Last week’s post discussed ways to find potential new songs for you to use in worship. Today we will look at some tools to evaluate the songs you discover to see if they are useable in your church’s worship.

As you begin to select the songs that your church will sing, remember that people recall far more songs than they do Bible verses. If you were to poll the people in your church, I am sure you would find that most people can quote many more songs from memory than Bible verses. Because of this, we need to realize the enormity of the our responsibility to select quality songs that reflect good theology.

The Foundation of Evaluation

As you begin the process of selecting music to be a part of your church’s vocabulary of worship, seek the Holy Spirit’s direction and wisdom.

Evaluating the Lyrics

Next, take a careful look at the lyrics.*

  • Are the lyrics biblically and doctrinally sound? Do the lyrics distinctively and accurately reflect Biblical language or ideas? Do they contain Scripture and/or scripturally inspired thoughts? Do the lyrics reflect sound theology and Christian practice? Note: there could be one line in the song than can disqualify the song from use.
  • Are the lyrics spiritual and God-centered? Do the lyrics stimulate spiritual reflection and contemplation of truth? Do they induce genuine praise, thanksgiving, contrition and joy that is God-directed? Do they leave one delighting in God’s character and deeds or upon ourselves and/or worldly values? Worship must glorify God.
  • Are the lyrics edifying and instructive? Do the lyrics enhance one’s understanding of truth? Do they bring helpful words of encouragement, admonishment and exhortation to godly Christian living?
  • Are the lyrics clear and understandable? Do the lyrics clearly communicate the message in an understandable way? Is the message obscured by outdated language or overly popular language that will soon be outdated? Is there an enduring quality to the words chosen?
  • Are the lyrics addressed to the heart and mind? Do the lyrics address the heart as well as the mind (i.e. songs that provoke proper affections of the heart as well as godly intellectual reflection)? Is there a balance between songs that are weighty and thought provoking (i.e. songs that focus on deep truths) as well as those that are simple (but not trivial), meditative, repetitive, and responsive in nature?
  • Are the lyrics of the body of songs you are singing marked by variety? Do the lyrics reflect songs addressing God directly (first & second person) as well as those which speak about God (third person)? Do they focus on God’s character as well as His deeds? Do they reflect doctrine and theology (what we believe) as well as experience and practice (what we do)? Do they emphasize a corporate dimension (the church) as well as a personal dimension? Do they reflect the wide variety of responses of worship (i.e. contrition, thankfulness, joy, praise, peace, celebration, reflection, exaltation, etc…)? Is the variety of songs primarily devoted to God as the subject (rather than ourselves)? God is the focus of our worship.
  • Additionally, are the words specifically Christian? Some song lyrics are so vague that they could be sung about any religion’s god. A popular Beetle’s song is one example:

My sweet Lord
I really want to know you
I really want to see you
My sweet Lord
Hallelujah

These words were actually taken from former Beatle, George Harrison’s song My Sweet Lord, and were written while he was dabbling in Eastern mystical religions (later in the song, he replaces the “Hallelujah” with “Hare Krishna”).

Evaluating the Melody

  • Is the melody singable and easy to learn? Does the song easy enough to learn and sing by the average person? The melody should be attainable by the “average” singer.
    • Appropriate range of melody: A-D (Eb). (See previous post on this) This is one of the most ignored “rules” of worship.  Ignoring this rule can gravely damage participation in worship.  Worship leaders who are sopranos and tenors have to be particularly careful not to pitch songs too high!
    • No difficult skips in the melody
    • Not too syncopated
  • Is the melody memorable? Does the music help one to remember the lyrics lodging its truth in the heart and mind?
  • Is the melody a good marriage with the lyrics? Do the two go well together as an appropriate expression of the message or meaning of the song?  Does the music lend itself to the spirit and content of lyrics for worshipping God rather than music for mere enjoyment? Does the melody hinder or enhance the message of the lyrics given the particular kind of emphasis (e.g. the mood – joyful, solemn, majestic, etc…)?

Other Considerations In Selecting Songs

  • Does the song cause bad associations?
  • Will the church be focusing on some specific topics or emphases soon that you will need music to reinforce?
  • Are you selecting songs of different styles and tempi? Variety is important.
  • Does your church need simplicity or complexity? Some churches can handle more complex music than others. Be aware of the needs of the church you serve.
  • What is the skill level of your vocalists and instrumentalists? Do not select songs that are too difficult for your musicians to handle with excellence. Yes, you want to stretch them, but don’t have them use a song in worship that they cannot play well.
  • What are the desires of your pastor? Your pastor may have some special requests. Be willing to follow his leadership in this area.

What are some filters you use in song selection?

*(Some of these criteria come largely from Pastor Scott Christensen’s document, How to Evaluate Songs for Congregational Worship. Summit Lake Community Church, Mancos, Colorado.)