The Search for Songs

Between comments about the guitar being too loud and words being misspelled on the screen, I occasionally get questions like, “Where did you find that hymn?”, “Where can I get the music for that song?”, and “Why don’t we ever sing _______ song?” So for both of you who were wondering, here is my disclosure of the music resources I often draw upon for our congregational worship music and the criteria I use for judging which music to employ and which music to exclude.

The search for quality worship songs is both enjoyable and exhausting. Large doses of diligence and discernment are required to listen through the overabundance of new music out there that falls into the nebulous genre of “Christian worship music” and find those few nuggets of lyrical gold that are well-suited for congregational singing in our context. With the advances in technology (especially the internet), the amount of Christian music out there can be overwhelming. So how do we begin to sort the musical wheat from the chaff? What do we look for when evaluating potential congregational worship songs? The answer is pretty obvious: lyrics and music.

The lyrics need to be
(1) Biblically sound—We want to sing words that make us think God’s unchanging thoughts. The words of the song must be theologically accurate. We remember what we sing, so we want to sing the truth.
(2) Godward—Worship is not just an activity for us; it is a service to another—to God. So we want there to be a distinct God-centeredness in the songs we sing. Even if they are songs of confession, the general tenor of the lyrics must direct our thoughts toward the Divine.
(3) Artistically fresh—Words should not be boring or dull, but communicate age-old and unchanging truth in fresh and thought-provoking ways. Songs are poems set to music. We all know there is much variety in the quality of poetry. So just because the words rhyme and are true does not make them well-suited for worship—they must be excellently written.

The music is evaluated by
(1) Singability—The melody should be logical and simple for the congregation to follow. Some songs are great for personal listening, but not suited for congregational singing because of the complexity or irregularity of the melody.
(2) Appropriateness—The tune should fit the text. Words of jubilation should not be sung in a minor dirge. And songs of contrition should not be sung to the tune, “Ode to Joy.”
(3) Compatibility—The style of our worship music must cross the cultural and generational gaps in our congregation. We want diversity of musical “style” that ministers to the entire flock.

While we may occasionally find great worship songs from a broad range of the more popular sources, there are a few lesser-known ministries that more consistently provide worship music for the church that falls within these parameters. So to help you know where to look for the music we regularly sing, I am providing you with the three main resources for Berachah’s worship music.

Sovereign Grace Music. The music division of Sovereign Grace Ministries (formerly PDI) is constantly producing gospel-rich, biblically-solid, and culturally-relevant music for churches. Their stated mission is as follows:
“We are committed to developing a biblical understanding of worship, and to producing songs that exalt God’s Word, works, and worthiness. Because God’s glory is too great to be confined to any one style or culture, we seek to draw from the rich heritage of the past while utilizing the best musical ideas and technology of the present. Moreover, each song we release is designed to be faithful to Scripture and musically suitable for use within the local church.”

Sovereign Grace Ministries was founded by pastor and author, C.J. Mahaney. His long-time partner in ministry, Bob Kauflin, is the primary worship leader and songwriter featured in their music. They have done a great service to the church by producing a plethora of rich, Christ-centered music over the last two decades. Some of their songs that we have used include: “Not to Us,” “The Gospel Song,” “Before the Throne of God Above,” “Be Praised in All the Earth,” “I Will Glory in My Redeemer,” “Your Great Renown,” as well as re-written versions of “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” and “Fairest Lord Jesus.”

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/ – Music is under the “Resources” tab. Their website has many CDs available for purchase and sheet music offered for free download.


Getty Music. This is the ministry of Irish composers, Keith and Kristyn Getty. Their mission is “to revive the art of hymnody for a new generation.” From their website:
"There are two reasons we write modern hymns. First, it is to help teach the faith. What we sing affects how we think, how we feel and ultimately how we live, so it's so important that we sing the whole scope of truth the Bible has given us. The second reason is to try and create a more timeless musical style that every generation can sing, a style that relates to the past and the future."

The 100+ “modern hymns” they have written are a real gift to the church today. These are the types of songs the church will likely be singing until the Lord returns. Their music provides that rare combination of well-crafted lyrics and simplicity of melody that gives them their enduring quality. Some of the songs we have sung include: “In Christ Alone,” “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us,” “Speak, O Lord,” “See What a Morning,” “Father We Have Sinned,” and “Let the Earth Resound.” Expect many more of their hymns to be used in our Lord’s Day worship in the future.

http://www.gettymusic.com/ – From their website you can order CDs, songbooks, and downloadable sheet music. Their latest cd, “In Christ Alone,” has been recently made available in many Christian bookstores.


Indelible Grace Music. This is the worship ministry that grew out of Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), a college ministry connected to the PCA. Their main emphasis is on writing contemporary melodies to old hymns.
“Our hope is to help the church recover the tradition of putting old hymns to new music for each generation, and to enrich our worship with a huge view of God and His indelible grace . . . We want to be a voice calling our generation back to something rich and solid and beyond the fluff and the trendy. We want to remind God's people that thinking and worship are not mutually exclusive, and that not everything worth knowing happened in the last three years. We want to invite the Church to appreciate her heritage without idolizing it. We want to open up a world of passion and truth and make it more that just an archaic curiosity for the religiously sentimental.”

Songs we use include modern versions of: “Sovereign Grace O’er Sin Abounding,” “A Debtor to Mercy Alone,” “Whate’re My God Ordains Is Right,” “Jesus, I, My Cross Have Taken,” “Come Ye Sinners,” and “I Sing the Mighty Power of God.”

http://www.igracemusic.com/ – Their website has some great articles on worship as well as their free downloadable hymnbook. They also have CDs available for purchase.


Other Useful Resources:

cyberhymnal.org – extensive online database of hymns. Searchable by title, tune, topic, composer, or meter. The only downside is the poor quality of the audio samples.

grassrootsmusic.com – Helpful online store to find new and independent artists. They have many mp3 samples available.

worshipmatters.com – Bob Kauflin’s weblog on worship. Good resource for insight and discussion on worship-related issues.

Grace Hymns. Topically arranged hymnal of older, biblically-rich texts. There are no musical scores provided for the hymns, only the meters. So you will need to use a different hymnal to find tunes with the right meter. (ISBN – 0 95054 761 1)

Justin Culbertson
Berachah Bible Church