Fellowship Bible Church Jonesboro

There is no doubt that the choice of songs on Sunday mornings between the hours of 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. are a lightening rod for strong opinions. Much like the rumblings of thunder during a typical spring storm, preferences and differences abound and seem to surface more readily around this issue than most any other in the church. While we won’t seek to resolve all of those issues in this blog post, I thought it would be helpful to get a behind-the-scenes look at how songs are chosen for our Sunday Corporate Worship gathering. Essentially, everything gets run through the following grid that results in our order of worship.

First, there is an understanding that “songs” do NOT equate to “worship” nor a “worship service.” Scripture makes it clear that there are a number of aspects that are to be included in corporate worship, of which singing is only one (Word, prayer, fellowship, communion, etc.). This means song selection is part of the whole, and the purpose of the whole is to glorify God by means of Jesus, our great and glorious Savior, as directed by the Spirit.

Second, through prayer and planning, what has the team (Mitch, Chuck, Robby) discerned as God’s will for the direction of this particular service? This is predominantly determined by our preaching series and the biblical text and subsequent message for that Sunday.

Third, in conjunction with the biblical text and other service elements, what songs would best encourage and engage our people to cherish, champion, and rejoice in who God is and what He has/is/will do? On a practical note, we’ll often discuss as a team any possible song ideas during our weekly planning meeting.

Fourth, how do the potential song options incorporate and celebrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ? In other words, Christ’s work of redemption for us is the most glorious work in history, and as such reveals most supremely His glory. Everything about us stems from Christ’s great work of redemption on our behalf. So what is central in Scripture should be central in our worship service—and therefore central in our singing.

Fifth, how well do these songs fit our own culture, both internally (within our four walls) and externally (the community we’re trying to reach with the Gospel)? Admittedly, this is where preferences and style can become a factor. But if you remove those personal preferences for a moment, it is not difficult to see the biblical pattern of contextualizing the Gospel to fit the culture you are trying to reach. The New Testament has much to say about WHAT we are to do and abstain from, while saying very little about HOW we are to do those things (and I don’t think that’s by mistake).

From there, things tend to get quite practical as a number of factors come in to play, not necessarily in any order, like:

• How will the words in each of these songs relate to one another? Do some relate better than others? Will some, grouped together, more clearly celebrate what we’ll be focusing on in the service as a whole?
• How often have we sung this song? When was the last time we sang it? How well did our people sing it? How familiar are people with this song?
• Who’s available/scheduled to play and sing on the worship team? What kind of instrumentation and arrangements would be available?
• What is the overall flow, tempo, mood, and setting of the songs?
• How well will these songs serve God’s people as they gather to sing of His great worth? (Note, that is not necessarily the same as the more simplified “will people like it.”)

So it’s as simple as that when it comes to choosing songs for Sunday. Just kidding. In reality, it’s like anything else in the Christian life—impossible apart from the power of the Gospel working in and through each of us, whether leaders are participating followers.
In summary, I frequently find myself coming back to the basic goal or purpose of our corporate singing: “to give people a clearer picture of God’s glory in Christ. We want to walk away from a time of singing more impressed with God, not our song selection or arrangements. We want our people to be more aware of God’s character, his nature, and his works. We want our people to be astonished at the mercy, grace, and holiness of God displayed in the cross of Christ” (Bob Kauflin, Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries). And we want to do all of that in a way that is aware of, and winsome to, a lost world that is sitting right next to us.