TimCase
From New Life Church Wickford
22 juli 2008 - 10:26pm
My church is a small church (60 adults) and we have one Sunday meeting - how do we introduce new songs?
The meeting is roughly (different each week) consists of 30-40mins of worship followed by the message and, sometimes, but not always, 1 or 2 songs to finish.
When:-
When introducing a new song I have been doing it as the first song in the set, I did this because I didn't want to intrupt the flow of the worship later on by distracting people with a new song. However, it has been suggested to me that it would be better to do the new song later in the set as the first song is important as it sets the feel for the rest of the meeting. Any thoughts or advice.
How:-
Before playing the song for the first time I would say to the congregation that if anybody knows the song then would they please refrain from singing along so that others can hear how it goes. I'd run through it once and then invite the congregation to sing along. Another way I have done it is to sing a line and have the congregation repeat it back, not all songs can be done this way.
How do you guys do it?
Tim Case
www.newlife-church.org.uk
wulf
From Hither Green Baptist Church
23 juli 2008 - 7:39am
How about playing it before or after the service? We have started to try and worship with at least one song before the official start of the service to separate ourselves from all the preparations and we also generally play another song or two after the service has finished. Both are opportunities for new songs.
Another strategy is, if you have a recording, to get that played before or after the service a few times before you try to introduce the song, giving some familiarity to most people in the congregation.
Wulf
--
Bassist for The Elusive Teeth, The Pico Brown Five and Hither Green Baptist Church
If the song suits, try using just the chorus (or whatever part works well) sung quietly over a 'ministry time'. It gets the song heard, without people feeling as pressured to join in.
Once people have heard it a few times, you can introduce it into the set and if it's catchy enough, people should be able to pick it up.
Even 'How Great is our God' had to be played for the first time somewhere...
That is a great idea- playing just the chorus in a time of ministry. I am part of Tim's church and will be introducing a song on sunday- we have played a recording of it before the services for the last couple of weeks, and I have already noticed some people who aren't in the worship group singing along- so it is working. I will let you know how it goes....
I'd just like to point out it is not my church, I don't own it or anything.
Tim Case
www.newlife-church.org.uk
I heard it was going to be renamed St Timothy's!
Well, we did introduce the new song (Worship the lord - Al Gordon) and it went very well. It was in the middle of set fitted in very nicely with the flow of the meeting. Also had some good feedback from some of the cogregation saying how much they liked the new. So well done Nick for introducing it and well done Al for writting such a great song.
Tim Case
www.newlife-church.org.uk
We have a small group of singers and a piano+/-guitar and flute playing and singing pre service. We usually sing 3 or 4 songs before the service starts to bring people to the time of worship.
If the minister or the worship team wishes to introduce a new song we will sing it as the last song before the service itself starts, with the words projected on powerpoint. If it's a less than obvious melody, we may do this 2 weeks on the hop before singing it in the main body of the service. We worship at a Baptist Church, with the full range of worshippers, from the very young to the very old, very traditional to very modern (and the two groups are by no means exclusive..) so introducing something like Everlasting God can be challenging- but we managed it.
The teachers at this year's Worship Masterclass at Spring Harvest suggested singing it through with the congregation, playing just the melody on keys, and then singing it again with the band/keys/whatever other musos normally play.
Hope this is helpful
David
Thanks David,
Playing the song before the meeting starts to subtly familiarise the congregation with it seems a popular way of doing it. Do your congregation know that the song being played is likely to be a new one so they pay more attention to it, or are the oblivious?
We do have keyboardist though they don't play every week, I can see the advantage of playing the melody in a stripped down way.
Cheers
Tim Case
www.newlife-church.org.uk
we usually do....
week one: pre-service
week two: pre-service / offertory song
week three: pre-service / as part of musical worship slot (never first song though)
we then try it for another week as part of a slot, rest for a couple of weeks then use it again and then review if the congregation has picked it up etc... and is it going to be added to the repertoire
We've struggled with this loads. I've found contrary to Chris that it works well starting with a new song as first on your list, aslong as you've got a song well known to the congregation as the second. It also helps that the song is lively, catchy and easy to sing along to. We've introduced quite a few over the last few month and found that it works. Introducing a song in the middle of worship can really distract people.
Though saying that I would always introduce a slower more worshipful, intimate song later on in the set when the worship is going in that direction. Generally slow worshipful songs don't work aswell being first song in the set. You need lively celebratory songs to get people stirred as they're coming in cold.
I think part of worship leading is pragmatic to a certain extent. There's no real formulas.
I love Tim's method of playing a new song 3 weeks in a row, give it a weeks break and then try it again. It's really helped me introduce stuff.
New Song
Nieuwste forumberichten
