Do Your Sunday Songs Pass the Test?

One of my most important duties as a worship pastor is managing our repertoire of songs and hymns and selecting new songs to introduce to the church. The songs we sing on Sunday teach our people, and they’re a worship pastor’s primary teaching platform. It’s an influential one. After all, the songs we sing in worship are often rehearsed by our members (and their children) long after they leave the service. Selecting songs is a task we dare not take lightly.

How does a pastor decide which songs to introduce? Why one song and not another? Here are a gauntlet of questions I ask when considering a new song for my church. If we’re going to sing a song on Sunday, it’s got to pass all the way through.

1. Are the lyrics biblically sound and clear?

Admittedly, a song’s tune often catches my attention first. But I always read the lyrics line by line without the music so I can assess the message objectively. Does the song exhibit sound theology? If a line is abstract, can the intended point still be reasonably understood? I’m looking for clarity. Many beautiful and biblical songs don’t pass the first stage of the gauntlet because of overly abstract lyrics.

There’s nothing wrong with artistic expression, but while I may be able to charitably understand what an artist is going for, I won’t adopt a song for Sunday if I can’t expect everyone attending my church to hear its message clearly.

The songs we sing on Sunday teach our people, and they’re a worship pastor’s primary teaching platform.

As an example, Hillsong’s “What a Beautiful Name” has this line: “You [God] didn’t want heaven without us.” This line doesn’t pass the first test, because it makes ambiguous the doctrine of God’s aseity—his self-satisfaction and fullness within himself. I don’t want our people to be confused about who God is, so that eliminates “What a Beautiful Name” as a Sunday song. If you’re not certain if the song’s lyrics are orthodox, ask one of your church’s pastors or elders before introducing that song. Because they want biblically sound songs sung in church, they’ll be happy to help.

2. Is it singable (and playable)?

Worship leaders are notorious for choosing songs (or keys) that make them sound great vocally but are difficult for the average person to sing. There’s nothing wrong with a few high notes, especially at a powerful moment in a song. But generally, the song should be played in a comfortable key for both the music team and the congregation, even if that means compromise for both. Worship pastors must also consider the musicians’ skill level. If the prospective song can’t be played or sung in a congregational key, it doesn’t pass the test.

The same must be said for rhythm. Congregations will have different aptitudes for following complex songs, but I do my best to choose songs my people will be able to follow once they’ve heard them a few times. If a song is too tricky rhythmically, I won’t adopt it for Sunday. At the same time, congregations can and should grow musically just as they do spiritually, so don’t be afraid to gently push your congregation with a more complex song from time to time.

Even if a song is singable, the congregation will still need to learn to sing it. I aim to introduce a new song to our church three times in a four-week period. Thematically, I want the song to fit with what’s being preached. Sometimes that means I wait months before introducing a song. But ideally, once I’ve introduced it, the congregation will remember it and be able to sing it confidently and with joy.

3. Does it meet a theological or musical need?

I think through our current repertoire and determine if there are theological or musical holes to fill. Does my church regularly sing songs that express sorrow over personal sin and call for confession? Songs of longing that anticipate the joys of the new heavens and new earth? Songs that teach my people to lament biblically? These are a few areas I’ve found to be lacking most often.

Musically, is there a good balance of upbeat and slow, loud and soft, contemporary and old? Our repertoire shouldn’t solely consist of power anthems with long, building bridges. If you’re not sure whether you’re balanced, get input from trusted church members.

4. Do I trust the source?

For better or worse, we’re giving the artists whose songs we sing on Sunday a platform with our people. So if a song has made it through the gauntlet this far, I research the artist. I want to ensure the artist is (as far as I can tell) living a commendable Christian life and that he or she hails from a Christian tradition that teaches orthodox doctrine. With Instagram and Patreon, Christian artists are much more accessible than they used to be. You may be surprised at your ability to interact with an artist and ask questions if you try.

I want to ensure the artist is (as far as I can tell) living a commendable Christian life and that he or she hails from a Christian tradition that teaches orthodox doctrine.

As I research artists, I aim to be gracious. But I’m generally more careful with songs produced by churches or ministries that also post their sermons or other teaching resources publicly. I vet the teaching resources carefully before I recommend songs from these churches.

If a song makes it through the gauntlet, that means its lyrics are biblically sound, the melody is singable, my music team and I can play it, it fills a gap in my church’s worship, and it comes from an artist I trust (or at least don’t have major reservations about). It’s a strong candidate to become a Sunday song.