Spiritual: Maybe your church is turning into a missions-focused ministry. Maybe God is taking you into the realm of healing or spiritual gifts. Each church probably has its own gifting, just like each Christ follower does. As you transform into the church God has planned, choose songs that move you in that direction.
19. CHOOSE WORSHIP SONGS THAT ARE PARTICIPATORY.
Some churches are really good at the presentation side of music. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I bet in the Old Testament the priests had the nicest clothes and put on the best show in town when they worshiped. The only problem is that our society often responds to great presentations by standing and watching. In western culture, musical performances are often non-participatory.
So, whether you have lights, smoke machines or just a guy with a guitar under regular lights, pick songs that encourage engagement.
No crazy melodies, three-minute guitar solos, or Mariah Carey-esque vocal runs. Keep it simple so that everyone can join in. If you really want to show off what you got, do some pre- or post-service music, and go wild.
20. SELECT CREATIVE/NON-CLICHÉ SONGS.
Many songs string a bunch of Christian clichés together and call it a worship song. It’s totally singable and familiar, and people start singing it right away. But that’s because they’ve sung it many times before, just in other songs.
Each song should feel somewhat familiar, but take you a little outside what you’ve heard before lyrically. I mentioned Elevation Worship’s “There is a Cloud” in a section above. That’s a good example. I’ve never heard a worship song about a cloud before. Totally unique. Yet, it’s understandable and not too artsy.
Likewise, when “10,000 Reasons” came out, I felt the same. I’ve never heard a song with that number in it before. And, except for the old hymn about a thousand tongues, I haven’t heard many songs about numbers. Kind of a unique idea.
So whether you’re writing a worship song or choosing one that’s already been written, find something unique in each song you select.
21. DON’T CHOOSE SONGS. WRITE THEM.
Another strategy is to forego choosing songs once in a while and write one instead.
Some churches write songs for each sermon series. Some write dozens of songs per year and choose the best to put on an album. Most churches probably aren’t at that level. My church has only written one song as a team. However, it’s a worthwhile excercise. Really, it’s the only way to put in song exactly what God is doing in your church.
22. CHOOSE WORSHIP SONGS THAT ARE MORE THAN THREE CHORDS. -AND- CHOOSE SONGS THAT ARE ONLY THREE CHORDS.
I could argue this one either way. On one hand, you want to select songs that are complex enough to keep your best musicians interested. That might mean some maj7 and diminished chords here and there. But you don’t want to scare off newer musicians, either. And, often, it’s very nice to forget about getting a complex chord progression right and just focus on worship.
So, I guess what I’m saying is to pick a mix of easy and tougher songs for your church.
23. CHOOSE HYMNS AND MODERN SONGS.
Even in the most contemporary churches, there’s room for hymns. Hymns connect us with the church’s musical history. Plus, sometimes they’re downright awesome. Nothing beats the hard hitting, spiritually meaty, super-crafted verses of a nice hymn. But if you sing all hymns, you might be missing out, too.
There are lots of newer songs that deliver a powerful punch lyrically, but are more relatable to those who didn’t grow up in a church. Whether your church leans more modern or traditional, there’s an opportunity to expose worshipers to a different style than they’re used to.
24. SELECT BOTH “GOD” AND “ME” SONGS.
There’s this big debate over whether worship songs should be about God or man. The answer is both. Anyone who argues otherwise has never cracked open the book of Psalms. David goes on and on about how he’s been persecuted, hunted down, spat upon, ratted on. He’s the world’s first country artist.
Joking aside, there’s a fair amount of “me” songs in the Bible, so we shouldn’t be afraid to choose songs that are about people. Typically, it’s about a person’s relationship to God, and isn’t that what life and worship is about anyway?
(Of course, don’t forget the God songs, either.)
25. CHOOSE WORSHIP SONGS GOD IS TELLING YOU TO CHOOSE.
Most important, pray about the songs you should be doing in your church. Don’t select the first song on the latest album just because it’s trending and all the churches are doing it. If other churches jumped off a cliff . . .
You should choose songs that direct your church toward God’s direction for you as a congregation. That might mean skipping many popular songs and going with ones that are written in-house, or that you find in an old hymnal.
The best songs are ones that resonate with your people because that’s where God’s taking you.
WHAT WOULD YOU ADD TO THIS LIST?
Be creative and have fun with song selection. Don’t overthink it. When it comes to choosing songs what are some tactics that have worked for you?
This article about choosing songs for worship originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
