Do you sometimes struggle to find ways to introduce new songs to your church? Do you play them, but find it hard to get people to get onboard? We've got 7 tried and tested ways that might help new songs hit the mark next time you lead worship.
1. Get your church leaders on board
Ok, so you've just found this great new song on WeAreWorship, or you've discovered it somewhere else, and you can't wait to bring it to your church on Sunday as it's perfect for the season you're in right now. You mention it to your church leader ahead of the service, but they're not immediately enthusiastic, they say they'll come back to you later. Before you know it the moment has passed, and the opportunity is missed. Sound familiar?
When I'm around and about visiting churches, and talking to them about singing songs in church I get asked this question at least once! It's a big issue for us worship leaders. Over the course of my working life I've found different versions of this problem in many different workplaces, and I've found a quick process that gives the best chance of success.
- Pick your time
- Pick your spot
- Why this song
- What is the song all about
- How does it sound
- So What will happen if we introduce it
We've dug a little deeper on this in another article, click through to find out more on this subject.
COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR PASTOR
2. Prepare the ground
Now that you've got your leaders on board, the next thing to do is to prepare the ground. Ideally you want to have given your congregation the opportunity to hear the song before they get to the service. Fortunately there are lots of options available to you here. You could get the sharing code from Spotify - just hit the three dots to the right of the song, and select your favourite share option.
Or, even better add the song to your church website using the WeAreWorship song embed code. Hit 'Embed this song' and follow the instructions.
And then, you'll get this shiny player on your website, ready to share with your community.
3. Get your band singing from the same hymn sheet
Before you bring it to church try sharing the song and the chords with your band. With WeAreWorship this is super easy - you can either fire them over the URL for the song in an email, or, even better, if you have a team subscription with us then you can create a shared setlist including the songs you'll be playing on Sunday. All of a sudden everyone is arriving at practice ready to roll!
4. Know the song and sing the melody
Make sure that you know the song really well before you try to introduce it, and when you do introduce it make sure to just sing the melody for at least the first few times you play it. it's going to take them hearing the melody a few times before they get it really locked in there, so try to keep a lid on the improvisational meanderings, at least for the short term...
5. Introduce the song a bit at a time
A week or two before you're going to bring the whole song you might want to just introduce the chorus as part of another song. For a good example of this approach take a listen to this recording of Spirit and Truth by New Wine Worship - it transitions into the bridge from Do It Again at 4'20''.
On the day that you're going to be singing the whole song then you might want to be playing it as a band, or acoustically as people are arriving at the beginning of the service. You'll be amazed at how that helps the song feel familiar when you sing it later on.
6. What's it in response to?
The worship that we bring is always a response to the knowledge or the realisation of God's goodness, greatness or grace. Know the context of the song, and know where it will fit best in your service for it to best serve the church. Travis Ryan unpacks this a little in this video...
7. Persevere!
It might not hit the mark first time round, and you should be prepared for that. Give it at least a couple of outings before making a decision. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea from the beginning, and some people might be kind enough to point this out to you. Don't be discouraged, keep trying. If it's still not working after you've given it a good go then just put it down and move on, knowing that you gave it your best shot!
We'd love to know if you have any tips for introducing new songs. Head over to our Facebook page to let us know your experiences!