When Theology Meets Melody: A Worship Leader's Guide to Song Selection

Finding the Balance Between Truth and Accessibility

When we are planning our worship orders on a Thursday for a month or so out, what is our goal? How do we know what to pick? Should we lean into the Top 40 worship hits? Focus on what's relevant? Stick to hymns? Does every song need to be a theological dissertation, or can we have songs that are - let's be honest - a bit repetitive, driving the same truth home over and over?

Let me be straight with you - theology matters more than relevancy. Always.

I can't tell you how many times I've found myself listening to a brilliant worship song. You know the kind - it gets your spiritual juices flowing and makes you want to jump out of your seat and scream glory to the heavens. And then you get to that one line where you're left scratching your head. "They can't really mean that, can they?"

These are the moments where my worship staff and I end up in deep theological discussions, trying to untangle what seemed like a perfect addition to our song list. Here's what I've learned: if you need to perform hermeneutical gymnastics to make a lyric work, it's probably best to let that song go. There are too many great songs with clear, accurate theology that we don't need to waste time on the confusing ones.

The Reality of Church Life

Look, you're going to encounter some "theological watchdogs" in your church. And I don't mean those who truly care about the truth and beauty of the gospel being accurately represented in our songs - those people are a gift. I'm talking about those who just seem to have a bone to pick with anything they don't like.

Here's what I've found helpful: if myself, my pastor, or my worship staff don't see any red or yellow flags with a song, we can stand firmly behind our selection. Sometimes we're wrong, and the song gets cut. But more often, someone's taking one line out of context and missing the bigger picture. When that happens, take time to show them how that line makes sense within the whole song and how it aligns with Scripture. More often than not, they'll smile and have a better understanding that allows them to sing it out on Sunday.

Finding the Sweet Spot

I once overheard a pastor bad-mouthing a modern worship band because he felt their lyrics were too "dumbed down" for him to engage. And while I get that... I really do... I think there's a balance we need to strike here, based on your local congregation.

John 4:23-24 tells us to worship God in spirit and truth. One beautiful facet of this diamond is that we need to worship the Lord with both our hearts and our minds. We don't want all our songs to be so basic that our minds aren't engaged with the beautiful and deep truths about who God is and what He's done. But I would say we also want songs that we can fully express with our souls while engaging our minds.

Here's what this looks like practically: When we sing a modern worship song that has glorious gospel truth, but is either lighter on lyrics or repetitive, I believe it's important to follow it up with a song that has some deep doctrine in it... or maybe the other way around. My point is that I want my church to have moments where they can close their eyes, lift their hands, and not have to stare at the screens as they lavish their Savior with worship.

The Big Picture

Remember this: our songs in our churches are formational. We want to sing songs that say something and that are theologically deep. But we also want to create space for our people to respond from their hearts.

Think of it like preparing a meal. Have songs and moments that are like your steak - the meat of good theology. Then have songs and moments that are your sides - the emotional response to those truths. Finally, add some spices with videos, creative elements, and other means to keep your church from falling into rote worship.

As C.S. Lewis says, "Good theology makes for good doxology." Let's pick songs that follow that path to seeing and savoring the goodness of God. And let's do it in a way that feeds both the mind and the heart of our congregations.

It's not about choosing between depth and accessibility - it's about serving both in a way that honors God and serves our people well. That's the sweet spot we're aiming for, week after week.

Looking for more resources on leading worship? Check out our other articles on choosing songs for your church.