The Time Has Come/New Songs In Worship

"Time Has Come" is a new one for the congregation. I have been doing it since I first heard it back as a first year in college. I love teaching new songs. It's challenging and people are often uncomfortable. Your band (if you have one) may not have the musical chops to play certain songs (yet). But I hope to encourage worship leaders, especially those from smaller congregations, or those with deep traditional roots not to give up in their music; and don't be afraid to do new things, and new spins on old things. 

In the past two years, I've learned a little about how important it is to strike a balance between new and old, familiar and less familiar; lyrically heavy songs, strong choruses, various energy levels and poignant melodies and arrangements. Each week is like writing and constructing a drama! Musicality will greatly affect how you choose songs and how you introduce them. What instruments do you have? What are the skill levels of your instrumentalists and vocalists? I listen to as much music as possible, and my job often gets frustrating because the musical content of my iTunes library, Ping, blogs, and websites is overwhelming. I may listen to hundreds of songs and not find one that would fit the band and congregation, their skill levels and where they are in their understanding of music's role in worship. I am careful to be prayerful about the music I choose so that I don't make an incorrect assumption about my congregation (because they often surprise me)! While they don't tell the whole story, you can see glimpses of where we are through these set lists. I think it is important to provide our congregations with music and lyrics that connect them to God in ways that may challenge them. The importance of music cannot be stressed enough. We memorize things through music, we remember melodies or lyrics from songs we've heard only once. We use songs to calm us in stressful times, energize us, and inspire us. We as worship leaders (through music) have the awesome opportunity equip people with words and music for daily worship.

LB