WORSHIP LEADER PROBLEMS

Choosing songs for church is a profound responsibility.

Worship leaders need good music that is biblically faithful, musically playable, and genuinely helpful for congregations - but those goals don’t always align.

Worship leaders encounter these challenges:

"Too much me, not enough Scripture."

Sometimes the song is more about the recording artist than the Bible.

Songs can express sincere personal experience, but still fail to communicate the priorities, language, and depth of the Bible itself.

 

"Congregations sing, but don't engage."

The words are sung, but they don’t always reach the heart. Worship can drift into habit or sentiment, rather than helping people grasp and delight in the truths they’re singing.

 

"We don't have a professional band."

The record sounds great - but what if your church doesn't have session players or extended rehearsals. Music written for pro rhythm sections can be hard to lead well with ordinary volunteer teams.

 

"New songs don’t feel worth the effort."

Learning a new song takes time and energy. Worship leaders rightly hesitate when a song feels disposable, short-lived, or unlikely to serve the church over time.

 

"Industry gatekeepers steer what churches sing."

A small number of platforms and publishers often determine what rises to the surface, and churches end up with a "safe" menu of generic songs written for Christian radio, or arena shows, not local congregations.

The Solution...

When music is used well in church, God is honoured. When we sing, God's spirit softens the soil of our hard hearts, so that God's words can take root and do their renewing and transforming work. That’s why Scripture commands us to sing - to draw us into deeper communion with God and one another.

If churches and worshippers develop a robust and practical theology of worship, they can better understand how music serves the gathered church. My ministry goal is to help with that, writing hymns and songs that serve the church.

Many of the songs I write are hymns for congregational use - as a worship leader, I want to give Christians songs that are scriptural, satisfying and theologically rich.

One simple, practical response to the challenges faced by worship leaders is the Sunday-Ready Songs Pack: six congregational songs from New Scottish Hymns, carefully chosen to fit the shape of a service, work with ordinary teams, and carry enduring biblical truth into our hearts as we sing.

You’re welcome to explore the site, listen to the songs, or have a look at the Sunday-Ready bundle when you're ready.