Jan
18

Planning Sunday's Songs-Plan Contextually

Featuring Bob Kauflin Posted on January 18, 2011

The context for choosing your songs includes background details such as the sermons that have been preached, your congregation's demographic mix andlevel of spiritual maturity, plus weekly variables such as special occasions or events. 

When planning each week, the first thing I want to know is how long we're supposed to sing. That tells me how many songs we can do well. Whether ten minutes or forty, I want to maximize the use of every song.

I also want to know what else is planned during our time together on Sunday. Are we opening with a call to worship, a prayer, or an instrumenta lpiece? Are we sharing the Lord's Supper in the midst of singing? Is someone sharing a testimony after I finish leading worship?

One of the primary contexts will be what we're learning about. If the church is going through a particular sermon series, that will affect the songs Ichoose. 

Circumstances that affect the entire church can also influence song choice. The size of your church is important here. In a church of three thousand, I can't allow something that affects a handful of people to determine my song choice. But if a well-loved teenager in a small congregation dies in a Friday night car wreck, I'll want to reconsider starting the meeting with “The Happy Song” or “Indescribable.”

Context includes the songs we've been singing in recent weeks. I may want to repeat one that we've only recently learned or use one we haven't sung in a while.

By the way, if you want the church to sing a new song after the sermon, teach it in advance. People can have a hard time responding to the truths God just spoke to their hearts if they're learning a new song in the process. 

The context for choosing your songs includes background details such as thesermons that have been preached, your congregation's demographic mix andlevel of spiritual maturity, plus weekly variables such as special occasions or events. 
When planning each week, the first thing I want to know is how long we're supposed to sing. That tells me how many songs we can do well. Whether tenminutes or forty, I want to maximize the use of every song.
I also want to know what else is planned during our time together onSunday. Are we opening with a call to worship, a prayer, or an instrumentalpiece? Are we sharing the Lord's Supper in the midst of singing? Is someonesharing a testimony after I finish leading worship?
One of the primary contexts will be what we're learning about. If the church is going through a particular sermon series, that will affect the songs Ichoose. 
Circumstances that affect the entire church can also influence song choice. The size of your church is important here. In a church of three thousand, I can't allow something that affects a handful of people to determinemy song choice. But if a well-loved teenager in a small congregation dies in aFriday night car wreck, I'll want to reconsider starting the meeting with “TheHappy Song” or “Indescribable.”
Context includes the songs we've been singing in recent weeks. I may want to repeat one that we've only recently learned or use one we haven't sung in a while.
By the way, if you want the church to sing a new song after the sermon, teach it in advance. People can have a hard time responding to the truthsGod just spoke to their hearts if they're learning a new song in '
the process. 

 

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