Pastors and song leaders all know the joy (and sometimes struggle) of choosing Sunday’s songs each week. But before doing that task, ministry leaders have to do the important work of curating the list of songs that will make it into the front door of the church to begin with. While there are no set rules for which songs churches should and shouldn’t sing, we use a list of parameters to examine each time we consider introducing a new song to our congregation. This list is not exhaustive, but it’s a helpful place to start.
Is This Song Biblically True?
This might seem like an obvious question, but we have to begin with the Bible. And this question really has two components: first, is there anything in this song that is contrary to Scripture or heretical? While (hopefully) no one sets out to write a church song that is contrary to Scripture, it is all too common for modern Christian songs to slip into wrong doctrine. And we should care enough about our congregations rather than to feed them with confusing or harmful teaching. Secondly, this question should lead us to consider whether the songs we sing contain actual Biblical truth. That is, it’s not enough for a song not to be heretical – it should herald truth. Someone once quipped that many modern day worship songs don’t even have the potential of being heretical because they don’t actually say anything of substance. We must sing songs that are Biblically true.
Is This Song Theologically Rich?
We also should take care to select songs that will teach our people rich theology. While we believe that the preaching of God’s Word is the main course of the Sunday morning meal, the truth is that our people will remember far more of the songs we sing than the sermons we preach. This is why we should feed our people with songs of substance. Staying on the theme of food, it can be helpful to think of your church’s list of songs like a well-balanced diet. Sure it’s fun to indulge in snack foods occasionally, but they always end up leaving you feeling unsatisfied. A balanced diet of songs means covering a wide range of theological topics, while also selecting songs that not only taste good but that are ultimately good for our spiritual health.
Is This Song Beautifully Devotional?
Another way to ask this question is, is this song musically and lyrically beautiful? A good church song should be both rich in theology but also beautiful to sing. We’ve all heard songs that sound like one propositional truth after another, but that don’t actually stir our affections for Christ. The beauty of the melody and words should make us want to worship–it should tune our hearts to sing God’s praise. Music leaders don’t have to settle for one over the other: either truth or beauty; but should look to curate songs that are lovely to sing and good for the soul.
Is This Song Congregationally Edifying?
This question has two components. First, is this song congregational–that is, is it easy for our church to learn and sing together? There are many practical considerations that go into what makes a song congregational, but some of the most basic principles are things like: the song’s key, its time signature, the range of the notes covered, the overall simplicity of the melody, and other such factors. Some Christian songs are beautiful to listen to, but hard to sing. One of the easiest ways to get your church to sing is to choose singable songs! Secondly, a song should be edifying to the believers in attendance. It should seek to encourage us in our walks with the Lord, to meet us in varying seasons of life, and to point us to our faith and hope in Christ. While our singing is first and foremost an act of worship to the Lord, it is also an act of kindness and edification to our brothers and sisters who are gathered to worship each week.
Is This Song Missionally Intentional?
The last question we ask when considering a new song is whether or not it has in mind the unbeliever who might be in attendance on a Sunday. Some people have mistakenly interpreted this to mean that we should not sing songs that sound “too Christian” or that might confuse the unbeliever. That is not what we have in mind here. To some extent, a non-Christian who attends a worship service should necessarily feel somewhat out of place, and will certainly have questions about some of the worship practices. This does not mean that we should avoid topics like God’s holiness or singing about heaven. Instead, this question is considering whether or not an unbeliever would be pointed to the gospel in the songs that we sing. Are we singing about the cross and Christ’s resurrection? Additionally, do our songs help contribute to a gospel-shaped liturgy, so that we’re covering the movements of adoring God, confessing sin, rehearsing Christ’s saving work, and responding in a life of faith? We need not cater to unbelievers, but we must always be mindful of their presence in the songs we sing.
