I plan virtually EVERY worship set I lead the same way I would plan to share Christ with a total stranger on the street. Let me explain (but keep that statement in your back pocket).
David Platt once said “worship is a rhythm of revelation and response”. I would wholeheartedly agree. We see God and we respond. That is why the use of God’s Word in worship is not an option. You will not (cannot) respond to something or Someone you have not seen, and you cannot see the Triune God apart from His Word. The Bible is the revelation of who God is, and worship sets must be saturated with Scripture or they are worthless. The Bible is also the revelation of what God has done….i.e. The Story of God….i.e. The Gospel. When we worship we are remembering the mighty deeds of God, His faithfulness, and most of all His faithfulness in sending His Son to die for us and be raised for our sins. So when someone stands up to lead the Church in worship, their two PRIMARY roles are teacher and story-teller. Through Scripture, the worship leader is teaching people WHO God is, and telling people WHAT God has done. (see Isaiah 6:1-8 and Col 3:16)
Now….you still have that statement from the beginning in your back pocket? Good, cause here we go….
I never begin my worship sets with “cross songs”. Why? Because that’s not where God started His Story, and that’s not where I would start when sharing Christ with a someone on the street. Imagine this somewhat typical scenario: You see a dude in the mall you want to share Christ with. You’re not sure how to start, so you just throw out a quick “uh….hey man, did you know that Jesus loves you?” You smile, and hope the Holy Spirit falls. Since we’re in America, you just get a slightly awkward look and then a response, “yeah”. Now, you’re wondering what to say. He already knows Jesus loves him, so I guess he’s a Christian? So, you respond with “uh, cool man. um, have a great day!”. So what went wrong in this scenario? Why wasn’t the gospel unbelievably good news (or unbelievably offensive)? Because the story teller started in the middle of the story. This guy didn’t even know he needed Jesus to love him.
You can’t see how amazing grace is until you see how disgusting sin is and how Holy God is. Thus, when I’m sharing the gospel with someone on the street, I always want to make sure I start with GOD…..His character, His nature, His power, His holiness, etc (using the Bible). Then, in light of That, they/you see sin, depravity, and eternal separation as a consequence for all sinners. NOW ENTER THE CROSS….because THAT’S when it’s GLORIOUSLY GOOD NEWS! We can have peace with God again! You see, the guy in the scenario above didn’t know he NEEDED the cross, and as worship leaders it is also crucial for us to ALWAYS ASSUME that people don’t know that they need the cross. Here’s what I’m getting at: Leading worship is sharing the gospel! It’s putting the whole Story on display. Congregations are full of people who have forgotten that they need the cross, so we as worship leaders (who also forget) MUST remind them (and remind ourselves)! So here’s what it looks like practically for me (Isaiah 6 is a great model):
I usually start every worship set with a couple worship songs that just make God look HUGE. Songs that remind us that He is Different from us…that He is Holy, Holy, Holy (i.e. Everlasting God, Revelation Song, Glory To God, Our God, etc.). Then sometimes I’ll do a song of contrition….a song that cries for the mercies of God in light of who He is (Give us clean hands, You Alone Can Rescue, etc.). THEN, and every time, I will bring in the “cross songs”. And at this point in the service, they are SO precious. Infinitely precious, b/c we have seen the infinite distance God has come to save us (Jesus Paid It All, In Christ Alone, etc.)! Then I will hit the resurrection (Stronger, Mighty To Save, etc.), and finally sometimes I will close with some missional songs (Open Hands, etc.).
I am honored to lead in about 6 or 7 worship services a week, and I can truly say, it does NOT get old this way. The Gospel is good news. Always.
Planning worship sets primarily around tempo (fast songs first, slow songs last) or key(s) (playing songs in the same key or related keys), in my opinion, leads to banal and trite singing that doesn’t have Biblical or logical substance. And we know we don’t need more of that. We need The Story. We don’t need more worship jukeboxes who stand on stage and sing out of context excerpts of The Story that sound cool. We need men of prayer, full of the Word, who stand up with the weight of glory on them and sing The Story.
I’d love to hear from you. Worship Leaders: what’s your formula for worship planning? Do you have one? I’d love to learn from you. My goal in this post was not to say that my way of leading worship is the only right way of leading worship, although I do feel quite strongly about it. If you don’t have a formula, I would encourage you to start thinking through this lens.
Writing that our churches might be full of people who are set ablaze with the Gospel-
Matt
Hi Matt, I am a worship leader from Arkansas. I am really challenged by your post on two levels. One, I am guilty of many times planning sets around the aforementioned tempo/key approach. Two, I really desire to have a high “Gospel Reflex” and what I mean is, how fast can I get back to the gospel and your liturgy really has a high gospel reflex.
