Written By: Olivia Anselment
What goes into the 10-15 minutes of songs we sing in chapel? How are songs for worship picked? It can be broken down into 3 basic steps: Prayer, Scripture and Collaboration. They can also be interchanged freely depending on one’s creative process. These steps work together in creating what is known as worship set. A worship set is a collection of songs put together with intention for a worship service.
Step 1: Prayer
Prayer is foundational for ensuring a set is honoring to the Lord. An example of praying productively can look like journaling while you pray, mediating over the word and talking with God. That leads us to the next step.
Step 2: Scripture
Finding scriptures that fit the themes or messages you feel the Lord is placing on your heart. Whether it’s a single verse or a passage, anything can work with a worship set. Scriptures can also influence what songs you choose based on lyrics.
Step 3: Collaboration
Collaboration involves multiple moving parts. Often, it is beneficial to look to the advice and prayer of others for their creative input. Allowing the Spirit to work through people besides yourself can make for some very powerful worship sets. Collaboration also includes knowing which songs fit your singers properly. A male singer might not be able to sing a song that is normally sung by a female one, so it is good to check with them on the key a song is in and the style of song choice.
Team Lead Rachel Rotz explains her process in creating a worship set. “I start with prayer and journal what I feel the Lord is putting on my heart. Specifically for Friday praise chapel, my co-lead and I talk about songs and themes on our hearts to create a list of our songs. Then we brainstorm scriptures that flow with our set list. From there, it’s adding final details like keys that flow well and picking who will lead each song.”
Rachel’s process starts with prayer and journaling so she can best listen for what the Lord is intending her to put out in her next set. She collaborates with her co-lead to discuss what the Lord has already put on their hearts and minds. This is where they pick their songs. Then they add in scriptures to complement the songs for their set list. This is a great example of how to simplify and create an effective worship set for an everyday chapel.
Overall, intentionality is a key factor in each of the sets. Being intentional with spending your time in prayer, reading scripture, listening to worship songs, knowing your team and knowing your audience. All that being said, God will use whatever you put forward to do good for his kingdom. He has given you a gift to serve him with and bless those around you.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10
So go forward with confidence and remember the three steps to building a worship set: Prayer, Scripture and Collaboration.
