16 Creative Musical treatments for Worship in 2018
I admit, I like the challenge of making every worship service fresh and unique. Not just to showoff my prowess on ‘newness’ but to help the congregation see and hear Jesus in fresh new ways – even with the same-old songs! Sometimes it is tempting to throw out the old for the new, but I believe God is calling us to not only keep it fresh in our corporate times of worship but also to rebuild, renew and even repair our songs and our expressions of worship. I love trying new things while still honoring the old, tried and proven. Over the years, I have compiled a list of new and fresh ideas that I have either tried or I have seen others do successfully to ‘keep it fresh’ in our worship.
I should mention that I don’t believe in doing new stuff just because I’m bored or the people are bored. I do believe in provoking all of us to hear great songs with new ears. Sometimes due to repetition, our ears become dull to the words of the powerful songs we are singing. So I like to put a fresh coat of paint on each song so we can ‘see’ it with new eyes. To awaken the worshiper in each one of us, is one of the highest goals of a worship leader.
So consider these 16 ideas:
- Do fast songs slow or slow songs fast
- Men only/women only/children only/over 40 only
- During the worship involve a children’s choirs or a senior choir
- Or a men’s choir or a ladies’ choir
- Have a child start the song
- Antiphonal – split the congregation and have them sing back and forth to each other
- A capella – cut the instruments out (have your singers sing harmony – a disappearing aspect of today’s congregations)
- Plant a soloist in congregation
- Have your choir/singers surround the congregation
- Have a married couple lead worship
- Familiar song done in a unique style
- Sing a new Song – Ps. 40:3
- Whistle – Psa 9:2 MSG
- Contrast between songs and sections of songs
- Medleys of like songs
- Play and sing interpretively
Be creative, and have a Great New Year!