The Component's of a Good Worship Song

From the creative composer to the seasoned worship leader, sincere Christians and worshippers aspire to a common goal: a worship song that will touch hearts and lead the singer to spend time with God. There are millions of songs from which to choose, and millions more yet to be written in honor of the One who loves us more than any other. Exploring some of the components of a good worship song will help the worship leader and composer alike to continually grow in their worship music.

It is very important that your worshipping congregation be able to relate to the music they are singing. For instance, Petra's version of Paul Oakley's "Jesus, Friend of Sinners" is a great worship song, but might not work well in a very traditional Catholic Church, whereas "Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners," a wonderful hymn by John Chapman and Rowland Prichard would work great in a very traditional worship service, it might not go over well in a more contemporary setting without a good bit of adaptation. Admittedly, times are changing and many folks do love and enjoy singing both the old and new worship songs, but the principal remains: know your "audience," or in this case, your worshippers.

Another key to a good worship song is a strong, memorable melody. The melody of your song is what most of your worshippers will sing, as most people do not sing harmony. The melody should be easy to sing and especially easy to remember. As a general rule of thumb, the range of the worship song should be kept to little more than an octave, and use of the pentatonic scale is great to make the melody very attainable to the congregation. An easy example of a strong, memorable, pentatonic melody with a great range is simple, "Amazing Grace" by John Newtown. Another key factor is the tessitura of the melody - the point at which most of the pitches of the song hit. Too high of a tessitura will prevent most congregation members from singing the song.

Lyrics also need to be memorable. Some lyrics are simple and to the point, such as "I Love You, Lord" by Laurie Klein , and others instill an amazing picture in the singer's mind, such as "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin. Many worship songs and hymns incorporate Scripture directly or indirectly into the lyrics. Regardless of what type of lyric the worship song is based on, the use of clichés , meaningless jargon, and poor grammar should be avoided.

One of the most important aspects of a worship song is its theology. A worshipper may play or sing a worship song repeatedly, ingraining the words and ideas into their mind and heart. For this reason, writing a lyric with true theology is of extreme importance and a serious responsibility. A worship song that is rooted in Scripture will help stay on the right course theologically, such as "Better Is One Day" by Hillsongs, which is based on Psalm 84:10a, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;" (NIV). If a worship song's theology is questionable, it is wise to have the song evaluated by a pastor or theologian who can give further insight into the song's meaning.

In all truth, there are no rules to composing a worship song, and no governing body to make sure that all songs written for the Glory of God do indeed glorify God. The best worship songs are truly empty unless God uses them to move hearts and inspire His children to worship Him. There is no magic formula to ensure that a song will connect people to God. The composer's job, the worship leader's job, and the worshipper's job, then, is to write, lead, and sing from a heart that loves God, knows God, and desires to worship Him both with music and without.