Crafting a Strong Worship Set List

                Do you think that people are standing in the congregation, analyzing the worship songs that were selected and the order in which they were placed? Or do you think they kind of ‘go with their gut’ and respond to the songs they love while sort of idling along on the songs they dislike? Maybe the answer is both, or maybe it’s neither. My hope is that people are so enraptured with the Lord that they worship Him no matter what songs are showing on the screen.

                Regardless, as a worship leader, I feel like it is my responsibility to craft a set to the best of my ability, rather than just throwing a few songs together. There are so many ways to prayerfully create effective worship sets.  Here are a couple motifs to get your creativity flowing.

Theme: Sometimes I like to center all my songs around a particular theme, especially if it relates to the sermon material. For example, if you are talking about the Holiness of God, you might use the hymn Holy Holy Holy, Revelation Song (Jenny Lee Riddle), and 10,000 Reasons (Matt Redman).

Communion: On weeks that we serve communion, we might focus all of the music on the celebration of the Lord’s Table. You might try: Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)(Christ Tomlin), The Wonderful Cross (Christ Tomlin/ Matt Redman) Above All (Michael W. Smith), Amazing Love (Hillsong) .

Church Calendar:  The church year can be a great source of worship set ideas. Thanksgiving only happens once a year, you might try a set list including Lord You Are Good (Lakewood Church), 10,000 Reasons (Matt Redman) and  Give Thanks (Don Moen).   You might look for Holy Spirit songs for Pentecost Sunday or songs about God’s care for creation in the springtime.

Move thematically:  This is my favorite type of set, where we move thematically through the music. For example, start the set with a call to worship such as: Come Christians Join to Sing (Christian Bateman), You’re Worthy of My Praise (Jeremy Camp), or Forever (Michael W. Smith). Next, move to a song about what the Lord has done for us. Maybe Because He Lives (Amen) (Matt Maher), In Christ Alone (Passion Band), or Made Me Glad (Hillsongs). Then you can move into our response to what God has done. For example, we might end with Lord I Need You (Matt Maher), The Potter’s Hand (Hillsong), or a simple I Love You Lord (Laurie Klein).

What are your favorite methods to create set lists?