[images style=”2″ image=”http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidsantistevan.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F03%2FNEXT-LEVEL-WORSHIP-LEADING.jpg” width=”624″ align=”center” top_margin=”0″ full_width=”Y”]
Ever force a family member or friend to ride a roller coaster they didn’t want to ride?
And they hated you for it? Sometimes our worship sets are like a crazy roller coaster…that people are forced to endure. Up, down, spinning around, stop, go, headache, whip, punch-myself-in-the-face-this-is-so-awful.
Why? Because there’s no continuity – no flow. It’s simply a hodge podge of songs. I’ve been in worship services (and led worship services) where this was the case. I’d rather not do it again.
How To Create A Setlist That Flows
So how do we create a setlist that flows? One that is easy for people to follow?
1. Connect Your Songs by Theme
As a worship leader, it’s your job to take the congregation on a journey. If you want to go from your house to the grocery store, you take the most direct route, right? You don’t drive 10 miles the opposite way, do donuts in a parking lot, and then head to the store, right? You just go.
In the same way, when crafting our worship sets, we want to group songs by theme. We don’t want to go from singingabout God to singingto the Holy Spirit to declaring about the nations all at once. Craft your songs in sections and group them by theme.
Also determine whether your songs are God-centered (songs about God) or me-centered (songs about our response). It’s OK to have a mix, but our steady, worship song diet should be declaring who God is.
2. Connect Your Songs by Style
In the same way you want to take your congregation on a THEMED journey, you also want music that flows. Fast to slow to fast to slow to medium to slow to fast just doesn’t work.
If I’m planning an extended worship set for an hour of worship, I think in sections: 2 upbeat openers, 4 slow worship, 1 mid-tempo, 2 fast, etc. You not only want to build momentum thematically but also musically.
3. Connect Your Songs with Medleys
When creating a setlist, don’t think of 5 isolated songs. Start to think of medleys. Ask the questions, “How can this song flow into another? Does the final tag of the previous song segue well into another?”
This is definitely a skill worth developing because momentum can really happen when you begin to connect songs with similar theme and style.
It’s more difficult for people to enter in when it’s constantly stop and go. Sometimes we’re more concerned with cranking out our awesomely arranged songs than we are about leading people in worship. Medleys assist in helping people worship on a deeper level.
4. Connect Your Songs with Space
I’m always a little irritated when worship leaders ride from song to song to song without any room for the spontaneous. Now, every song doesn’t have to be 15 minutes, long, and overly spontaneous for it to be effective.
God can work through a short, isolated song as well; however, at least once in your set, allow room for spontaneous singing, declaring, shouting, or prayer. Your goal is not for people just to sing your songs but to declare truth over their lives and actively engage with the Presence of God.
Be intentional about your transitions. Think them through. Write them out. Pray over them. Rehearse them.
5. Balance Your Songs With Old & New
An effective worship set is accessible to the people you’re trying to reach. If you have a congregation of 75 year old women, dub step isn’t going to cut it. That’s not accessible to that particular demographic.
Become a student of the people in your congregation. What songs and style will make it easy for people to connect with God? That’s your goal: make it easy. Remove any barriers to the human heart connecting with its Maker.
Make sure you include creative uses of hymns. There’s something about rich theology that draws a deep cry of worship out of people. I’ve seen it work with old and young.
Maybe you want to write your own arrangement. Maybe just add a hymn chorus to the end of a new song. Build a solid list of hymns into your repertoire.
As a worship leader, think of yourself like a servant. You want to do whatever you can to create a meaningful experience for people. Ensure that the cross is in full view, the Holy Spirit has room to speak, and you are actively pursuing God yourself.
Your Assignment For the Week
I’ve created a simple worksheet outlining these 5 points. Use it this week in your preparation. Don’t just pick a few hit songs. Pray it through.
Ask, “What do people need to declare this week?”
Think through your transitions. Plan when your spontaneous moments will occur. Get detailed. If you do that, I know you’ll see a whole new level of engagement this week.
You can download the worksheet right HERE. Enjoy!
As always, feel free to contact me if you have an questions.
P.S.
Get here from Twitter, Facebook, or a link from a friend? This is “Next Level Worship Leading”, a 20 part email course for worship leaders. Get all the goodness right here: http://davidsantistevan.com/nlwl