The Importance of Song Selection

                 In an article I read a few weeks ago, a worship leader made the statement, “song selection is the most important part of what we (Worship Leaders) do.” When I read that I stopped reading. I thought, “really? Is it the most important part of my job?”

                Certainly the song selection is central in the responsibility of leading church music. However, I have never thought about it as the most important part of what I do. The author’s statement hung in my mind for the rest of the week and brought up all kinds of questions, “Is song selection the most important part of my job?” “Have I been wrong in prioritizing my responsibilities at work?” “What have I been treating as the most important thing I do?”

                I chewed on this for awhile as I continued to read and reflect. After a week or so I came across a statement in a book called The Leadership Challenge. The author said, “How you spend your time is the single greatest indicator of what’s important to you.” This struck me like a left hook – hard and from out of nowhere. After a lot of thinking I certainly wasn’t convinced that song selection is the most important part of what I do, but I was still looking to define what is paramount for me. So I reviewed my time budget. It became clear that the things I spend the most time doing are the people oriented tasks associated with my job. I spend a lot more time looking for ways to use people’s potential than I do planning what songs we’ll sing on a Sunday. I spend very little time looking for new music for our services when compared with how much time I spend on other people oriented projects like the songwriter’s circle, recording projects, playing gigs off campus, planning retreats and BBQ’s, and meeting with people over coffee and meals.

                My love for people oriented things isn’t new to me, but its reinforcing my view of leadership. I think song selection is important and I would encourage other worship leaders to prioritize it. It's an important part of planning. But, when it comes to making Sunday morning great, I am more likely to spend time setting up for rehearsal so that my team will have a clean & stress free environment to practice. While the songs we sing carry strong messages, it is the lives of the people presenting them that called me to ministry.