Does your church use contemporary worship songs in its services of public worship on Sundays? Does the lion’s share of these worship songs have the same theme—different lyrics but the same theme—the real or imagined salvation experience of the song writer or a generalized salvation experience? Have Sundays become a celebration of personal salvation rather than a time to give thanks and praise to God for all that he has done and is doing, to celebrate all God’s mighty deeds, to expound the great truths of the Bible, to extend Christ’s call to discipleship, to intercede for the Church and the world, to encourage each other, and to reaffirm one’s commitment to Christ? Do the worship songs express feelings or experiences to which the members of the congregation cannot relate?
God’s gracious redemption of humanity certainly has a place in Wesleyan theology, but as John Wesley draws to our attention in his sermons, salvation is only the first step. Having saved us, God then sanctifies us, enables us to become like Jesus and to live a life of love, following Jesus’ example.
As well as using language easily understood by the congregation and any visitors, our prayers and worship songs should also give expression to feelings and experiences that are easily relatable.
With these thoughts in mind, here are a few worship pointers which I garnered from articles, books, workshops, my own personal experience as a worship leader, the advice of mentors and voice teachers, John Wesley’s sermons and writings, and other sources.
Whoever selects the worship songs for a church’s services of public worship will face the temptation to use the latest worship songs released by a favorite song writer or sung by a favorite performer. They may be tempted to use the worship songs that appear on a list of the most popular worship songs, form a part of the repertoire of the worship team of a large church or a mega church, or are the latest hits on Christian radio or a digital music service like Spotify. These criteria are not the best for selecting worship songs for a service of public worship. Every congregation has its own unique character as well as its own unique circumstances. The character and circumstances of a congregation are important considerations in the selection of worship songs along with accessibility (suitability for congregational singing), usefulness, theological soundness, agreement with Scripture, and appealing melody or tune.
When selecting a worship song consideration needs to be given to whether the song is in a comfortable range for the average singer in the congregation. If a worship song is pitched too high or too low the congregation will not be able to sing the worship song and will be discouraged from singing.
When selecting a worship song consideration also needs to be given to whether the words of a song fit with the point in the service where the worship planners are thinking of using it and how it will affect the flow of the service. Some worship songs work best at the very beginning of the service and others later on in the service. A song must make sense where it is used in a worship service. For example, it makes no sense to sing a call to worship as the congregation is about to depart. The tune of the song must also fit with the mood of that part of the service in which it is used.
In planning a service of public worship, it is helpful to think of the service as a three way conversation in which we speak to God, we speak to each other, and God speaks to us. We speak to God through the prayers and the songs. We speak to each other through the songs. God speaks to us through the prayers, the Scripture reading, the sermon, and the songs. He may also speak to us directly. For example, the congregation might respond to a sermon on our need for the Holy Spirit with a prayer song like this one from Sovereign Grace Music, “Spirit of God.”
VERSE 1
The blessing of the Father
Gift of grace and love
The promise of the Savior
For power from above
Oh, wondrous gift that’s given
For confidence and mission
Holy Spirit, You make all things new
CHORUS
Spirit of God, breathe on me now
Source of life, come, revive my weary heart
Spirit of God, shine on me now
Light of life, come, ignite my longing heart
VERSE 2
Come and lift the dark clouds
Of doubt and unbelief
Shine upon my soul now
For by Your rays I see
Clearer, closer, deeper
The love of my Redeemer
Holy Spirit, You make all things new
BRIDGE
Where You breathe hope thrives
The dead return to life
And the dark must flee the breaking day
By Your light I see the glory of my King
Beholding Him I will be changed
Among the purposes of worship songs is to edify the congregation. It is consistent with Wesleyan theology that Methodist worship services should be transformative experiences that help the participants to grow spiritually. Our aim on Sundays should be to give the congregation more than an emotional boost. To that end the songs that we use in worship need to give expression to a variety of themes, including sanctification. John and Charles Wesley set an example for us with their hymns.
In his sermon, “The Means of Grace,” John Wesley is emphatic that in using the means of grace, we must focus on God above all else. In his three general rules for Methodist societies Wesley identifies services of public worship as an ordinance of God and a means of grace. Wesley’ guidance on the use of the means of grace consequently has implications for how we plan services of public worship.
Contemporary society is me-focused, and this focus is discernable in a number of worship songs. Those selecting the songs for a worship service need to strike a balance between the me-centered songs and the God and Christ-centered ones. If they have been using a lot of me-focused songs, they will need to use more God and Christ-centered ones. A good practice is to begin with the God and Christ-centered songs at the beginning of a set or the service and then transition to the me-centered ones near the end of the set or the service. I have found the worship songs from Advent Birmingham, Emu Music, Jubilate Music, Kevin Mayhew, Mission Worship, Liturgical Folk, Resound Worship, Songs for the Masses, Sovereign Grace Music, and Spirit and Song are generally well-balanced in their focus. Among the songwriters whose worship songs are also generally well-balanced in their focus are Tom Booth, Keith Duke, Ryan Flanigan, Keith and Kristyn Getty, Sarah Hart, Graham Kendrick, Aaron Keys, Elise Massa, Jennie Lea Riddle, Andrea Sandefer, Stuart Townend, and Josiah Warneking. Two Catholic music publishers, GIA and OCP, include in their catalogs a number of contemporary worship songs and contemporary worship song writers, which met this criterion. A number of the older praise choruses and worship songs meet this criterion too.
Those selecting the songs for a congregation’s worship services need to give care attention to the words that they will be asking the congregation to sing. As well as being theologically sound, the songs that we use in our worship services need to agree with what the Bible teaches. This may require worship planners either to discard a worship song that from a musical standpoint has a strong appeal or alter its lyrics. A number of studies conducted in recent years show that a very large segment of the Christian population of the United States is theologically and Biblically illiterate. We contribute to this problem when we fail to vet worship songs to make sure that they are theologically sound and in agreement with the teaching of the Bible.
A song writer may use figurative language in a worship song, assuming those who hear the song will recognize it as figurative language. Worship planners cannot make that assumption. Members of the congregation and visitors may interpret that language literally and consequently acquire a mistaken idea regarding what the song is saying. To avoid any misunderstanding, it may be better to not use the song or substitute language that will not be misunderstood.
At some point in the service the worship team will need to transition to slower, more prayerful songs. Fast, upbeat songs are great for the beginning of the service. Transitioning from fast songs to slower ones, from songs of praise to songs of adoration, will deepen the worship experience for the congregation. It will help the congregation to move from the outer courts to the inner sanctuary.
If your worship team is in the habit of reprising one of the songs they have sung earlier for the final song of the service, your congregation’s worship experience will be greatly enhanced if the worship team develops a repertoire of closing songs, songs which emphasize the congregation’s unity, the church’s mission, love of one’s fellow Christians, service to Christ in the world, extending a welcome to all people, and so forth and which send the congregation back into the world with a word of encouragement.
Selecting worship songs for Communion Sundays can be a challenge. The Lord’s Supper is more than a commemoration of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross, it is also a celebration of his resurrection and victory over death and his presence in the midst of his people. It is a sign of the love that Christians ought to have for one another and a foretaste of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.
I will be posting a separate article giving tips on what kinds of songs to select for Communion Sundays and how to use them. My previous article, "The Place of Congregational Song during the Distribution of Communion" offers some guidance in the selection of hymns and worship songs for celebrations of the Lord's Supper.
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