In the good old days, we didn't think about "new songs." If it was in the hymnal, we sang it. If it wasn't, we didn't. Simple. Safe. Reliable. We still have the old hymnals at church - they're in boxes in the attic. Now we are on the praise interstate. Not simple, not safe, very iffy. New songs are flying at us so fast we hardly see one coming before it's a speck in the rear view mirror. We are using a "hymnal," it just happens to be a constantly changing compilation as "tired" songs leave and new songs are added.
Suppose you find a song that would be a good one for your congregation. Assuming it's a song that your people like, considerable time and energy will be spent in training your people how to sing it. My subjective protocol is this: 4 + 2 + 1. Include the song in your worship set four times in one month. Then include it at least twice in the next month. Use it at least once a quarter thereafter. If a "new song" isn't worth that kind of commitment, then it probably isn't worth adding to your congregation's "living hymnal."
If you are going to invest THAT kind of time and energy in a new song, it better be worth it. How do you decide? At CBC, we use this phrase, Dogs Love Singing Music Confidently, to remind us of the five criteria for evaluating every new chorus. (I am not sure if dogs really do love singing music with confidence, but can you conceive of dogs doing anything tentatively?) These are all subjective criteria, and your weighting of a given song may differ from mine. But, I believe the use of all five criteria is critical. Here's what D-L-S-M-C stand for:
Doctrinally Sound - Most praise music is not rife with heresy. But it does have a lot of "fuzzy doctrine." It lacks precision. It takes doctrinal concepts that beg for clarity and makes them muddy. Or it bleeds into generic spirituality - songs that could be sung with conviction by those who embrace something other than a conservative evangelical perspective. We need music that boldly and in no uncertain terms champions the truths we confess and the allegiance that defines us.
Lyrically Interesting - it is easy to write a praise chorus, but very challenging to write one that captures truth and devotion in a new light. Lyrically interesting praise music is arresting, provocative, fresh. It captures a concept in words that make us look at our faith with new eyes.
Singability - Contemporary Christian artists have given us some great songs. Some are not well-suited to congregational singing because they are so highly stylized or have a complicated melody. At CBC, we choose songs that match the congregation's singing ability. This, by the way, is a harder criteria for praise leaders to evaluate because of their musical competence. The more skilled the musician, the more important it is for him/her to understand, appreciate, and be sensitive to the musical skill level of his/her people.
Musically Interesting - death to boring music! We choose songs with an interesting melody and chord structure. Granted, it is a challenge to balance this factor with the previous. Some songs are musically interesting precisely because they rely on elements that diminish their singability. But, we cannot allow "singability" to press us into using only what is musically boring. By the way, musical interest can be diminished by excessive repetition. Beware the song with too many "repeats." Also, when a song becomes a congregational favorite, be careful you don't wear it out. Once you have completed the learning curve (4 + 2 + 1), extend its life by carefully limiting its use.
Contribution - this is probably our most subjective factor. If the message of a chorus is a duplication of something for which we already have a stable of good choruses, why invest all the time and energy into introducing another? We look for songs that declare what our people have yet to say but must. We find choruses that fill holes.
By the way, here's my challenge for song-writers - write songs that fill a need for the body of Christ. What is missing in our declarations of doctrine and devotion? As you scan what the church is singing, ask yourself what Jesus is longing to hear from His people, and put it to music that is doctrinally clear, lyrically and musically interesting while still being singable. The God whom we honor is worthy of more than a steady stream of praise pablum!
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