TWLL #57: How Do I Pick Songs For My Worship Set?

read time: 3 minutes

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When you put your song list together for your worship services, what's your process?  What are some of the things you're looking for when you select a song to go into the setlist?

Today I want to highlight 5 things to look for, when you're picking out songs for your worship set.

Biblical

When you're considering a song for your setlist, look over the lyrics to see if the song agrees with the truth of Scripture.  It doesn't mean that the song has to be a word for word Bible passage, but the message or theme of the song should be a biblical idea that agrees with the truth of Scripture.

Probably most songs you're considering will fit this category, but it's always good to double-check.  This song is what your church will be singing together, and you want it to be biblical.

Scanning a song to see if it's biblical will also push you to know the Word better!

Jesus-Centric

Is the song you're considering Jesus-Centric?  Meaning does it highlight some aspect of who Jesus is and/or what He's done? 

I'm not saying the song can't also be about our walk with Him and our interaction with Him, but does the message of the song point you to something true about who Jesus is? 

Aim to find songs that highlight His nature and character, or the work that He's done (creation, the cross, the resurrection).

Jesus-Directed

Is the song you're considering written in a way where you sing it directly to Jesus?  There's nothing wrong with songs that are written to be sung about Him- but when we come together to worship Him, I want the songs I pick to be songs I can sing straight to Him.  

My guess is probably the majority of mainstream worship songs do this, but I think it's still important to be aware of.  

Musical

What about the melody line of the song, specifically the chorus?  Yes, the message and lyrical content of the song is primary, but a strong solid melody line is going to make the song more memorable and more enjoyable to sing.

When the song has a strong lyric and a strong melody, you've found what you're looking for.  Aim to search for and select songs that don't only have good content, but are melodically solid.

Singable

Remember that many people in your church are not singers or musicians.  Meet them where they're at by picking songs that are easy to learn and easy to sing.  Practically this means picking songs that might have a simpler melody line.

You might find a song that has a super cool melody, but might be a bit too complex or technically challenging to sing.  This could be a great song for special music or maybe in the context of a worship night. 

But for Saturday night/Sunday morning services, where part of the goal is to have the room singing along, you want to select songs that are singable.

Conclusion

Hopefully some helpful thoughts for you today, with the song selection process.  I know it can be challenging. 

Grace as you continue in your weekly set prep and planning, and may the song lists you put together help your room connect with Jesus in worship.

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Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you: 

1. The Connection-Based Spontaneous Worship Course.  If spontaneous worship has been a struggle, you might want to check out Connection-Based Spontaneous Worship.  It's a self-guided, self-paced course that empowers you to lead spontaneous worship with confidence, enables your musicians to flow with you, and helps your room engage.  

2- Join A Zoom Group.  Every 3 months I host small zoom groups- one focused on worship leading and one on songwriting.  Each group meets once a week for an hour on Zoom over a 12-week period, as we walk through the process of learning to leading worship/write songs out of connection with Jesus.  For more details about the next upcoming zoom group, including schedule & cost, email me at [email protected]