6 Characteristics of a Terrible Worship Song

We all know a great worship song when we hear one.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain / Holy, holy is He / Sing a new song to Him who sits on / Heaven’s mercy seat

In Christ alone my hope is found / He is my light, my strength, my song / This Cornerstone, this solid ground / Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

You’re rich in love, and You’re slow to anger / Your name is great, and Your heart is kind / For all Your goodness I will keep on singing / Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

But what makes a terrible worship song? Here are a few possibilities:

It takes Scripture out of context

Preserving a rhyme scheme isn’t a reason to improperly handle the words of God. It can feel wasteful to throw out a whole song because a single line introduces questionable theology, but if a song has the potential to mislead young believers, best to leave it out. There’s plenty of other music out there. No need to risk it.

This is one of many reasons we love to hear about worship leaders, like Nick Lathe of The Dispatch, using Logos to write new music.

It overuses “I will” or “I can”

Christianity is different from all other religions because it centers on God’s pursuit of man, not man’s pursuit of God. It makes God the central protagonist in the story of earth. God ought also be the central character in our church music.  Worship should sound different from a list of daily affirmations.

It’s too repetitive

All songs have some repetition. But if the minutes played exceed the word count, something is out of balance.

It’s too high

If you’ve ever wondered why more men in your congregation don’t sing along, check to see how high the melody soared. Songs that reach higher than a fifth above middle C relegate many baritones, like me, to a spectator’s role. As much as I love Chris Tomlin, I’m physically unable to sing many of his songs without a key adjustment. If they can’t sing it comfortably, they won’t sing it at all.

It’s too sad

There’s plenty of pain, hardship, and difficulty in the world, no doubt about it, but believers in Jesus have access to supernatural peace and joy. Our music ought to reflect that.

It employs meaningless turns of phrase

You know the ones. They haven’t always been meaningless, and if you listen close, these odd turns of phrase are trying to make important points about God and spirituality. But when a song gets overplayed, and the novelty that made it popular wears off, what once seemed clever can start to feel silly. Familiarity breeds contempt, after all.

What would you add to this list? Tell us in comments.