FINDING NEW SONGS
How do you find new songs? Spotify? IHOP? The radio?
As a worship leader, when we find a song that we really are feeling, we need to evaluate it on a few different levels: Lyrics: Are they theologically sound? Do they point me more to Jesus or myself? Band: Does the song gel with the band? Are they feeling it? Church: Can our church connect with this song in our current culture and season?
Introducing a New Song When introducing a new song, many worship leaders will schedule the song 2 weeks in a row, take a week off, do the song 1 more week, and then shelve it for a few weeks. After that, it’s in the regular rotation. We need to remember that by the first week we play the song, we have lived with it for several weeks. We have spent time evaluating it, picking it apart, and then learning every part and piece. But the congregation has spent no time with the song. We have it in our spirit, we feel the power that the song has because of the intimate time we have spent with it. Introduce it in a way that allows the congregation to learn it and gives them grace for not having spent any time with it yet. Use Your Team Because most of us aren’t on staff as full-time worship leaders, use your team to help you find new songs. This can be tricky, because you will not be able to do every song that is submitted. Just like you test a prophetic word, it is our duty to test the songs that people bring to us. Teach your team what you look for when you are evaluating a song. When they submit a song that won’t work, teach them why it won’t work. If you find yourself shutting down every suggestion from your team, ask yourself if you are really being open. It’s not about me and my preferences. It’s about leading the church into the presence of the Lord. Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to adapt songs to your own flavor. If a song isn’t good for a Sunday morning, but your band really connects with it, use it during a practice to worship together. Once you start playing with it, maybe you’ll figure out a way to adapt it or use part of it on a Sunday morning.
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