Songwriting for your church is different than writing personal songs. There is a lot more responsibility to carry because these songs are not just for yourself - they're for your church. That's why it's important to understand these 3 key ideas to writing songs for your church!
Here are 3 keys to writing worship songs for your church:
1 | Find a co-writer
While it is possible to write a song by yourself, it's a lot more fun to do it with someone else! Songwriting can be a great relational exercise for your worship team. The process of songwriting mirrors a relationship. There is give and take. There is working out conflict. There is goal-oriented team work. All of these things lead to better relationships between your worship team members.
Not only is it more fun to write with someone else, you also end up with a better song! Good co-writers make up for each other's weaknesses. You might be good at writing lyrics - your co-writer might be good at writing melodies. You might lean toward musical complexity - your co-writer might lean towards musical simplicity. These differences will serve to balance the song you write.
2 | Don't make it about what you want to say. Make it about what your church needs to sing.
The temptation in songwriting is to only consider what YOU want to say. That's fine for any environment OTHER THAN the church. When it comes to the church, our gatherings are meant for us to respond together.
So, how do you know what your church needs to sing? Write to the rhythms of your church. What season do you sense your church is going through? Is there a specific truth you need to specifically respond to? Look at the lives of individual people and think about what they need to sing.
3 | Choose clarity over art
Chances are, if you're a worship musician, you're an artist as well. Art is a fantastic tool to use to communicate the Gospel but sometimes, if things lean too artistic, they lose clarity. When you lead worship in your church, you should seek to make the Gospel as clear as possible. That doesn't mean you can't use metaphors. But in the end, don't sacrifice clarity for art.
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