One of the main struggles with every person tasked with creating a service that engages people with God… is choosing the right songs that will underscore your theme for the service, or at least prepare people for it, and give them an opportunity to respond in a way that sparks transformation and a fresh walk with God.
Song choice in a service is critical and never haphazard. And how you lead these songs, speak or respond in the worship setting, is also critical – but let’s deal with the song selection first.
Why is song selection critical? Let me give you a few of thoughts:
- Because truth is critical. Not only are we called to worship in spirit but also truth (John 4: 24). That means that the words we sing (and pray and share for that matter) must not only be true scripturally, but also expose universal truths that most people experience. And that’s not hard as we all are tarred with the same brush – our tendency to drift from God’s ways (it’s called sin!!) but also experience God’s grace, love and mercy as well.
- Because we teach each other as we sing. (Ephesians 5:19-21). Paul’s encouragement is to sing truth over people: not opinions, not personal experiences (although testimony is vital in the community), not philosophies, theologies nor ideologies but truth. Paul probably had in mind scripture with psalms and spiritual songs etc… Whatever it is, it needs to be God’s revelation of truth that shapes man’s response.
- Because spirit tilled worship inspires thanksgiving in our hearts (Colossians 3:16-18)… and this is so necessary for the building up of the soul of your church, and the individuals whose soul has been knocked about during the week.
… of course there’s more, but that should be enough to convince the person who throws a few songs together, not knowing or understanding their content, not the context in which they will be sung to intentionally select the right songs, under the Spirit’s guidance.
So what should we be looking for when choosing songs? Not withstanding the need to repeat new songs, or theme songs for a series, here’s some things to consider, whether it’s a new song, or just selecting songs for a service.
- Do the songs clearly speak God’s revelation? That is, are the words of the song true?
- Can people say “amen” – or “I agree” with the truth of the song? Is it a fairly universal experience?
- Is the language of the song understandable – not so poetic or flowery that people don’t really understand it. I’ve heard songs that have been really popular, that I have no idea what they are about. I’ve asked others who sing them with such fervour what the song is about, and they have no idea either – they just like it because there is a beat and you can dance to it.
- Is the song a strong congregational song, or more suited as a solo that ministers? Sometimes, ministry type songs work well as a congregational song, much to the surprise of a singer / song-writer, but the question is worth asking.
- Is it a strong song, well written with a memorable melody, memorable words and hooks? You want people holding songs in their heart as they leave the service so that the truth continues to minister. Truth is, they will hold something in their hearts, and songs have the power to help people remember what God has done for them, and the fresh commitments that they have made to walk more closely with Him.
I don’t have the space here to talk about where you put songs in the service – maybe another time, other than to punctuate one important thought.
When selecting songs, make sure the last song is one that gives the worshippers and opportunity to respond to the word spoken in such a way that opens the door to transformation and a new life, or fresh walk with God.
So… take song selection very seriously. It has the power to be a part of life transformation as songs speak into the soul of every person who comes to worship our amazing God.
Let me know what your process is for selecting songs. Share your insights and comments.