I'll never forget the first time I fell in love with a song that my church absolutely hated.

I was on one of my regular morning runs when this new worship song grabbed me—the melody was infectious, but it was the raw, honest, biblically rich lyrics that really got me. I listened to it five times during that run, already imagining how powerful it would be when our church sang it together.

I taught it with all the enthusiasm in the world. And it just... didn't connect. Tried it again the following week. Nothing. Rested it, brought it back with a different arrangement, and still—blank stares where I expected engaged hearts.

Sound familiar? If you've been leading worship for any length of time, you've probably had this experience. That's why having a clear process for song selection—and more importantly, song testing—is so crucial.

In this second part of our worship planning series, we'll dive into choosing songs that truly serve your congregation, including the proven three-touch test that reveals whether a new song will actually stick.