A few days ago I talked about the need for more uptempo songs, and that brought to mind the construction of worship set flows in general. In a great worship set, we have all experienced what I call “heart songs” – these are songs that really connect with your particular congregation. In the majority of cases, these are “power ballads” – slower songs that build and build, especially in the bridge section. They are the songs that have the deepest emotional impact in a worship set.
So, the obvious question: If the power ballads are so effective, why do uptempo, or any other kind of worship songs? Why not just write power ballads about whatever aspect of God or our relationship with Him that you want to get across [which is, in fact, what seems to be happening in many churches]? It’s the same reason that a story doesn’t jump directly to ending. Effective worship sets take people on a journey, just like a good story. Stories set the scene and then build from there – they take the reader through a variety of situations and emotions, always moving towards a pivotal moment. Trying to have that pivotal moment in a story or movie over and over just doesn’t work – imagine Luke simply fighting Darth Vader for the entirety of the original three Star Wars movies. More definitely does not equal better in a case like that – the same thing is true for a worship set.
Hmmm - well, let's see...
I'm a Christian, a husband, a dad, a son, a pastor, a consultant, a musician, a writer, and bits and pieces of a bunch of other things. My work life has followed three main phases - business to teaching to church. I was the Weekend Services Pastor for nine years at Northview Church, an awesome church in the Indianapolis suburbs. I used to work for Willow Creek, another awesome church in the Chicago area. Plus I've written for various magazines and websites, and other freelancy sorts of things... My life mission is to help the church be as excellent as it can be.
Oh yeah - the name's Greg. Greg Wallace. But not the race car driver or the major league pitcher or the British celebrity chef. Just the creative worship guy. Hi.
It's my hope that these ideas, musings, rants, raves, etc... will inspire you. They're just my opinions - but again, I hope that they'll help to inspire you. Because the church really, really needs inspired creative types. If you're a creative type (and most people are, deep-down), ask God for help. Then take any ideas that are useful to you - borrow them, nab them, use them, adapt them - and make them into something greater...
You can head over to my Instagram site for an abundance of shorter posts: creativeworshipideas. If you're looking for consulting - especially on weekend services, team leadership or multi-site strategies - I'd love to help. Just message me here, and I'll be in touch - Greg
View all posts by creativeworshipideas
creativeworshipideas 