In this issue of SAWM, we are highlighting some great new songs that we hope will be inspiring. Salvation Worship has provided us with a new avenue to share songs, but beyond this, there is a community of Salvationist songwriters that is growing and encouraging each other. If you want to be part of this community but perhaps feel a bit hesitant, here are some tips that may help inspire you to get started on your own songwriting journey.

 

Be a servant as you write

Songs create pathways in our brain that commit the message and theology of our words to memory, sometimes more easily and more permanently than a sermon. Aim to write songs that are rich in Scripture and theology. The songs we sing give God’s people the language to praise Him. Let’s seek to make our lyrics meaningful to the congregation.

 

Write the song inside of you

God has made you individually wonderful. Your experience and insight into how His grace and love have been evident in your life can be inspirational to others.

 

Write with an audience in mind

There are a couple of aspects to this. First, you need to know the context of your song. Here are three main contexts that help to categorize worship songs:

 

            Man – God        God – Man        Man – Man

 

Knowing the context of your song will help inform the language you use and will help you construct the lyrics in a way that makes the most sense. Second, you should have some knowledge of the congregation that you are a part of and allow that knowledge to inform the language you use. Remind yourself that your songs are inspired to serve the people of God.

 

Save everything

Most smart phones have a voice recording option. This can be a tool to help you save ideas and inspiration before they disappear. You never know when you might need something! Use this to build a library of ideas that you can draw from when needed. You may not end up with an entire song each time you sit down to write, but you may walk away with three or four great ideas that could work together to form a complete song.

 

Not every song is a worship song

There is nothing wrong with Christian artistry. Not every song needs to be used in corporate worship. Try not to force a song in a direction that it shouldn’t go. It is easier than ever to share your music as a simple and beautiful reflection of God’s creativity in us.

 

I hope that these ideas will be helpful to you as you embark on your songwriting journey. Be inspired as you read the articles and discover some wonderful new songs in this issue.