I really struggle with wanting plan songs based on what people will know, and hence will “sing out” because obviously that means they are really worshiping ; ) but after reading your post I am challenged to try and always have at least one song about cross in my sets now.
You asked about what others do in worship, well it varies as to whether I am at the church I serve at or if I am on the road. But most of the time one of my main priorities is to get a song that really brings home the main point of the service. Another thing I have started doing is developing a little bit of formalized liturgy. My church does communion once a month and I have started to us Matt Redman’s “remembrance song” every time as a type of signal as to what we are about to do.
On the road with my band we typically do student events and I really desire students to know that hope is Christ and so what we play and write reflects that.
I have only heard great things about you from people that have ministered with you. I hope we cross paths someday.
Peace and Grace,
Christian Baxter
I absolutely love this formula for leading worship. I take on a similar formula but concentrate on how the worship set can be conducive to the teaching as well as how it can meet people where they are. We are currently going through an incredible revival at our church (not to say that ours is and no one else’s church isn’t). But allowing for the worship set to address all the new creating God has done in so many people’s lives over the past few months. Songs such as Open Hands, Nothing but the Blood which focus on the gift that we receive through salvation. Then as we move further into the worship set, address our doubts, fears, anxieties about our lives or walks with Christ. This provides a healthy conversation for the congregation to have with God that might otherwise be overlooked. Then into how we all are connected to making God’s name high with Your Name High, Stronger, etc.
Not that this is the ONLY way to construct a worship set, but this has provided the church with a common voice to which they can adore, cry out to, and converse with God.
Thank you for this post Matt. I believe there are a lot of worship leaders who make the mistake of leading from the basis of hipster state of mind or just out of ease through working their way through a same-key-set. My prayer is that we all try to dig deeper in our walk with Christ and would, in turn, lead people through the journey of a worship set.
Hey Matt,
Just recently discovered your music, and it’s really pumping me up for leading worship, thanks! Anyway, your thoughts are really good and challenging. I have approached worship sets from the standpoint of getting people going so that we can then nail it with the quieter worshipful songs before a bigger ending. I know, formulaic… At the start, I’ve wanted to pick songs that will bring people in, and that usually means an uptempo clap along kinda couple of songs. Your thought on singing about His greatness really focuses everyone into who we are worshiping, and it makes sense big time. I will be munching on this blog, and thanks again!
Praise God! This encourages me SO much…thank you! SO many confirmations in this one blog…
God bless you richly!
I’m stirred…
I like your suggestions, and appreciate the comments supplementing the blog. I would simply add that. for me, one of the primary issues in worship (especially corporate and public worship) is that we express our devotion to God, our allegiance to the Kingdom of God and that we affirm our own belief. I think these parameters often get under-emphasized when we focus (while planning and selecting content) on who’s coming and how the truth is communicated to them.
For me, it’s like the conduct of any relationship. I need to remember to tell the loved one that they are loved, not just to tell everyone else how great they are.
Matt, I’m a creative arts pastor in Kansas City. I resonate well with your intent that we ought to tell the story of God, but I’m not sure I like the formulaic approach; I think the story can be told in a myriad of ways, and while this is a nice default (I use it a lot myself), it’s just as prone to getting stale as other ways. Furthermore, I think it’s equally important to think of our keys, our tempos, our transitions, etc. because, to cite an old cliche, the medium is the message. The way we tell the story says as much about the story as the content itself, and so if we constantly feel we have to start at the beginning then go to the end, it gets old. Think of how many TV shows and movies don’t tell the story in a linear way, but start with the end and move backwards, some tell the story from the middle and you find out the beginning through flashbacks.
The key is to think of the WHOLE service as the story, not just the worship set, and then ask questions about not just WHAT story, but how to TELL it, and if starting at the beginning is actually the very best place to start. How does the sermon fit into it? Announcements? Offering? Communion? Other elements? How does every piece contribute to the bigger story we’re trying to tell? Telling stories from a fresh perspective is important, it keeps people interested and engaged.
The emphasis on story is vital, and I thank you for bringing that out!
Hey Matt! I attended the Shocco Springs camp at the beginning of June, and one of the songs you played went “Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord, He is Lord” But I can’t find it anywhere, is this your song?
Whoa!
Oh interiging
Amen, I love it. I have had the opportunity of leading worship for the past 3 years. I have always felt that the worship set is a story. The story unfolds with each song. From the awesomeness of God to His love for us/ what Jesus did for us, to songs of repentance ending with songs of worship. I did not know how others put there sets together but I take this very seriously. I spend the time with God weekly and He writes the story for that Sunday. He knows the hearts and which songs will speak to the individuals. It has nothing to do with, which song do we think is the coolest or the most popular.