Song Choosing Team
Q1. What is the song choosing team’s* vision?
A. A church that loves to sing and sings to love.
*Hereafter SCT.
Q2. How will the SCT accomplish this?
A. By cultivating a repertoire that faithfully and robustly extends the ministry of word and prayer into song. This repertoire should be capable of nourishing us, maturing us, and capturing our hearts and minds with the biblical story.
Q3. How will the SCT do this week-to-week?
A. By choosing songs that enrich our reception of and engagement with corporate worship: word, prayer, and sacrament. This involves wisdom, skill, and a concern for the whole life of the whole church.
Q4. Who should join the SCT?
A. Those with a desire to serve the church’s singing and (where God has given gifts) wisdom and skill in identifying words and/or* music appropriate to the SCT’s vision.
*The reason for the distinction is that some are gifted in lyrics and not music and vice versa. The two gifts are not always present in one person. Many of the great hymns were put to their famous tunes by musicians who did not write the lyrics.
Maltbie Babcock & Franklin Sheppard, lyrics and melody to This Is My Father’s World
Q5. How will the SCT work?
A. The SCT will consist of 4-5 members who choose songs either for seasons of the year or sermon series, depending on the preaching schedule. Main responsibilities include: (1) prayer, (2) assembling a shortlist to be sung for the season or series, (3) choosing songs for each of the weeks from the shortlist, (4) sourcing lyrics and assessing possible arrangements when necessary. The SCT will meet together in person once before the series to discuss the shortlist/series, confirm it, and pray together.
Q5. How will the SCT work?
A. The SCT will consist of 4-5 members who choose songs either for seasons of the year or sermon series, depending on the preaching schedule. Main responsibilities include: (1) prayer, (2) assembling a shortlist to be sung for the season or series, (3) choosing songs for each of the weeks from the shortlist, (4) sourcing lyrics and assessing possible arrangements when necessary. The SCT will meet together in person once before the series to discuss the shortlist/series, confirm it, and pray together.
What the Timeline of the Process Looks Like
The timeline above aims to do two things. First: give the wider worship team as much time as possible to become familiar with and learn the upcoming songs (this may also apply to the whole church, listening to the church playlist on Spotify, for example). Second: to do the song choosing in periods with boundaries, rather than choosing songs every week throughout the series, with no end in sight (which can become relentless). This approach has many strengths in the areas of organization and forethought. In addition it can free up members of the SCT (particularly myself) to give attention to other areas of ministry when song choosing is done (ministry wide work/events, training, workshops, rehearsals, etc.)
What the Timeline of the Process Looks Like
Ministry teams are often conceived primarily in terms of needs and positions to be filled in order for the ministry to run. The SCT is not intended to operate this way. A person should not join in order to fill the positions, or even because there is need (at least not primarily). It is better to conceive of the SCT as an opportunity (1) to grow in following Christ – serving the one who served us and calls us to serve others, and (2) to use the gifts God has given in God’s own project of lovingly building His church. In this conception, the SCT will not be for everyone, and that is not a bad thing. However, those who do serve will not be burdened by it, and will bless others by their service. All that we do in worship ministry springs from and conforms to the new life Paul outlines in Colossians 3:12-17.
(12) Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, (13) bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (14) And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (15) And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (17) And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Commonly Asked Questions
1. “Am I locked in forever?”
a. You are not. No contract, no commitment. I recommend serving for a full season or sermon series.
2. “Will I have to do everything?”
a. You will not. I (Dan) will be the team leader. Down the road the team leader position will be open to others once the group is established and in rhythm. In addition, the responsibilities will be shared between 2-3 people per series/season to ensure that the work is manageable for all, and a person’s life stage and commitments will be factored into how we divide the labour.
3. “Will we have to meet a lot?”
a. We will not. We will meet once all together for planning and prayer before the series begins. In addition we can discuss questions/adjustments in text or on Sundays. There will be a one-off meeting to outline biblical principles of singing and song choosing so that we are all working on the same page.
2 Responses
How about a picture of Fanny Crosby with those two other dudes?
She deserves her own picture and post. What a powerhouse.