It hard to believe another week has just flown by! My wife and I just completed our first full week of summer vacation and boy are we exhausted! (I'm half kidding, of course!) We live in one of those places people love to come visit from about October through May, but from June until about September they roll up the sidewalks around here and everyone goes underground! You think I'm kidding? It's supposed to reach 110 degrees this next week! Ouch!
Ever so often, someone will come up and ask me how I go about choosing songs for Sunday services. If you're a beginning worship leader, or know someone who is getting started leading worship in a church somewhere in your area, here are a couple of suggestions to help in song selection for Sunday mornings.
1st - I pray about it. Pretty simple huh? But believe me, it helps get your thoughts focused in the right direction at least. (I usually start my planning for Sunday morning services about a week or maybe even two weeks before...)
2nd - Make a list (write it down or type it up) of all the praise/worship/hymn songs you know and can play on your given instrument and the keys y0u sing them in comfortably. The more you lead worship, the better you'll get at this, but start with a list. (do this right now!)
3rd - Make a list of the praise/worship/hymn songs your congregation knows. If your new in the church, ask the pastor or take a survey or both! If you know everyone well and have been leading them for a while, making a list should be easy, however you might still want to do a little survey - you might be surprised at the results you get! (do this ASAP)
4th - Consult with your pastor. This is perhaps the single most crucial part of your "job" and if you know each other it makes planning a whole lot easier - however, if your just starting out at a new church you will want to develop the relationship between you and your pastor. That's about all I will say for now on this - This is a topic that really is a book in itself. (see side note below)
(side note) There is a great book that has been out for a few years titled "The New Worship" by Barry Liesch, and this book covers a lot of this sort of stuff - so go get it if you don't have it and read it! (try Amazon or Barnes and Noble)
5th - "The Nitty Grit"
I have several notebooks of songs in my office that I have collected over the years and organized them alphabetically in three large 3 ring binders. Sometimes, I will just plop myself down on the floor and look through them all! When a song will sometimes "pop" out at me, I pull it out and make a "Must do soon" pile. I like to organize songs this way (but everybody has different ways of doing this so really it's about what works for you) I have a pile of songs for "Openers" a pile for "Go together" and "Closers"
"Openers" - These might be something like - "Forever," "Open the Eyes of My Heart," "Joyful, Joyful, We adore thee," "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" or even "To God Be the Glory" etc.
"Go Together" - These might be; "My Jesus, I Love Thee" and "Here I am to Worship" or "Great is thy Faithfulness" and "Amazing Love (You Are My King)" I usually like to groups certain songs by "Themes" and/or Keys etc. If I start with a song in the key of D, I may keep it there, or if I modulate for the next song, I want it to go smoothly so I might choose a song that is in a "relative" key to D (like G or B minor) or I may go up a step to E. I generally don't like to go down in keys (like D to C) and try to avoid it. Moving upward in keys, helps keep the momentum moving and generally feels smoother in transitions.
"Closers" - These might be; "Higher Ground" "Come Just as You Are" "One Thing" or "Enough" or any song that maybe you feel might add a little extra at the end of your pastor's message - it really all depends on several factors and this is where the "prayer" time I talked about earlier helps you focus on the needs of the day and the calling of the Lord in helping you shape the entire worship service.
Finally and most importantly, keep in mind your congregation (what songs they know or don't know well, their "learning" curve) and what songs you are comfortable with playing and singing with your instrument...
And practice! practice! practice!
Got to run for now (It's practice time for me too now!)
Blessings,
Dave
Ever so often, someone will come up and ask me how I go about choosing songs for Sunday services. If you're a beginning worship leader, or know someone who is getting started leading worship in a church somewhere in your area, here are a couple of suggestions to help in song selection for Sunday mornings.
1st - I pray about it. Pretty simple huh? But believe me, it helps get your thoughts focused in the right direction at least. (I usually start my planning for Sunday morning services about a week or maybe even two weeks before...)
2nd - Make a list (write it down or type it up) of all the praise/worship/hymn songs you know and can play on your given instrument and the keys y0u sing them in comfortably. The more you lead worship, the better you'll get at this, but start with a list. (do this right now!)
3rd - Make a list of the praise/worship/hymn songs your congregation knows. If your new in the church, ask the pastor or take a survey or both! If you know everyone well and have been leading them for a while, making a list should be easy, however you might still want to do a little survey - you might be surprised at the results you get! (do this ASAP)
4th - Consult with your pastor. This is perhaps the single most crucial part of your "job" and if you know each other it makes planning a whole lot easier - however, if your just starting out at a new church you will want to develop the relationship between you and your pastor. That's about all I will say for now on this - This is a topic that really is a book in itself. (see side note below)
(side note) There is a great book that has been out for a few years titled "The New Worship" by Barry Liesch, and this book covers a lot of this sort of stuff - so go get it if you don't have it and read it! (try Amazon or Barnes and Noble)
5th - "The Nitty Grit"
I have several notebooks of songs in my office that I have collected over the years and organized them alphabetically in three large 3 ring binders. Sometimes, I will just plop myself down on the floor and look through them all! When a song will sometimes "pop" out at me, I pull it out and make a "Must do soon" pile. I like to organize songs this way (but everybody has different ways of doing this so really it's about what works for you) I have a pile of songs for "Openers" a pile for "Go together" and "Closers"
"Openers" - These might be something like - "Forever," "Open the Eyes of My Heart," "Joyful, Joyful, We adore thee," "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" or even "To God Be the Glory" etc.
"Go Together" - These might be; "My Jesus, I Love Thee" and "Here I am to Worship" or "Great is thy Faithfulness" and "Amazing Love (You Are My King)" I usually like to groups certain songs by "Themes" and/or Keys etc. If I start with a song in the key of D, I may keep it there, or if I modulate for the next song, I want it to go smoothly so I might choose a song that is in a "relative" key to D (like G or B minor) or I may go up a step to E. I generally don't like to go down in keys (like D to C) and try to avoid it. Moving upward in keys, helps keep the momentum moving and generally feels smoother in transitions.
"Closers" - These might be; "Higher Ground" "Come Just as You Are" "One Thing" or "Enough" or any song that maybe you feel might add a little extra at the end of your pastor's message - it really all depends on several factors and this is where the "prayer" time I talked about earlier helps you focus on the needs of the day and the calling of the Lord in helping you shape the entire worship service.
Finally and most importantly, keep in mind your congregation (what songs they know or don't know well, their "learning" curve) and what songs you are comfortable with playing and singing with your instrument...
And practice! practice! practice!
Got to run for now (It's practice time for me too now!)
Blessings,
Dave
This is the best sound teaching on worship that I have ever read. I so relate to all the things you have said. I can't believe I am reading this. I am only grateful that the Lord has given you the ability to share freely with the world the knowledge He has embedded in you. God Bless you!
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