Songwriting
We love to worship at Home Church and we’ve recently been blessed to be singing original songs written from songwriters within the Home Church team. The songs that are being birthed are capturing the hearts of our church family and bringing people closer to their saviour, Jesus!
Songs
When it comes to considering original songs to sing at Home Church we begin by looking at four things; theology, clarity, fit and journey:
1. We look at the lyrics first
We don’t ask for songs to be sent in a complete format first. It’s very easy when you listen to a song and hear the flow to think it’s great without considering what it is we’re singing. We’re looking for good theology that lines up with what we believe as a church. Obviously if there’s heresy it’s not allowed; but even if what’s written is ambiguous, we will have a conversation about it. In reality, we may not have actually said anything wrong, but it could be misinterpreted.
2. We look for a clear message
Often the most powerful songs are the most simple songs. Clarity of what we are singing is really important to us for two key reasons. Firstly we want our church family to understand 'what' they are singing. Secondly, we want guests to be able to grasp the meaning of a song without a theological degree or 20+ years of church attendance. We write songs that can be sung and understood by those inside and outside the church.
3. We look at whether it fits with who we are
We ask ourselves, "Can we see our church family singing this song?" Just because it's a great song doesn't mean it works in our context. There are many fantastic worship songs (many of which we listen to personally) that we wouldn't sing in our church services, just because it doesn’t fit with the flow or context of our services.
4. We look for the journey
We want every song we sing at Home Church to take people on a journey. We ask, 'what's the story of this song?" and "`Is it helping people move forward in their faith?" Our primary mission is to make disciples of Christ and move people forward on their faith journey. We sing songs about embracing our journey in Christ and declaring the promises of God over our lives as we move forward.
Songwriters
When it comes to considering original songs to sing at Home Church we also consider the songwriter. This might seem strange to some but it really matters to us. We are looking for songwriters that have these 3 things in common;
1. An Open Hand
We believe that the original songs God gives us to sing at Home Church are for the benefit of our church, not the glory of the songwriter. What's most important to us is the song we sing, not the person who wrote it. Being over protective of lyrics and/or melodies can prove difficult when developing a song to be sung by our church family. We primarily write songs in teams, collaborating with others with a non defensive, open minded sprit.
2. An Open Bible
We are looking for song writers who love the Word of God and find inspiration for their daily walk with Jesus. It’s important to us that our songwriters are followers of Christ and are living a lifestyle that lines up with what Jesus says.
3. An Open Heart
We are looking for song writers who know how to worship God with an open heart, free to express their passion for their saviour.
John 4:24 (NKJV)
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
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Finally, let us say that we never take for granted the gifted and talented people God has blessed Home Church with over the years and thank God for each and every one of you.
Pastors Andrew & Louise
