In this blog post, I will be responding to a prompt/assignment given to me by Pastor Byron for completion.

Song Writing as Spiritual Leadership 

If you could write and produce a song for your current church, what would it be like? Give a brief description of the structure and type of song you would like to write and produce. List core descriptors like the tempo, musical style, subject matter, and any scriptural references you’d draw from. Consider the following questions to guide your process: 

Audience Analysis: 

• Who makes up the congregation you serve? What are their demographics, interests, and spiritual needs? 

• A good portion of the church is black (African American & Caribbean), and white, and a smaller percentage is Indian. The age range varies, there are many families with children, couples with no children, and single young adults, and few elderly. The interests also vary a lot, adding to another aspect of the diversity of the church (which is so awesome!). Some interests and spiritual needs include: work life-balance, direction for next steps (young adults graduating college: fields – engineering, chiropractic, the arts, etc.), families having new additions/children and navigating life differently, people dealing with the loss of loved ones or loved ones struggling with poverty/substance abuse/ etc. 

• What themes, struggles, or joys are prevalent within your congregation’s community? 

• See previous answer for listing of themes & struggles. Examples of joys that are prevalent within our congregation’s community: welcoming new life, new doors opening, encouraging others in need and seeing positive impact, testimony of spiritual growth. 

• How can your song address these themes in a meaningful and authentic way? 

• The song that I write can be reflective about the different aspects of life as a whole: the joys, the struggles, the victories, the losses, and how we can see God’s hand through it all protecting us, guiding us, and holding us. 

• Worship Experience: 
• How does your congregation typically engage in worship? What styles of music do they respond to? 

• The congregation typically engages in worship by singing along with us, following along with the slides. Whenever we end a song and have just the piano play with the voices, there is sometimes more spontaneity in the worship heard: more adlibbing and praises to God sung. We also worship around the Word of God (through engaging with the Sermon and studying biblical text) and taking communion. They respond to Contemporary Christian/Gospel Music, and Traditional hymns. 

• What elements of a worship song (lyrics, melody, rhythm, etc.) have been particularly impactful in past experiences? 

• I have noticed certain portions of songs with more “rich” lyricism such as hymns or the tag of a song tend to be repeated (if the room and space is created for spontaneity), and it has created some very impactful moments. 

• How can your song contribute to creating a powerful and inclusive worship experience for your congregation? 

• This song can contribute to creating a powerful and inclusive worship experience by reflecting the heart and mission of our church, while highlighting the different experiences, struggles, and emotions the wide variety of congregants may feel within this life. A song that reminds of us our humanity, and of God’s deity, power, and identity. That reminds us of the gospel and Jesus, the foundation of what we believe, the Rock we can stand on through anything. It brings us back to our first love, and the center of our belief as a body. This can be a reaffirming truth for those who are believers, and also a way to share the good news of the gospel and invite others to know God who may be unbelievers.  

Message and Biblical Foundation: 

• What message or spiritual truth do you want to convey through your song? 

• Through the experiences of all kinds that we face as humans on this earth, know that Christ understands. Keeping Christ at the center of our lives and reflecting on His sacrifice for us will be our ultimate source of strength, joy, and hope.  

• How can you ensure that the lyrics align with biblical principles and resonate with the spiritual journey of your congregation? 

• Stay attuned to the congregants sharing their experiences. This can be done by observing and listening during our Family Break Out Question and Reflection & Response portions of our services. This can also be done by engaging in conversation with members before and after church. Using scripture as a basis and reference for the song will help make sure it is aligned with biblical principles.  

• Are there specific scriptures or biblical narratives that inspire your song’s message? 

• ”And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.“ ‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬ 
• ”Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.“ ‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭CSB‬‬ 
• ”I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content — whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.“ Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭CSB‬‬ 
• ”Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”“ ‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭CSB‬‬ 
• ”The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.“ ‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬ 

Collaborative Process: 

• How can you involve other members of your worship team in the songwriting process? 

• We can have a songwriting session as a team! This can be very fun and engaging and can be done in a variety of ways such as doing timed brainstorming sessions, doing group writing where we bounce ides off of each other using white boards or posters around the church building. 

• What strengths and perspectives can each team member bring to the table? 

• Each member has different ways of using language to express an idea lyrically, and different life experiences that they could refer to for lyrical inspiration and connect with those in the congregation with similar experiences.  

• How will you navigate differences in musical preferences or theological perspectives within the team? 

• As a collective, we can sit down and can reevaluate the purpose and goal of the song, and refer back to scripture to assure theological views are aligned with the Word. 

Practical Considerations: 

• What logistical factors should you keep in mind when writing a song for your congregation (e.g., length, musical complexity, singability)? 

• The key of the song and melody should be simple and comfortable for someone who does not consider themselves a “singer”. The song should not be very long, most likely 1-2 minutes based on the purpose of the song. (See next question for more details on song purpose). Since it will most likely be a reflective song, it should be. slower tempo such as 65-70 bpm. 

• How will you test and refine your song to ensure it effectively connects with your congregation before incorporating it into worship services? 

• To test and refine the song and ensure its effectiveness in connecting with the church, I can introduce the song to the worship and leadership teams before the congregation for feedback and thoughts. The song can be incorporated into the communion portion of the service where people come up to get the bread and wine, then return to their seats for prayer and reflection. This makes it a song that people can either just listen to and reflect on and/or sing along with.