That Song... Again?

Yep… you all know a song like this. The song that was really popular for an extended period of time in your church, even in church worship all over the country and all over the world. Everyone knows all of the words so you keep playing it…and playing it……. And playing it….....

Oops… You over did it. It’s was a shame too. It’s such a great song and the lyrics are so true, but now it seems so “played out” that you feel like you shouldn’t play it again because you’re afraid people will start groaning over the sound of that now infamous opening guitar strum.

I think we all have a song in our repertoire that we’ve done this to. Which one is it for you?

I spoke with BEC recording artist Jeremy Camp recently about this situation that seems to be common in churches everywhere and I asked him which song is that song for him. He said, “I think that it would have to be “Mighty to Save”…. I’m about “mighty to saved” out.  Ha, don’t get me wrong, I love the song man, and I know that it’s touched a lot of people for Christ and I’ll continue to worship with it, but it just seems like I’ve done it a million times.”

Let me say I think there is a solution. And I got my inspiration for this solution from none other than Mr. Camp himself.

If you’ve done the song so many times, chances are, you’ve become numb to the emotions that the lyrics were meant to bring. So here are some steps you can take to revive a song that has been left for dead in your church:

"... try to find all of the biblical references to the song title.."

1. Instead of playing music and singing the song, read it like a poem. Break down the normal phrasing and concentrate on some of the most insightful expressions and ask God to reveal what he wants you to learn from them.

2. Do a concordance search in your bible and try to find all of the biblical references to the song title and those lyrics that you’ve been praying over. For “Mighty to Save,” the words in the title come from Zephaniah 3:17 AND Isaiah 63:1 (NIV) My personal favorite phrase from this song is “author of salvation” which can be found in Hebrews 5:9 (NIV). After you’ve found the song in the bible, read the context of those verses, pray about how they interact, and grab new inspiration for the song.

3. Take time to share your experience with your Pastor, your Worship Team, and the Congregation next time you put it in the set list. Let them know that the song has a new renaissance and it will never mean the same to you as it used to.

There are few greater feelings than hearing an old song like you’re hearing it for the first time. Having that intimate experience with God… like you’re finally hearing what He’s meant for you to hear the whole time. It’s humbling. And it will make you crave more of them.

That song again?     Yeah… That song.


Cody Collier is a graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA and serves as Worship Leader at LifePoint Church in Goshen IN, and as Midday Radio Host at Family Friendly 104.7/93.7 WFRN. 

Gaining Perspective

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy with a couple of important commitments the last couple of weeks. One of them was the Sunburst Half Marathon Race and preparation. The other was an opportunity to give the message at my church instead of leading worship. Both events required copious amounts of energy, both mental and physical, and I'm glad to finally be back on the keyboard.

The Sunday I was preaching however, I had my first opportunity to do something I had not done in over 3 years: Attend a church service where the Worship Leader... was not me. It's true. I hardly ever take vacation, (tisk, tisk, I know) and when I do its normally for another Sunday worship event where I'm leading anyway. So all week, I was able to spend time learning, dissecting, and overseeing the church's worship team instead of actually rehearsing and performing. Then come Sunday morning, I was able to just sing, clap, raise my hands, and worship from the seats with everyone else.... It was an awesome experience! And it helped that it was being lead by a very capable and talented worship team lead by A.J. Miller. (name drop ;)

"Walk around the sanctuary and see what everyone else sees. "

So as Worship Leaders, I encourage you to get a new perspective. Create a system so that you train up leaders within your worship team so that you occasionally have time to step away from the microphone and focus on other aspects of running a worship ministry that need you... Like:

     1. Spend some time in the sound booth. Talk with the media team and ask them about their needs. Let them know that you care about them and want to work with them to help them succeed. Relationships are everything.

     2.  Proofread some slide shows. Maybe there is a small typo that keeps bothering you but you always forget it needs a permanent fix... such as it reading "every body" instead of "everybody".

      3. File and organize your music. Couldn't find enough copies of "How He Loves" so you just printed off 10 more? Maybe sometimes you accidentaly pass out music in two different keys? Spend some time organizing your music library so you can save some paper, time, and frustration later.

      4. Give some direction in rehearsal. Walk around the sanctuary and see what everyone else sees. Maybe change up the staging a little if the piano is blocking the congregation's view of the guitarist, etc.

      5. And the best part: WORSHIP on SUNDAY MORNING! It's an awesome and relieving feeling to be able worship without responsibility. Not only will you be filled, but your worship team will be proud to have been trusted to play on their own... and the trust you build there is priceless.

Get a New Perspective. Learn. Apply. Improve. Worship.


Cody Collier is a graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA and serves as Worship Leader at Goshen First Church of God in Goshen IN, and as Midday Radio Host at Family Friendly 104.7/93.7 WFRN.