Choosing New Worship Songs: Balancing Tradition and Innovation

Choosing New Worship Songs

Choosing new worship songs for our local Baptist church can be a minefield! There are many opinions about the best blend of old hymns and new worship songs, and about what kind of lyrics, form, style, and tempo are appropriate. Contrary to what some might think, we don’t just throw in any new song on a whim…

In addition to playing piano, I support our church sung worship by co-ordinating music resources for all our musicians. Whilst our pastor usually makes the final decisions regarding song choices, he respects my musical skills and experience and often includes me in the process.

With our ‘blended worship’ approach, we regularly try newer worship songs in the mix. Whether I’m considering a single song that someone has suggested or assessing a list of possible songs sent to me by our pastor, there are certain things I’m almost always looking for…

These days, if I’m choosing new worship songs and want to hear a particular track, YouTube is the obvious place to start. It’s brimming with new worship song videos, many featuring the original songwriters. These help me understand how the songs are intended to be played and sung. With limited musical resources at our church, we can’t get even close to the standard of these stunning YouTube productions, but at least I can get a solid grip on the song and try to do it justice if we use it.

(There are potential difficulties with high-production worship music, too…read Performance Worship: Is There A Problem? to see why)

I like to start by simply listening to a song a couple of times without diving any deeper into the music or lyrics. How does the song make me feel? Do the words and/or music move me? Can I imagine our congregation singing this? These are largely subjective considerations, influenced by my preferences, but they still provide a valid starting point for further song analysis.

Choosing a new worship song with a good tune is something of a balancing act. The melody needs to be interesting and catchy enough for people to engage with, but if it’s too innovative and unpredictable, it makes the song difficult to learn and sing. Conversely, if it’s too simple and predictable, it soon “sounds like all the others” and doesn’t leave much of an impression. I look for tunes that seem just right – easy to learn but still creative and well-written. That’s the kind of melody that works best for us.

A key factor in choosing new worship songs is their vocal range. Many newer songs are crafted by talented singer-songwriters who can easily sing both high and low notes (I could, too, back in the 90s when I was regularly leading vocal worship.) Sometimes they move the melody up an octave during the song, making the range even wider! That’s great for them, but not everyone in church – including me, these days – can do the same.

Crucially, choosing a new song that stretches too far between its lowest and highest notes can leave part of the congregation just mouthing the words instead of singing. That’s a barrier to worship: the opposite of what I’m looking for. So, I steer towards songs with a narrower vocal range, making sure everyone can join in and feel part of the worship. And if we do want to use a song that has an unhelpful octave lift? I choose a comfortable key in between and stay in the lower octave instead.

There are still plenty of traditionalists who want to sing only old hymns (fortunately, our church doesn’t have many of them.) Their criticisms of new worship songs sometimes include a) that they are too repetitive, and b) that they lack the rich theology and Biblical teaching of the old hymns. In reality, the situation is more nuanced. Firstly, the verse-chorus structure of many traditional hymns is itself highly repetitive. Secondly, there are linguistically-weaker old hymns, too. Compare the words of This Little Light Of Mine, ‘Tis The Gift To Be Simple, and Kum Ba Yah with those of In Christ Alone, Yet Not I, and Living Hope and you’ll see.

(If you love old hymns, read “Hymn Stories: Musical Echoes of Personal Journeys“)

However, these hymn-folk (bless ’em!) do have a point. As we worship, whether singing to God (from the old How Great Thou Art to the new Goodness Of God) or about God (from the old To God Be The Glory to the new My Worth Is Not In What I Own), both the quality and the implied theology of the words are important – so when choosing new songs for worship, I keep an eye on this, too. As for repetition: it has a role in emphasising truth – in both the old and new – but you can overdo it!

Generally, I like the mix of new worship songs chosen at our church, particularly in terms of lyrics. I think our pastor makes very good choices (hopefully with at least a little help from me.) Perhaps where I’m less convinced is my next factor in choosing new worship songs: energy level. I feel (and it’s not a criticism of our pastor) that we lack high-energy songs in our church. I broadly define energy level by the effect a song has on us:

  • a low-energy song might draw us towards contemplation and introspection, or to resting peacefully in God’s presence
  • a medium-energy song might focus us on important truth about God, help us relate openly to Him and one another, or draw us into a strong corporate expression of love and praise
  • a high-energy song might get us excited (possibly physically so) about who He is, and who we are in Him, or make us want to “dance like King David” (2 Samuel 6:14-15), filled with enthusiasm for praising our God!

Of course, it’s not that simple. Energy levels can change within the same song (this isn’t new – think of the old hymn Low In The Grave He Lay.) Some congregations are more ready for high-energy worship; ours perhaps less so just yet. Singing songs faster or slower can alter the energy level. The structure and skills of the worship band can make a difference, too. Music affects people differently – so we might not agree on the energy level of a song anyway! Nonetheless, I’m always on the lookout for a high-energy song that ticks the other boxes, too.

Many new worship songs genuinely represent a spirit of contemporary worship, but there are also some that seem to be merely hymns in modern dress. Whilst there are some notable exceptions (such as In Christ Alone) I’m a little averse to ‘modern’ worship songs that are made up only of verses, or an alternate verse/chorus structure. Yes, it is possible to craft good new music in a traditional form. However, I worry that the writers of these songs haven’t yet truly freed themselves from the restrictions of the old hymn styles.

Consequently, if a song innovates beyond the traditional structure, using more diverse elements such as intro, outro, pre-chorus, bridge, or some other non-hymn type section, I’m more likely to include it when I’m choosing new worship songs. I think these song structures bring a freshness and vitality that enriches our worship experience.

Sometimes, assessing new music is more than just analysing structure, form, key, melody, harmony, range, or lyrics. After decades of musical education and experience, I have learnt to trust my gut: a song often just feels right or wrong. This instinct, probably a rich blend of emotional reaction and complex subconscious analysis, plays an important part in choosing new worship songs. As a musician, there are times when you just know it’s a great song!

As I explained in my introduction, choosing new worship songs for our church is ultimately not down to me. I have plenty of musical expertise to bring to the table, but in the end, it’s our pastor’s choice. And you know what? I’m really glad about that, because…

  1. Choosing music to move a whole church forward together takes a considerable degree of sensitivity and patience. Anyone who knows me will tell you: I have very little of either!
  2. Sung worship is at the heart of our weekly service together: it is right that our pastor, with his responsibility for our spiritual welbeing, should be the one to guide our choices.
  3. You can’t please all of the people all of the time. (That’s why we pay a pastor!)