FredMcKinnon.Com

Hey Everyone -

Today is “Worship Q&A #2” … a series I started a while back where I’d like to offer my thoughts on specific questions that I get asked from all of you folks out there who are faithfully reading this blog. If you missed the initial post “Choosing Songs” you may want to go back and check it out as well, as this could be considered a continuation of that discussion.

Today’s question comes from India .. yep, you read that right .. not Indiana .. but India:

hey, i am zaseto from nagaland, india..i have a question regarding leading of praise and worship…is it important that all the song that is sung in a worship service flow on a particular theme or subject?

Well, first – let me say “Zaseto, welcome to the blog and thanks for your questions” … and I’m completely excited to have some Godly Worship Leaders over in India who are plugged in and asking great questions.

I’ve called this “Song Selection Strategy” and it’s a great question that is asked by worship leaders on a frequent basis. I do think that whenever possible, it’s a great idea to try and compliment the overall theme and “vibe” of a planned worship service. The songs and expressions of praise and worship [notice, I said "songs and expressions" ... keep in mind, our worship can and should incorporate more than just "singing songs"] should help to not only facilitate an authentic, spirit-led worship time with God, but also further communicate and clarify the theme or “word” that is being expressed.

What about the “un-planned” worship service, though? Some of you are already smiling as you read that, thinking to yourself “I never have a clue what Pastor is preaching on until he starts his sermon”. Sadly, this is the case in too many congregations but is a realistic evaluation of how things can be. This is especially true in situations where staff is limited, where the Pastor/Teacher may have another job and prepares his messages after hours, or when the Worship Leader is a volunteer and has seldom opportunity to brainstorm, pray or communicate with the Pastor/Teacher. You also have some situations where what was planned is changed at the last minute on Sunday morning.

Worship Leaders must be flexible in these situations and flow with what they have. When all else fails, there is a central theme that should be present in all of our corporate gatherings … the reality that Christ is Lord, that He is awesome, and that He rules and reigns forevermore. The reality that we must surrender to Him, embrace His love and destiny for us, and draw near to Him. Folks – that’s enough reality to craft a powerful song list any day!

On the other hand, there are those of us (like myself) who are blessed with pre-planning, prayer, and communication about what our services and themes will look like. Although I believe God can (and sometimes does) “change things up” from time to time, I also believe that God knows who is coming to what service, when, and knows the very thing that needs to happen far in advance. I believe that the Holy Spirit can equip us for a service 2 months out as easily as He can speak to us about tomorrow night’s service … if we allow Him. Far too often we’ve used “we don’t plan that far out because it limits God and gives Him no room to move spontaneously” as an excuse for the simple lack of discipline to pray, seek the Lord, and execute the plans that He gives. Uh oh … that’s a separate topic altogether though, isn’t it!

Back to the point … I’m blessed to know our Sermon Series as much as 2 weeks to 2-3 months in advance. I meet with the Pastor and a few other leaders each Monday morning to quickly recap the previous service, but more importantly, to plan and discuss what we feel God is leading for the upcoming week. This is when we massage my setlist and brainstorm on ideas.

There are a number of tools and resources available to help you choose songs by “theme”. SongSelect (from CCLI) is a great tool and I even categorize all of my songs in our database (we use PlanningCenterOnline) and I use this often. My primary focus is on that last song – the response time where we “respond” in worship, singing, altar ministry, or whatever … to the word or message that was delivered. If believe that if I can find a song that will tie that main point together and express it as worship back to God that this time will be more powerful and will have greater impact.

Finally, I’d like to encourage you to not feel “obligated” or “forced” to make this happen. Far too often, we “force” the songlist to work or flow with something that just doesn’t work, or just isn’t as effective. When it’s all said and done, I’d rather have a smooth flow of material with easy transitions, nice key changes, and active corporate participation than to have a “songlist” that echoes the sermon or theme perfectly. Keep in mind … the people God has entrusted to you are counting on you to lead and assist them into a time where they can encounter God and worship Him in Spirit and truth.

So in summary, whenever possible we should try to creatively use our song selection to enhance the overall theme and message of a given corporate gathering. At the same time, this shouldn’t be forced at the expense of using songs that aren’t as corporate-friendly or that don’t give themselves to a smooth flow. Keep in mind that regardless of what the “teaching” may be about, there is still an overall theme that we can always echo – God’s sovereign power, rule, and power in all the earth, and the response which that evokes in our hearts.

Any comments? How about the next question? Leave your comments or “Worship Q&A Suggestions” below!

For the Kingdom,
Fred McKinnon