Ogvidius
From Mount Chapel
Just wondering what songs people find work well at the start of a worship set? When planning set lists I'm often found looking for a great song to start off with. I think it was vineyard that used to talk about a kind of 'backwards tick' in worship; starting off upbeat and gradually moving into a slower, intimate 'peak' and then bringing it up again a little bit at the end for the speaker coming on or whatever is next. With this in mind a good starting song would probably be an upbeat one. Also lyrically I think songs like 'Here I Am To Worship', 'Here For You' and 'Come, Now Is The Time To Worship' always work well for starting off. And also songs that get a lot of truth in, or talk of God's holiness, maybe hymns?
I just wondered if people have a particular method for picking out songs to start with, and what songs you find work well. Maybe we can compile a good list of starting songs!
I think its interesting you mention both songs that lyrically work at the start as well as ones that musically start "big". I think it can be hard to strike a balance there - Here I am To Worship is lyrically a perfect opening song, but it tends to be played quite quietly so it doesn't always work so well musically as an opener.
Something I'm going to try to do in my church is open with something lyrically appropriate, but maybe just the chorus, building it and leading into a "big" song. So I'm thinking of doing the chorus of "O Come All Ye Faithful" (Oh Come Let Us Adore Him) twice, first quietly then building into something like a tribal drum beat for Did You feel the Mountains Tremble or the riff from Holding Nothing Back. I think it might work doing the chorus of Here I am To Worship.
Really like the sound of that Ben! I don't think there's really any formula for a great opening song, and I'm sure quiet songs can work really well too. Definitely like the idea of starting with a lyrically appropriate song and building into a big one after that.
It's an interesting one. I personally haven't used 'Here I am to worship' first song. I think it's quite an intimate delectation of faith. 'Here I am to bow down' I wonder if people are genuinely in that frame of mind after often rushing into church late, having a row with the kids as they go to groups etc.. are people ready? (The more I think about it though, the lyrics are good for a call to worship in many ways (thinking aloud!)
On a slight side note, I do think it's easy for us to expect people to be ready to worship, to prepare on the way to church, etc.. but I've come to realise as much as we want that and should pray for, and encourage that, people are on a journey and often different stages of that journey and are not always in that place of ready to come to church to surrender all on their knees before God by the first song (Genuinely, praise God if your church is a place like that!)
We try and use songs/scripture/liturgy (not just fast songs) that declare who God is, his character, his attributes etc.. to help people see God from a bigger perspective than our own hectic lives and journey to a place of intimacy. I know it's not as black and white as that but you get the idea.
So some songs we use to open are things like
Praise is Rising (Hosanna)
Praise him you heavens
Saviour of the World
Holy Holy Holy (Lord God almighty)
Holy Holy (lift up his name)
Come now fount of every blessing
Give thanks to the Lord (Forever)
Because of your love (Gordon)
How Great thou art
Great is the Lord (mine not the good one :P)
Our God Saves
Turn your eyes upon Jesus refrain.
In a sense, one of the aims of the opening song is to 'warm up' the congregation, and for this, it's good to start with a lively song, because often if you start off with a quiet song, you'll look out and see the congregation looking very drowsy and distant. So, they don't by nature have to be lively and quick-tempo, but it always helps!
Lyric-wise, a couple of my favourites are Turn Your Ear To Heaven (O Praise Him) and Holy Moment, and they are both quick quick tempo songs, and the lyrics are very appropriate to starting off a time of worship.
Starting off with an anthemic type of chorus from a song is another alternative that works well, and then clicking in to the verse (Depending on your instrumentation, you may just have to start it without clicking in) An example of that would be to sing the chorus of Our God Saves, and then click into singing 'In the name of the Father'
Never though about people's frame on mind as they enter church before, but its a good point - not everyone comes to church with a building sense of expectation, especially not on a sunday morning! If our aim as worship leaders is to help people come to a place where they can truly worship, we need to consider that it might take time for them to arrive at that place.
One way of doing that I quite like, although its very rarely possible in my church, is to be playing music as people come in that helps them come to a place of worship and turn their thoughts to Jesus.
Hey Ben.
Great suggestion. We sometimes do 'pre-service' worship so like you said people come into an atmosphere of worship. Although this can have a repercussions too that people can't then chat to each other, catch up, build community etc.. and not everyone can stay afterwards for coffee etc...
All fun hey :D
Hey Chris,
This is true - more practically the band often isn't finished practicing, and even if they are people assume they are just continuing to practice!
I don't know about your church, but coffee afterwards is what everyone comes for! We've literally had people turn up as the service ends to join us for coffee.
ha! classic, you guys must serve better quality coffee than we do :)
To be fair, we do have a lot of people stay but for the morning a lot of people need to rush off for food, family, kids in bed for afternoon nap etc...
Hi guys
We usually start our set off with an up-tempo song that everyone knows well. If we're doing a new song, we don't do it first even if it's a fast one.
But then the last few weeks, we've started off with songs like Awakening. We do a mix between the Chris Tomlin and Hillsong versions. So opening, some pads and electric (drop D) with loads of delay.
That has worked really well.
The song starts off quietly, then builds and builds to the last part when pretty much everyone is singing their lungs out. The song ends with a huge crash in G, and we go straight into the next one, like Paul Baloche's Hosanna foe example.
We found doing this has helped people 'enter' into worship, like a journey, not like a 100m sprint.
Well that's what we're doing for now at least.
Hope it helps somebody somewhere...
Jakes
New Song
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I think its interesting you mention both songs that lyrically work at the start as well as ones that musically start "big". I think it can be hard to strike a balance there - Here I am To Worship is lyrically a perfect opening song, but it tends to be played quite quietly so it doesn't always work so well musically as an opener.
Something I'm going to try to do in my church is open with something lyrically appropriate, but maybe just the chorus, building it and leading into a "big" song. So I'm thinking of doing the chorus of "O Come All Ye Faithful" (Oh Come Let Us Adore Him) twice, first quietly then building into something like a tribal drum beat for Did You feel the Mountains Tremble or the riff from Holding Nothing Back. I think it might work doing the chorus of Here I am To Worship.