3 Ways to Introduce a Song BEFORE You Introduce the Song

Do you ever get frustrated when introducing a new song to your church? Does it seem like they just aren’t getting it? 

Maybe you recognize this feeling: A new single drops from one of your favorite worship artists. It’s got great lyrical content, the melody is fun but attainable for the congregation, the guitar parts are cool, the drum beat is fun, and the theology is rock solid – how much better could it be?! You rehearse it with your team, the team loves it too, and then Sunday comes… and the song you thought would blow your church out of the water doesn’t seem to do a thing at all. 

You’re left wondering, “where did I go wrong?”

While there’s always something to be said about how you lead, how you talk about a song going into it, and so on - sometimes a song flops the first time because people don’t know it. Don’t be discouraged! There are a few ways you could begin to get a new song into your congregation’s ears before Sunday morning:

1.    Add it to your pre-service playlist

If you know you want to introduce a new song in the near future or for an upcoming series, try adding it to your pre and post service playlist for a few weeks before introducing it. This will make the song much more familiar when you lead it in service. Not everyone will know every word, but many will at least recognize it!

2.    Share it on social media

Want your church to listen to a new song? Post it on social media! Caption the video to let them know it’s coming up soon in worship! I can almost guarantee it will get at least a few listens! Here’s another idea – do an acoustic cover and post that too! That can be a really fun way to both engage your church and be a little creative too!

3.    Create a Worship at Home Playlist

Get on Spotify, YouTube, or whatever else you use to listen to music, and create a worship playlist for your church. Put up the new song (or few new ones!) as well as some of your regular ones! This is a great way to not only teach new songs, but to encourage worship outside of Sunday morning! 

Here’s a tip: If you’re creating a playlist like this, you’ll want to update it periodically and share it often! People will eventually get tired of the same old songs. And if you don’t remind them about it, they may just forget. 

Try one (or all) of these things the next time you introduce a new song to your church. See if you have better engagement than with the last song your introduced. It certainly can’t hurt!