HATERS

Contrary to what you're probably expecting, this isn't a post about peope who hate on your music.

No, instead it's a post about what a worship leader does when somebody requests a song that the worship leader absolutely hates.

In this case, I'm not talking about a song that you might not like musically...we all have our preferences and good worship leaders are pretty adept at checking their "style" at the door in most cases.

No...what do you do when somebody wants you to do a song and you have significant spiritual objections? Most of us adhere to an honesty-is-the-best-policy approach. And it's true that, as pastors, we need to be people of truth.

But I'll be real honest with you...this is a battle for me. Here, I'll get real honest here. And please know I'm trying to type this as gracefully as I can. It is not my desire to slam or disrespect anybody, but I am a practical guy and I think most of us benefit from practical examples.

Here's the deal:
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I've got spiritual issues with a song called "A New Hallelujah" that Michael W. Smith just released. It's a Smith/Baloche/Baloche co-write, I believe, and I think there are some elements to the song that are unhealthy for a congregation to be singing and/or trying to emulate.

Now...if I've got real issues that I'm passionate about and I've thought them through and someone comes with a request for the tune, I can defend myself. I can be honest and clear as to why I'd opt not to do the song.

But here's where the other side of my brain starts working. In most any case where something like this has happened to me, it's always been somebody who's really solid spiritually. And in any case where I've got the chance to hang out with artists or writers who might have created a song that I had problems with, I always end up really impressed by their sincerity.

My point is this...no worship songwriter starts out with a plan of writing something detrimental to the congregation at large. And I don't think most people sing along with these songs thinking heretical thoughts.

So how do we balance it? How do we serve our people as pastors - willingly standing in the lead and loving them enough to care very deeply about the types of songs we sing but also exercise some sense of control and understanding of the people we're charged with leading?

What do you think? Is there a happy medium?

The Tens is a blog series where I look at songs that have consistently stayed in CCLI's Top 10 List over the past five years. In each post, we discuss what makes these songs great and why they're important to churches.

For this post, we'll be looking at Chris Tomlin's "How Great Is Our God," a song that's quickly risen to the top of CCLI most popular songs. For each of these posts, we'll be following this template.

WHERE I HEARD IT FIRST:
Many of us typically hear new worship songs in our churches, then go out and find the album with the tune. In the past, Chris has often introduced new songs in a live version via the Passion organization, then placed full-studio versions on his individual releases. I don't think "How Great Is Our God" had appeared anywhere before, though. If I'm remembering correctly, I think it was the first or second radio release, but I heard it first on the record.

WHY IT'S SUCCESSFUL:
I think there are a few reasons why the church has latched onto this song. A couple of those reasons are consistent with most anything that Chris releases.

• First off, I think the song is emotive. Chris has done a fantastic job on the melody here. It's almost impossible to sing this song without becoming a bit excited by the overall "feel" of the way this melody works.
  
  
• Secondly, it's singable. Think about it - slow tempo, a chorus that easy to remember and a dash of the unique ("sing with me...")
  
  
• Third, it's a tune that hangs on that chorus. That's why the acapella choir part at the end of the studio version (and in live settings, too) is so cool...because it's the crux of this piece. The chorus is simple, but smart, songwriting.
  
  
• Fourth, it's about God. We hear people complaining all the time about how there are so many "me" songs in worship. And that's true - there are a lot of those out there. Personally, I don't think those are all bad, but I do think that Christ-followers are prone to engage more fully and passionately with songs that are about God and not ourselves.
  

3 TAKES:
I typically respond to worship songs in three ways: as a worship leader, as a songwriter and as a worshiper. Of course, those three things are constantly overlapping, but they each individually shape how I think about a given song.

• Worship Leader - Like it or not, "How Great Is Our God" has all the qualities of the old standby. It's one of those tunes that's crossed denominational, regional and age lines. You can throw this one into a set and be guaranteed that folks are going to know it. The danger with songs like that is that you can kill them quickly. My worship leader "take" on this tune is that it has to be placed just right in the set. I've got to really be watchful and aware of when I utilize this guy. Placed correctly and wisely in an order of worship, it can be a powerful tool to make sure our focus is on God alone. Placed wrongly, or used too much, and this song feels about an hour long.
  
  
• Songwriter - As a songwriter, I marvel at this song. Personally, I've never really liked the verses that much. They're easy to sing and remember, which is good for worship songwriting, but I've always felt that the great chorus overcomes whatever shortcomings might happen in the verses. I think the bridge is fantastic...maybe one of the best worship bridges written in a long time. ("Bridges" tend to be the most difficult part of songwriting.) Tomlin and crew did a great job on this one...the strengths are so abundantly strong that the weaknesses don't even matter. I still think the song is too high. This might seem like a worship leader concern, but as a worship writer, I work really hard at being sensitive to congregational comfort when it comes to range. Sometimes, those can't be totally avoided, but the songwriter in me think the song would have done just as well a step or two lower.
  
  
• Worshiper - I like this tune. It's got tons of stuff I dig...percussion, cool acoustic work during the verses, really great texture. Personally, I never felt it was the most awesome-song-ever, but I completely understand its appeal. This is one of those that's run its course for me.
  

So, what about you?
Thoughts on "How Great Is Our God?"
Got thoughts on why it's such a success?
COMMENT BELOW!