Scanning the sanctuary, I realized the song we were passionately belting out from the platform was not resonating with the congregation.

Many congregants weren’t worshipping at all. They were just standing there, not even attempting to sing along.

Can you relate?

As worship pastors, we put a lot of thought into song selections. Each week, we wrestle with what to include and what to leave out. We carefully consider the congregation’s musical tastes and spiritual depth, as well as the service’s overarching theme.

We try to choose set lists that will speak to people’s hearts, while also striking the right balance between familiar favorites and new songs. We listen attentively to the needs of the church community. And we pray fervently for the Holy Spirit to lead worshippers into meaningful encounters with God.

Despite our good intentions and earnest efforts, a song may fall flat. It happens, sometimes inexplicably and unpredictably.

Nevertheless, I have discovered three criteria for selecting songs that hit the right notes — most of the time. I look for music that engages worshippers, reflects our congregation’s diversity, and upholds biblical truth.

Engagement

Every congregation is different. To keep participants actively engaged during worship, it’s important to learn what resonates with them.

What encourages people in their walk with Jesus and inspires them to join in sincere praise?

My Chicago congregation loves upbeat, high-energy music, so we frequently incorporate songs with those characteristics.

Our church includes many Latino members who like to move, dance, jump, and shout. That is an important consideration when making song selections. We want them to be engaged.

Your congregation may prefer slower, softer worship songs. That’s OK. The goal is engaging people in worship. Do what works in your context.

Diversity

No church community is homogeneous. Even a congregation with little racial or ethnic diversity will have a range of musical preferences.

Praising God with a blend of old and new songs is a beautiful and inclusive practice for multigenerational congregations.

Every generation declares God’s glory in its own way. Our song selections should acknowledge that truth as we come together to worship with believers of all ages.

People are also experiencing different seasons — with highs, lows, and everything in between. Celebratory praise is wonderful. But there is also a place for expressing Christ-focused lamentation, longing, repentance, desperation, and quiet awe. Develop a versatile and well-rounded song bank from which you can draw.

Having a diverse set list means adding new songs as well. I once printed Psalm 33:3 on our worship team’s manual: “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.”

I wanted to remind team members that they needed to learn new songs and play them with excellence and enthusiasm.

If people walk away from a worship service mentally playing a song on repeat, I want it to be one that reminds them who God is, what He has done, and how He is redeeming creation through Christ.

God is constantly working in the lives of His people, and that calls for new expressions of praise. If we can talk about what God has done for us, we can also sing about it. Many worship songs are lyrical testimonies.

This is why I love both old and new music. When I hear certain songs from my past, it takes me back to special times and places in my walk with God.

Meanwhile, new songs remind me that God is still at work in my life and the lives of others. He reveals His love and compassion afresh every day (Lamentations 3:22–23).

Sometimes, intentional diversity in worship takes a special effort. One Christmas Eve, we sang “Silent Night” in five different languages. Not all of those languages were represented in the congregation, but we wanted people to get a glimpse of the worship taking place around the world at Christmastime.

It took a lot of work for our singers to learn those languages, with correct diction and syntax. However, it was worth the effort.

This challenge took us out of our comfort zones, and congregants enjoyed singing along. Even if they didn’t understand the words, they knew we were glorifying God.

Worship can stretch us and bring us together. We don’t know what the language of heaven will be, but Scripture tells us that all kinds of people will worship before God’s throne (Revelation 7:9).

Truth

Choose songs that align with the Spirit-inspired message of Scripture. Think about what the lyrics teach regarding various aspects of Christian theology, such as the characteristics and attributes of God, the nature of Christ’s atonement, and our Blessed Hope.

When evaluating a song, consider whether it is biblically sound and points to Jesus. Does the song help people learn more about God, or does it focus mostly on human concerns?

If people walk away from a worship service mentally playing a song on repeat, I want it to be one that reminds them who God is, what He has done, and how He is redeeming creation through Christ.

Every worship service should magnify Jesus, proclaim the gospel, uphold biblical truths, and help believers grow in faith. These things are not just the preacher’s responsibility. The worship leader and musicians play important roles in evangelism and discipleship as well.

The songs we sing should help attendees understand why we worship and whom we worship. The goal of every worship team should be creating an atmosphere where people will hear about, encounter, and glorify God.

Choosing music that facilitates these moments is crucial. Relevance is not a matter of replicating what’s popular on Christian radio. As worship leaders, we need to ask ourselves, Does this song exalt Jesus?

Not every Christian song I enjoy is appropriate for worship during church. There are a couple of reasons why.

First, some songs talk more about human feelings than God’s character. Worship should focus on God, not self.

Lyrics that are more reflective than worshipful might work well for a particular segment of a service. But worship should lift up God above all else.

Second, most church worship teams don’t have the skill set to play every song. We need to be realistic about what we can pull off, and consider whether the congregation will be able to participate. Even when the lyrics are theologically sound, poor delivery can become a hindrance to worship.

As worship leaders, we want to see people encounter God and experience life change. The songs we choose can help create an environment for those things to happen.

Of course, no song service will please every person in attendance. We can’t deliver personalized playlists from the platform.

What we can do is rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in our song selections and work through our best efforts.

The Spirt knows what people are going through and what they need to hear. We can trust Him to speak to hearts and draw each person into a life-giving, worshipful relationship with Jesus.

This article appears in the Fall 2024 issue of Influence magazine.