The Art of Song Selection: Building Your Church's Musical Diet (Part 2)
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, earbuds in, when this new worship song came on my playlist. The melody grabbed me immediately, but it was the lyrics that really got me - raw, honest, biblically rich. I must have replayed it five times during that run, already imagining how powerful it would be when our church sang it together.
I was so excited to teach it. I listened to it when I went on runs, hummed it while making coffee, even caught myself singing it in the shower. This song was ministering to me personally in a way that few songs had in months.
Well, I taught it to our church with all the enthusiasm in the world. And it just... didn't connect. I tried it again the following week. Nothing. Rested it for a few weeks, brought it back with a different arrangement, and still - blank stares where I expected engaged hearts.
What did I do? I shed a small tear (okay, I'm only half-joking), and cut it from our list.
Why? Because if a song doesn't serve the church and her worship of King Jesus, then it's not worthy of a place in our set. It doesn't mean it was a bad song - it just meant it wasn't the right song for my church at that time.
Sound familiar? If you've been leading worship for any length of time, you've probably had this experience. And here's the truth: I couldn't tell you exactly why that song didn't work. I think I have a pretty good read on what connects with our church, but I'm definitely not batting 1000.
That's why having a clear process for song selection—and more importantly, song testing—is so crucial. In part one of this series, we talked about moving from blank screen to beautiful worship through intentional planning. Now we need to dive into one of the most searched topics among worship leaders: how do we actually choose the songs that will serve our congregation well?
The Heart Behind the Choice
Before we get into process and practicality, let's remember what Psalm 96:1 teaches us: "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth."
This verse reveals something beautiful about our calling. First, it means we can sing a "new song" to the Lord every Sunday - even with songs we've sung dozens of times. Why? Because we've freshly experienced God's grace throughout the week, and we can respond to that grace in real time with wholehearted worship, making even familiar songs feel new.
But I also believe this verse calls us to introduce brand new songs - songs our church has never sung before. Why? Because God's glory is infinite. There's no end to it. We could write millions of new songs and wouldn't even come close to what God's glory is worthy of.
The question isn't whether to teach new songs - it's which new songs to teach, and how to test whether they're truly serving our people's worship.
Building Your Song Selection Process
Start with Your Team's Heart
Our worship staff begins by creating a collaborative Spotify playlist of songs to consider. We listen through this playlist for at least a month—not just during our commutes, but in our personal worship times, during prayer, in moments when we're seeking God.
We're asking ourselves: Does this song move our hearts to worship? If it doesn't connect with us personally, it's unlikely to connect with our congregation.
But personal connection isn't enough. As we listen, we're also evaluating deeper questions. As I covered in part one of our worship set series, we need songs that are biblically accurate, singable, approachable, and appropriate for our season and context.
Are the lyrics biblical, accurate, helpful, and singable? This is why we always pull up the lyrics when considering songs. We're not just listening to melodies - we're examining the theological content our people will be declaring.
The Team Evaluation Meeting
After that month of listening and praying, we put a meeting on the calendar. This isn't a casual conversation - it's a focused time where we work through each potential song with specific questions:
"Is this biblically accurate?"
"Does the music move us toward worship?"
"Is this something our church needs to sing right now?" (Either because of the season we're in or because it addresses a theological topic that's missing from our current diet)
"Will this song connect with our specific congregation?"
"Is the song approachable in melody and arrangement for both our team and our church?"
After working through these questions, we map out the next 3-4 songs we plan to teach. I say "plan" because this timeline should always be held in wet cement - the Spirit may lead us to adjust based on what our church needs or how previous songs are landing.
Then we run our selections by our lead pastor for approval. This step is crucial - your pastor knows the spiritual temperature of the congregation and can offer wisdom about timing and theological emphasis.
The Three-Touch Test: How to Know if a Song is Working
Here's a proven method for testing whether a new song truly serves your church:
Week 1: Teach the song for the first time. Pay attention - are people attempting to sing along by the second chorus? Do you see engagement in their faces, or are you getting blank stares?
Week 2: Bring it back the following week. This is where you'll really see if the song has potential. Are people singing with more confidence? Does it feel like they're beginning to own it?
