A church’s song selection may not seem like a big deal. However, it’s crucial to creating an engaging and entertaining experience for churchgoers. Music is an integral part of the ministry. Unfortunately, curating an appropriate list of songs can be a challenging and time-consuming task.
Crafting a worship set for a single week alone can take a considerable amount of time. Then you have to repeat this process every week to ensure a seamless and engaging service. This obviously sounds like a daunting task. Fortunately, the following information can assist you greatly.
What Is a Worship Song Set?
The process of church song selection involves curating a set of worship songs to be played during services every week. Each song must complement the others stylistically or thematically. This ensures that the service’s message is conveyed to the community gathered in the church.
Ministries avoid repetition by selecting different songs for each part of the mass. Various songs are placed near the beginning, the end and during communion. However, this task can be challenging — especially when trying to fill the void in the worship set without repeating a recently-used song.
At times, themes can be broad, thus providing an abundance of song choices. At other times, finding songs that fit a specific theme can be challenging. To help with the process of church song selection, here are six questions to consider when planning a worship set.
These will give you and other ministry officials the confidence needed to lead an engaging and meaningful service.
1. Are the Songs Enjoyable, Moving or Interesting?
When selecting songs for a worship set, the expectation is that they will sound great and have lyrics that the community can sing along to. If you are unsure about how a song will play out, it’s essential to talk to your music director. Consider the song’s melody and whether it sounds beautiful on a piano or guitar. You want to choose uplifting and energetic songs that inspire churchgoers to sing along and make the service lively.
It’s important to note that songs with somber themes along with dull or hard-to-understand lyrics can have the opposite effect. Choosing a singable song with a cheerful melody can encourage members of the church to sing louder and more joyfully.
Additionally, songs in other languages — such as Hebrew or Latin — certainly sound beautiful. However, it’s always preferable to have English lyrics that everyone can sing along with. The right songs can resonate with churchgoers of all ages. This makes them suitable for any demographic.
2. What Do You Think of the Songs?
When handling church song selection in your ministry, it’s essential to make an informed decision. If you’re unsure about a song, there are steps you can take to help make a sound choice. Imagine yourself sitting or standing in a pew during a church service and listening to the song.
Now, do you feel comfortable and at home, or is something off? As a listener, what do the lyrics mean to you? To make an informed decision, you may need to read all the lyrics and listen to a few verses. If a song has never been played before, how can you know if it fits the mold?
It’s crucial to evaluate each song carefully to ensure that it aligns with the message and theme of the worship set.
3. Does Your Worship Set Have Meaning?
When selecting songs for a worship set, it’s not enough for them to have a great or catchy melody. It’s essential that the songs tell a deep and meaningful story about the Lord and His righteousness.
Unfortunately, many songs for worship lack any mention of the Lord and instead contain meaningless lyrics. Some songs could even pass as pop music if you replace “Jesus” with romantic terms of affection. To avoid this, ministries should select songs that convey a meaningful message rather than just entertain.
If you come across a good song that doesn’t fit the theme for this week’s service, save it for another time. This approach can make it easier to complete a worship set when the song is more fitting. Many churches keep multiple songs in reserve for future use.
4. How Does the Pastor View the Church Song Selection?
Your pastor has gone through a plethora of songs in your church’s songbooks. They probably also have other song collections that they may like or dislike. It goes without saying that you cannot finalize the worship set for the week without the pastor’s approval. Involving them in the church song selection process can give you the confidence to make solid choices.
Even with just minimal input, their opinion remains essential. In fact, your pastor probably has some favorite songs that they use for specific themes during the service. If you are struggling to find suitable songs for the worship set for a particular week, reaching out to your pastor for help is always a wise decision.
Whatever song choices your pastor suggests, you can trust that they are great choices. This is not only because the pastor likely knows a thing or two about worship music, but also because they won’t question your decision on song choices since they are the ones recommending them.
5. How Would the Lord View Your Worship Set?
While it’s important to seek opinions from other church officials and your pastor, have you considered seeking guidance from the Lord when selecting church songs? Although the Lord cannot provide you with specific answers to your questions, he can communicate with you through intuition.
Do you ever feel unsure or hesitant about your song choices for the worship set, even when others have given their approval? It’s possible that the Lord may be signaling to you whether or not the songs you have selected are appropriate. If you are experiencing doubts about any of your church song selections, make sure you listen.
This may be the Lord’s way of guiding you to find better options for the week.
6. Do the Songs Resonate With the Ministry?
What direction do you envision your church going? Because your ultimate objective can influence the selection of songs for your worship set. Are you aiming to attract new people and build community outreach in church? Or is your current congregation still your primary focus?
Songs that appeal to specific demographics can entice more people from that group to join your ministry. If your members love your church music selections, they’re more likely to recommend your house of worship to others. This leads to increased attendance and potentially higher revenue.
The Right Church Song Selection Can Do Wonders
A well-crafted worship set ensures that churchgoers remain engaged. It also creates a positive atmosphere every Sunday. If a song or two falls short, you can learn from your mistakes and make better choices the following week. Improving your church song selection process might take time, so don’t get disheartened!
Of course, the tunes during your service will only do so much with attracting new congregants and keeping members coming in. Fortunately, you can utilize the engagement tools provided by DonorWerx to maintain healthy attendance numbers and giving levels. Schedule a Free Discovery Call with us today to learn more.
