Why isn't Your Church Singing - Part 2 - Song Selection
Last week we talked about whether or not your church is ready to worship when they step into church. Let's assume now that they've made the step and they're ready to worship. Sometimes... they still don't sing!
PROBLEM: Your song selection.
There are thousands of songs a worship leader could choose to lead on any given Sunday. Sometimes, we pick the wrong ones. It's easy to pick songs that we like. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking we need to constantly introduce new songs. It's easy to pick songs that people done need to sing.
SOLUTION: Pick better songs!
What do I mean by "better" songs? Here are three key questions you can ask yourself when choosing songs for worship.
1 | Does it support the theme?
One surefire way to build a great set list is to focus on a theme. This theme provides a cohesiveness throughout the worship gathering. It allows a chance for people to respond to some theological truth in a deeper way and allows you to have a talking point for transitions between songs. The theme doesn’t need to be super specific. Some potential themes include: God's love, God's mercy, the cross, etc. - It's even better to coordinate with your pastor and support the theme they want to highlight that morning.
2 | Is this a congregational worship song?
Simply put: some songs are great songs, but they aren't congregational worship songs. There are three criteria a congregation worship song must meet. SINGABLE: Will my congregation be able to sing it? Is the musical range too large? Is the melody too complicated? Is the song structure east follow? - TRUTH: What truth is being communicated in this song? Or is it just a story being told? Are there other songs that better explain this truth? - UNDERSTANDABLE: What sort of language does this song use? Is it the same language people in my church would use? Is this song too artistic that people won’t understand it?
3 | Is this song for MY church?
Sometimes a song meets the requirements for being a congregational worship song but still will not work in your church. To solve this problem, you have to get to know the people of your church. If you read last week’s post this should already be on your radar. Use the circumstances of people's lives to help guide you in your songs selection.
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