Weeks 3-7: Rest the song. Give it 4-5 weeks to settle in their hearts and minds.
Week 8: Bring it back for the third time. Now you have your real test.
Test #1: Did you hear your church singing it? Not just moving their lips, but actually singing - loudly, confidently, from their hearts?
Test #2: After this third time, did you sense they were engaging with it emotionally and spiritually? Remember, it takes multiple expositions for a church to truly catch a song and make it their own.
If the answer is "yes" to both questions, congratulations—you have a song that should stay in your rotation. If the answer is "no," you have a decision to make: Is this a song we desperately want or need, or is it worth cutting now to make room for something that serves our people better?
This testing process is just one piece of the puzzle. As I've written about in other parts of this series, we also need feedback from trusted individuals like our lead pastor and key church members, plus objective observation of congregational response. Your pastor is actually the worship leader of your church - they're rightly dividing Scripture and calling people to lives of worship that overflow on Sundays. If they think a song isn't working, just cut it.
Remember my story from the beginning? Sometimes the songs that minister most deeply to us personally aren't the songs our congregations need. And that's okay. Our role is to serve our church's worship, not our personal preferences.
Building and Maintaining Your Song Arsenal
We recommend teaching only one new song per month (sometimes two if your list needs a massive refresh, but be careful not to overwhelm your people). Then, once a quarter, schedule time to review your entire song list. Move songs between categories, cut songs that are no longer serving well, and ensure your list is balanced and positioned to serve your church effectively.
Check the theological diet of your song selection. Is the gospel story represented in most of your songs? Are you balanced between celebration, gratitude, awe, and even lament? Are you helping your people sing through the full spectrum of human experience and divine truth?
This is why having a curated song list of 40-50 songs your church knows well is so valuable. When you sit down to plan your worship order each week, you're not staring at an unlimited ocean of possibilities. You have a focused collection of songs that have stood the test, songs you know your church can sing with confidence and passion.
The Strategic Advantage of Intentional Selection
Here's what this process accomplishes: You know your church knows the songs. They've been tested, they've proven their worth, and they're actively helping your congregation engage in worship. As you plan each week's worship order, you can choose songs that serve the sermon, support the spiritual journey you're crafting, and allow your people to sing with both familiarity and fervor.
As you go throughout your year, keep tabs on how songs are performing. Some will graduate into your "we have to sing this" category - the songs that define your church's worship DNA. Others will remain in your "this song works, so let's use it but not too much" category. And yes, some will eventually need to be rested or retired as your church's needs evolve.
When you plan each worship order, walk through the flow in your mind. Does it work emotionally and spiritually? Are you excited to lead your church through this journey? Does the final song connect meaningfully with the sermon? Do all the songs work together to serve the climactic moment when God's Word is preached?
Remember the Bigger Picture
As we choose songs and craft our worship orders, let's hold onto this truth: Sunday mornings are the only time all week when we can put words in people's mouths. The songs we select become the vocabulary our people use to respond to God's glory. Choose wisely.
Your church will worship as deeply as their relationship with Jesus allows. Our goal isn't to manufacture worship - it's to enhance and support the authentic worship that flows from hearts in love with God. We get to lead in it, not make it happen.
The process takes time, patience, and discernment. But when you see your congregation singing with confidence and passion, when you watch them carry the truths of Sunday's songs into their Monday-through-Saturday lives, you'll know the investment was worth it.
In part one, we explored how to move from blank screen to meaningful worship planning. Now that we've covered song selection and testing, part three will focus on arranging these carefully chosen songs into worship orders that create powerful spiritual journeys for your congregation—considering everything from flow and dynamics to arrangement and instrumentation.
What's one step you can take this week to improve your song selection process? Start small - maybe it's creating that collaborative playlist with your team, or scheduling your first quarterly song list review. Remember, the goal isn't perfection; it's faithful stewardship of the incredible privilege we have to lead God's people in worship.
Want help developing a song selection strategy that works for your specific context and congregation? I'd love to connect and explore practical solutions for your ministry. Check out the free resources at dustinrouse.com to get started.