I firmly believe churches should be writing original songs. It’s not a matter of calling, it’s a matter of stewardship. There’s a difference, however, in writing songs and producing albums – something I break in a previous post. When we sing hymns and creeds, we connect ourselves with the history of the Church. When we sing songs written by churches in our time, we join ourselves to the story of the global Church. When we sing songs unique to our local church, they connect us to what God has done in our past, what He’s doing in our present and where we know He’s leading us in the days ahead.

Here are three reasons that back up my belief.

It makes teaching and doctrine stick.

There’s a reason you can’t forget the pop tunes from your teen years. Words attached to music stick in a way that speech simply doesn’t—sorry Pastors. In 10 years, no one is going to remember your carefully crafted three-point message with three sub-points each, all cleverly alliterated. What they will remember is “Jesus loves me this I know” and “I once was lost, but now I’m found”.

It’s an indicator OF your teaching and doctrine.

If you’ve begun the process and find that your songs aren’t where your church is at doctrinally, it’s a good indicator something isn’t translating accurately from pulpit to pew. Your songs must line up with your house’s teaching and the values of your leadership. Having pastoral oversight in the writing process is a significant first step to bridging the gap.

It’s a practice of telling the story of what God is doing through your house.

Original songs can serve as reminders of where you’ve come from, and where you believe God is calling you. When we embarked on formally writing songs for our church, we assembled worship leaders from across our congregations, representing different generations. In writing, we saw such a full picture of what God was doing in our house. We still sing many of the songs we wrote back in 2017 – their accumulated history reminds us of where God brought us from and where he’s leading us as we look to the future.

To write, you don’t need a studio. You don’t need the gear or the chops. You need to begin. If your worship team is a 7 piece band or it’s just you and a guitar, begin. Your first few songs won’t be pretty. Chances are a lot of them won’t be. Keep writing. Look at where God has brought you, look at what He’s doing in the present and what He’s calling you to in the days ahead. I’d be willing to bet there’s a song or two there.