Guidelines for Choosing Worship Songs
Hello worship team members of [church]! After some time serving as a worship leader and receiving guidance from many spiritual leaders, I have been taught and discovered there are certain guidelines for choosing a worship set. This is my attempt to put them on paper. Here we go!
1) Is it theologically sound? (Is it theologically weak or watered down?)
- There are some popular worship songs that have little to no theological content. These songs tend to sing the same thing over and over again and you wonder if the worship team is stuck on repeat. Other songs might seem to be theologically deep, but when you really analyze the lyrics it contains a confusing message or talks about things that contradict the Bible.
2) Is it a performance or worship style song/is it appropriate for the setting?
- There are beautiful Christian music songs that are wonderful to sing along to. Does this mean it is good for worship? Not necessarily! While He Reigns by Newsboys is a fantastic song, it is not the type of song that is for worship. It is telling about the network of believers and how they worship the Lord, but it is not a song worshiping God.
3) Is it clear the song is talking about God or could it be about a significant other?
- If this song was sung in a bar, would the audience think this song was about God or the significant other of the song writer? Pretty clear cut on this one.
4) Is it singable for the congregation?
- Are the melody and lyrics singable for the congregation? There are some songs that pass all the other criteria while having a melody that is downright un-singable unless you study the sheet music. There also are songs that the lyrics are hard to learn, making it difficult for the congregation to enter into worship.
- Along with singability, it must be an appropriate style/genre for the congregation. This point can also fit in the performance or worship topic, but it is more important for the congregation. There are churches who are adding songs with Christian rap into their worship sets. Christian rap can be some of the most theologically deep and intense lyrics of any song genre. If this is a style that the congregation will accept, then by all means add it to your set. But, if you have a more traditional congregation, putting rap in the worship time would be the reason for a mass exodus from or the extinction of your congregation. You must cater to the style preferences of the congregation as you are there to lead the congregation in worshiping the Lord.
These are the first steps to determine if a single song is appropriate for the congregation you are leading.
Types of worship songs:
1) Declaration songs
a) Songs that declare what God has done, will do, or about His character
b) Songs that declare what God does or will do for us
2) Praising songs
a) Songs that praise God
b) Songs in which we surrender to Him
In a worship set, it is important to have a good mix of songs that fall into each category. Declaration songs are wonderful to show who God is and what He does for us, but they do not praise God in the way He deserves. Worship songs are a great way to open people's hearts to God, but they do not speak of who God is. It is important to have both types of songs so the set list will have meaning on multiple levels.
It also is important to consider the first set of criteria. There are some good songs that might be a little watered down theologically. By pairing a watered down song with a more theologically deep song it helps to create a balanced worship set. For example, you need to look for songs that have meat in them and not just milk. Songs that are milk are good but only in moderation! (Hebrews 5:12-14)
The format for the set list depends on the structure of the church service. You should speak with your pastor or church leader to see what they want from the worship during the service. If they are not sure, there is a basic format that works.
Start with a "gathering song." This is an upbeat song that will pull people into the sanctuary from the lobby, bring them together and get everyone singing. Then structure the songs in a decreasing tempo from that first song. The other consideration is bringing people deeper into worship. This is why the declaration songs tend to go towards the beginning of the set while worship songs go toward the end before the message.
Familiarity is also important for finding the right songs for worship which goes along with guideline 4. In a worship set for a service, the songs chosen should be familiar to the congregation. What happens if there are 5 songs in a set, and 4 of them are brand new or unfamiliar to the congregation? They will spend the worship time learning the songs instead of entering into a spirit of worship. This is why it is important to have only one new song in a set, and then repeat that song over the next few weeks so it can be learned. A good formula is, introduce a song week one, repeat the next one or two weeks, give one week off and then repeat one last week before letting it rest for a couple weeks.
I would like to remind you that these are "guidelines" and not rules set in stone. You can always change and adapt to work with the setting of the service/event where your team will be leading. Although, remember to prayerfully consider your decisions when in a place of influence. I hope this was helpful to all who participate on the worship teams of [church].
Your Sister in Christ,
~Nicole
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