Choosing Songs for the service.

Every Wednesday at band practice we spend about half our time picking out songs for Sunday, because it is one of the most important decisions you will make. Depending on your place in the service you may find yourself saying a few words, but unless you are delivering the sermon or a devotional what the congregation is going to take home with them are the songs they heard.
Because it is such an important decision I do have a few guidelines that I like to go by.

• Is the song scriptural - This is the most important question you can ask. A good song will leave you singing afterwards and if you leave a person singing something that is not true than you are hurting more than you are helping. I have gotten into a few debates over this with people on songs. Just because a song talks about God does not mean that it is worthy for a Worship Service.
• Does it Praise God - This seems like a no-brainer but you would be suprised how many times I have been asked to play Bridge Over Troubled Water for a Sunday service. True there are times when you can change the lyrics to a popular song to make them about Jesus, my favorite is 'How sweet it is to be loved by you' with the refrain 'I just want to Stop, and thank you Jesus' but you need to be careful with these because singing Sweet Home Up In Heaven might still leave people with Sweet Home Alabama when they leave.
• Does it fit the Sermon or Theme of the Service - This is the hardest to choose, hopefully all of the songs in your repertoire already fit the first two criteria but this one takes a little homework. Also this information may not always be available before hand.  Fortunately our minister uses the Lectionary and we make good use of The United Methodist Music and Worship Planner. 
• Can the Congregation Participate - Remember you are a Praise Leader so don't forget the people who are trying to follow. Try to have songs that the congregation can sing along with or clap their hands. Solos should guide people to a close experience with the Lord. A song for its own sake or something too complex to follow have no place in a Worship Service
  
• Let the Spirit Guide You - Pray for guidance before choosing your songs and listen to where the Lord is leading you. On more that one occasion multiple members of the band have come in and said that they felt that they were being led in a specific direction and we found we were all being led the same direction. Be sure to use discernment here but the guidance may not always make sense to you at the time but remember that God knows things that you do not and will always lead to His glory.

We have other criteria that we use as well but they are unique to the structure of our service. We know we need a prayerful song here or an upbeat worship song there. Hopefully I have given something here that can be of use to you in your own Worship Service.

May His Love Be With You,
PraiseBlogger