more than two songs in a row in your worship set list in the same key, in general.
For instance, play one song in D, then the next in G, and so on. Look at the circle of 5ths to rotate between keys.
As is true for tempo (see above), playing too many songs in the same key lulls the congregation into disengagement.
If you select songs for your congregation that you’re only comfortable doing in C, for instance, you won’t have the flexibility to change keys within the set.
15. CHOOSE WORSHIP SONGS IN DIFFERENT TIME SIGNATURES.
There are a lot of good 4/4 songs out there, but go out looking for songs that are 3/4 or 6/8.
Here are some good ones:
I Surrender – Hillsong
Come as You Are – Crowder
There Is a Cloud – Elevation Worship
16. CHOOSE WORSHIP SONGS THAT MEN CAN SING.
If you’re a female worship leader, don’t forget about the guys in your church. Pick keys that might be a little high for you, knowing that men have “higher” voices—which really isn’t the case, it’s just that they sing in a different range. But it might feel to them like they are singing low when they sing with you.
Also, think thematically about what men would want to sing about. Break out the intellectual stuff, like old hymns and modern ones, too. “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us” by Stuart Townend is a good example.
Also, guys like guitars. Electric ones. Find and recruit a good lead guitarist, and pick songs with nice lead lines.
17. CHOOSE WORSHIP SONGS THAT WOMEN CAN SING.
If you’re a male worship leader, don’t sing every song at the top of your range. You’ll lose the women, especially ones that don’t sing harmony. It’s very nice that you have this wide vocal range, but choose songs that can be sung a little lower, and do so on a regular basis.
While women technically have higher voices, they sing in a different range. Your top notes are out of their range, usually, so they have to sing it an octave lower, or sing harmony.
Also, find songs that talk about love, devotion and worship. I think women like those themes, but I could be totally wrong, so ladies, please leave your advice in the comments below.
18. CHOOSE WORSHIP SONGS THAT ALIGN WITH YOUR DIRECTION AS A CHURCH.
This applies to the musical as well as spiritual direction of your church.
Musical: There should be a musical direction you’re trying to take your church. The Word says to sing a new song to the Lord. I think that also means new styles. See what’s emerging in the world of worship. Find songs that challenge your congregation and worship team musically. Don’t overdo it, but push them ever so slightly in the direction you want to go each week with your song selection.
