Thursday, June 27, 2013

Selecting Songs For Worship


By Elmer Cañas Jr.
As worship leaders we all want to put together the most dynamic, intimate, powerful, God stirring, anointed, fresh and relevant song list possible. But how do you do all that at once? I’m not sure how easy or hard it is for you, but when you want to keep things fresh and relevant, and connect with a wide variety of cultures, it gets tough. I’ve been leading worship for the last 15 years and one of the challenges that hasn’t changed within this last 15 years is the “Song Selection Process.” Here are few pointers on what to consider when selecting songs for your church and services:
1. Be You! Know your Strengths and Weaknesses
  • Know your vocal range and limits.
  • If you want to venture into a new genre of music, PRACTICE HARD. Confidence is the greatest key in communicating & connecting effectively.
  • Follow trends but don’t become a prisoner to the idea that you have to look and sound like the “Modern Day Worship Leader”. (Not everyone can rock a deep V t-shirt and skinny jeans without hindering the presence of God.) 
2. Know the Culture of your Church
  • The culture of your church isn’t determined by the style of music that you sing the most. It’s influenced by the people that attend and make up your local body, but shaped by the leadership of the church.
  • Talk to people in the hallways, in the seats, etc. Leave your green room and engage. Be a culture shaper.
  • Lead from a position of influence instead of leading from a “position” or title. Be relational.
3. Embrace the New
  • It is our responsibility to sing new and fresh songs unto God (Isa 42:10). As you become a “Culture Shaper” in your church, your axis of musical variety will expand and your song selection will be accepted by others.
  • It’s awesome to sing some throwbacks but we must keep the songs shifting. People will always have their favorites, but if you keep giving it to them, worship no longer is about God, but about singing the most requested songs by the people.
4. Be Strategic with Song Keys
  • You might have an incredible 1st Tenor vocal range but about 99% of the people in the seats can’t get past a high C. Transpose the higher keyed songs to comfortable, yet still energetic keys.
  • Swap out worship leaders between songs; have a female vocalist lead songs that are to high for you.
  • Think about and plan what songs fit together based on key transitions. Try not to be all over the alphabet by singing in multiple keys that do not compliment one another.
5. Musicianship
  • Just as you know your strengths, you need to know the strengths and weaknesses of your team(s). You might be able to sing a particular song real well, but please do not allow the song to be butchered. If you need to modify, SIMPLE will always be best. (Maybe just you on piano or guitar for one song; that’s pretty creative)
  • SIMPLE before EXPERIMENTAL
6. Repetition
  • You might be tired of singing a particular song for the 6th time, but at 6 weeks your church is barely grasping the words and the meaning of the song. Don’t stash the song away yet! 
7. Try to Envision the Moment You’re Up Front
  • Leading worship is not all about dropping the one liners and using the stereotypical phrases like, “Glory to God, Hallelujah”, but theres a lot of vision casting one has to focus on prior to rehearsals and services.
  • We must never forget that every time we lead people in worship, we’re engaging in spiritual warfare. I’ve never known of an army that goes into battle without first strategically planning. Don’t let your weekly responsibilities become a mundane routine. Too many people rely on you; your decision making is critical to each worship experience. 
You can follow these points in any order. Remember that it is your responsibility to create and plan an environment of worship that is dynamic, intimate, powerful, God stirring, anointed, fresh and relevant. Please don’t just slap a few songs together and expect God to be fully glorified in your planning process.
“The Worship Experience must first be birthed in the heart of the worship leader before it is fully embraced and manifested to others.” You’re important. Don’t grow weary, this is a calling, not a gig.
With over 15 years of experience, Elmer has become an innovator of today’s modern worship scene. He uses a diverse and authentic approach in both music and team development. He writes and produces some of today’s most powerful worship songs. He currently serves as worship pastor at Calvary Church in Irving, TX.

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