3 Questions to Ask about Your Songs

Have you ever been unsure if a song is right for your church or not? 

Whether you’re looking for new songs to introduce to your church, choosing songs for an upcoming weekend service, or even considering old songs to bring back into rotation, there are some things you should consider. At WLC we believe songs are powerful tools! Because of that, we believe in choosing songs carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully. To do that, we encourage worship leaders to ask a handful of questions about their songs! Here are 3 that we ask:

1.     Is it worshipful?

First and foremost, ask the question, “is this worshipful?” There are plenty of songs out there that are played on Christian radio, have a good message, or even talk about Jesus that aren’t actually worship songs. There may be a place for those, but worship songs should worship. They should ascribe worth to God. They should give Him glory. If a song doesn’t do that, it shouldn’t be in your rotation. 

2.  Does it talk more about God than it does about me?

Along the same lines as question #1, ask yourself, “does this song talk more about God or about me?” There are some incredible songs out there that are written to build up the church and to edify believers. They aren’t necessary worshipful though. Some of them could be sung in a corporate worship setting, but you as the leader, should know if you are singing a song with your church or over your church. If it’s a song about your identity in Christ, it’s probably something your singing over your church. Know the difference! 

One exercise I often encourage leaders to do is this: print the lyrics to a song and count how many times the song says “I” or “me” and compare that number to the number of times it says “you” or “God.” That will shed some light on who the song is about!

3. Is this something my church needs to sing right now? 

Consider the season your church is in. What do you need to be singing? Are there folks in your church who need to experience healing? Maybe you should sing songs about healing. Are you in a sermon series about the character of Christ? Maybe you should sing songs specifically about Jesus! Asking people questions like, “what are you praising God for?” or “what are you praying for right now?” can tell you a lot about the season your church is in. Whatever the season, I’m sure there is a song for it! If not, maybe you should write one!

These questions are great for you as the worship leader, but they’re also great for you to discuss with your team and your pastor. Ask your team what songs they’re worshiping with at home. Ask your pastor about his thoughts on the season your church is in. Start a conversation about worship! Doing so will give you more and more insight for the songs you need to choose next!