Songwriting for a Praise and Worship Setting Pt. 1
Before I ever stepped foot in Midtown Baptist Temple, I heard the sweet melodies of Lisa Cheadle and the head-nodding drum grooves of Alex Allen. I bought the album Sanctuary on Bandcamp the same day I attended my first Mission Focus. When I began regularly attending C&YA, time and time again, I was blown away by the freedom this ministry had in its praise and worship. What they offered wasn’t musical perfection, it wasn’t even “vibes” or “aesthetic,” it was a genuine heart to bring honor and praise to the Lord.
Psalm 111:1 Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
Writing new songs has been a regular part of C&YA since its inception, but the precedent has never been talented musicians or songwriters. The most beloved and lasting songs from Temple Worship — the name of C&YA’s worship team — are those that seek to pray scripture back to the Lord and ask for it to become a reality in the lives of believers.
Psalm 40:3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Psalm 40:3 lays out a biblical thesis for songwriting. The Lord begins the work of a song. It comes from a heart to praise the Lord, and its purpose not only serves to edify the body of Christ, but also to testify of God’s goodness to the Lost. Notice the structure and musical composition aren’t listed here. That’s because, in His wisdom, the Lord knew music and song would take many forms throughout the ages.
Today, our worship generally follows the pattern of pop/rock music. That being short compositions (2-5min) with verses (storytelling and detail) and choruses (the main theme of the song), with the occasional bridge (a sidenote or emphasis on a specific idea) or instrumental (longer, musical section). Take, for example, the classic hymn, “It is Well with my Soul” by Horatio Spafford and Phillip Bliss. It’s arranged into a Verse-Chorus pattern. The verse section — “When peace, like a river…” — tells the story of highs and lows in the life of a saint. The chorus section — “It is well…” — is a hearty thematic declaration of faith in the Lord, despite life’s misfortunes and mishaps.
Temple Worship’s recent song “Born Again” follows a Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus pattern. The verse — “Even though it’s been a long time now…” — tells the story of a saint stopping to appreciate everything God has done. The chorus — “I have been born again” — proclaims the work that God has done in delivering believers from their sin. The bridge — “Jesus Christ/Lord of all…” — takes a detour to focus directly on the Savior Himself.
For most songs of praise and worship, one could dissect its sections and find both musical and lyrical patterns taking place. Some songs are simpler, while others are more complex. Many people are gifted writers but lack the musical skills to write a song. For others, they’re full of melodic ideas, but find it difficult to put the right words together to capture the sentiment of their heart. On the surface, these may feel like problems or inadequacies for the individual, but really these are opportunities for the body of Christ to enjoy fellowship through collaborative songwriting. While collaboration always involves sacrifice, there’s nothing more beautiful than God’s people working together in unity on something designed to bring glory to the Lord and testify of His mighty works.
Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Temple Worship doesn’t stop at collaborative songwriting — we also place a high premium on recording and producing tracks and albums of original praise music. A good Sunday’s-worth of praise, prayer, fellowship, and preaching is spiritually refreshing to the disciple of Jesus Christ. Prayer and our Bible we can take with us anywhere we go, but enjoying corporate praise used to be limited to physical gatherings. Nowadays, we have Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and other platforms on which we listen to music and podcasts. Now the internet doubles as a high-potential mission field where the entire world can be reached in moments. For this reason, we take the realization of new music on a recorded, accessible platform very seriously. As new songs are written and played in our worship services, we make it a priority to record these songs and package them digitally for anyone to listen to in their car on the way to work, or in their headphones as they do house chores. It’s one more piece of biblical fellowship anyone can take with them as they go about their life of faith outside the four walls of their local church.
Harrison Breshears is a member of Temple Worship and the College and Young Adults Ministry at Midtown Baptist Temple in Kansas City, MO.
