I have been commissioned (along with my Worship Ministry Team) to review the current song bank at our church and make additions and subtractions as needed to fit our current culture of worship. Our task is to come up with 100-150 songs that we consider to be "our songs (thank you, Ed Stetzer)." These would be songs that the members of our congregation can identify themselves with individually and as unified church body. But it's not just about picking the songs we "like." We have been challenged and convicted to examine each song and be able to communicate WHY we chose to have this particular song make the YES LIST.
Upon initial review I found that our song bank has approximately 250 songs in it as of now. And honestly, I was hard pressed to find more than 50 songs I would personally include in a song set (based mostly on my own preferences). There were also a handful of new pieces we've been working on but have not done with the church yet and another handful of songs I am not opposed to, but wouldn't personally choose to include in my worship sets. I soon realized that WE HAVE A TON OF WORK TO DO!!
So where do you begin?
Here are 5 guidelines for why a song should REMAIN in the set...
1. It communicates a truth from SCRIPTURE (Nehemiah 8:1-6)
2. The lyrics come directly from SCRIPTURE (Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:18-19)
3. It gives GLORY TO GOD for either WHO He is or WHAT He has done (Psalm 145)
4. It is TIMELESS and caries a weight of emotional and spiritual significance ACROSS GENERATIONS (Joshua 4:19-24)
5. It is NEW - to be sung for now, but maybe not forever (Psalm 149)
But it's not just about KEEPING songs. Some songs just need to GO and for good reason! So...
Here are 5 guidelines for why a song should be ELIMINATED...
1. It is a nice song ABOUT God things which are NOT THEOLOGICALLY SOUND (This one is tricky. All churches are different and it depends on individual interpretation - but think, "Does this song match up to what MY CHURCH believes about this idea/topic?" - Don't know? Get a copy of your church's statement of believes, or ask a pastor or elder if it lines up with what they would teach the congregation.)
2. It’s a love song. If God is not specifically mentioned or if you can easily exchange God or Lord for “Baby or Girl," - it's not deep enough (Hebrews 13:15)
3. It Glorifies ME and WHO I AM instead of GOD and WHO HE IS or it glorifies what I GET OUT of God instead of what GOD HAS DONE for me – it has to be MORE about GOD and LESS about ME. (John 3:30)
4. It’s OLD - and no longer relevant – aka NOT TIMELESS (Mark 7:1-13)
5. It is UNCOMFORTABLE to sing either because it's too difficult or it's in a style that doesn't suit your congregation. (1 Corinthians 14:33a)
I will be putting these guidelines into practice first by selecting my personal TOP 10 LIST of songs our church already uses - that is quite the task! Blessings to my team who are attempting to do the same. I hope you find these ideas helpful in your endeavor.
