Song Selection Policy¶

Owner: Song Selector + Director

Purpose¶

Curate a small, truthful, singable repertoire that forms this congregation over time. Selection serves corporate worship rather than platform novelty, personal taste, or entertainment.

Policy (must)¶

1. Annual repertoire ceiling¶

Use no more than 50 distinct congregational song titles in any rolling 12-month period.
Every full song the congregation is invited to sing counts, including seasonal songs (Christmas, Holy Week), hymns, choruses, and each distinct title in a medley — so the weekly core will be smaller than 50.
The counter is “sung in the trailing 12 months,” not the song’s stage. A title on Rest or Archive that was sung 11 months ago still occupies a slot until it ages out of the window.
A reprise of the same title does not count again. Instrumental underscoring and brief spoken or chanted liturgical responses are not repertoire titles unless treated as songs.
The Song Selector maintains the annual repertoire register. To add a title while at 50, a previous title must age out of the window — or the Director, with pastoral oversight, records a policy change. “Resting” a song does not free a slot today.

The ceiling is a maximum, not a target. A smaller repertoire known deeply is preferable to a larger one known shallowly.

2. Core song criteria¶

Every song in the worship set must pass all of these criteria:

Biblically defensible theology. Its central claims and individual lines must be faithful to Scripture in context. A song need not quote Scripture verbatim, but the church must not have to excuse, repair, or privately reinterpret what it sings.
Corporate-worship intent. It must be intended for the gathered church to sing together, not merely for a soloist or band to perform while the congregation listens. A congregational arrangement does not by itself turn a performance song into a corporate-worship song.
Congregational ownership. The gathered body must be able to say the words truthfully together. Personal testimony and first-person singular language may serve the church, but the song cannot depend on an experience or claim the congregation cannot honestly share.
Congregational singability. Ordinary, untrained voices must be able to carry its melody, rhythm, range, repetition, and phrasing in a congregation-friendly key without needing a concert vocalist.
Clear Christian confession. The song must name or unmistakably confess the God and gospel of the Christian faith rather than offer generic transcendence, romance, or sentiment that only becomes Christian through explanation.
Pastoral usefulness. The song must help the church adore, remember, confess, lament, give thanks, petition, encourage one another, or respond to the Word and sacraments. A true and singable song may still be declined when it does not serve this congregation's present formation.

Therefore we avoid secular songs and generic “love songs” in the worship set. Instrumental walk-in, event, or transition music outside the worship set is a separate pastoral/programming decision; it is not approved by this policy merely because it contains no lyrics.

3. The congregation does not sing in God's first-person voice¶

We avoid songs in which the congregation sings as though it were God speaking (“I, the Lord, say…”).
First-person human response—“I worship,” “we believe,” “Lord, I need you”—is fine, though the overall diet should favor language the gathered body can own together.
Direct words of God may be read as Scripture with the speaker clearly identified. A sung Scripture quotation with a clear speaker cue (e.g. a hymn stanza introduced as God’s word, or a sung benediction) is a judgment call for leadership — see Exceptions. That is different from the room singing continuously as God with no cue.

Worked examples (illustrations, not a banned list)¶

Usually fine	Usually avoid	Criterion
Human response: “Lord, I need you”; “we believe”	A lyric that only works if every singer shares one private experience	Ownership
A song that names Father, Son, Spirit, cross, or gospel in the words themselves	A lyric indistinguishable from a romance song until the leader explains it	Confession
Sung Scripture with a speaker cue, approved by leadership	The room singing at length in God’s own voice with no cue	Voice
A hymn or chorus written for the gathered church	A radio single the room can only listen to; a secular pop song as a worship number	Corporate intent / secular

Crude singability test: can an untrained voice on row 12 sing the melody in the published key without a soloist’s range or rhythm? If not, change the key, simplify, or pass.

Add your own “we allow / we avoid” rows in Our Congregation so the gray areas are owned locally.

4. Week-to-week continuity¶

Normally carry at least one song from the immediately preceding week's service into the next service.
Prefer a meaningful repeat over a token repeat: use continuity to deepen congregational ownership, reinforce the preached or liturgical theme, or establish a new song.
The Director may waive continuity for a major feast, special service, pastoral need, or a service with no suitable predecessor. Note the reason on the setlist worksheet.

Selection tests (must pass)¶

Test	Question
Biblically defensible theology	Are the lyrics faithful to Scripture in context, without a misleading claim or a line the church must repair?
Corporate-worship intent	Was the song made for the gathered church to sing together rather than merely hear performed?
Congregational ownership	Can the gathered body truthfully say these words together?
Congregational singability	Can ordinary voices carry the melody, rhythm, range, repetition, and phrasing in a congregation-friendly key?
Clear Christian confession	Does the song unmistakably confess the God and gospel of the Christian faith rather than generic transcendence or romance?
Pastoral usefulness	What work of Christian worship and formation does this song help this congregation do?
Repertoire fit	Does it add a needed function, or merely duplicate a stronger song already inside the 50-title ceiling?
Team stewardship	Can the scheduled team lead it reliably without making production the point?

The Director holds final pastoral accountability. Theology-sensitive or disputed lyrics go to pastoral oversight before use.

Repertoire-shaping defaults¶

These are defaults rather than absolute laws; exceptions should have a pastoral reason.

One unfamiliar song at a time. Do not ask the room to learn multiple songs in one service.
Teach through repetition. When introducing a song, plan its next uses before its first use. Aim for approximately three outings within six to eight weeks, including a repeat on the following week when suitable.
Known songs carry new songs. Build most services primarily from songs the congregation already owns.
Prefer durable songs. Favor texts and melodies likely to serve for years over songs selected because they are newly released or currently popular.
Cover the whole Christian vocabulary. Across the year, include adoration, creation, Christ's incarnation, cross, resurrection and reign, the Holy Spirit, confession, assurance, thanksgiving, lament, petition, mission, communion, baptism, and Christian hope as appropriate to the church's doctrine and practice.
Balance pronouns and perspectives. First-person singular human response has a place, but the annual diet should also teach the church to sing we, address one another, and tell what God has done.
Let text govern treatment. Key, tempo, dynamics, arrangement, and platform posture should clarify rather than contradict the words.
Rest songs on purpose. Familiarity is good; fatigue is real. Move overused titles to Rest and return them intentionally.
Evaluate fruit, not applause. Listen for congregational participation, intelligibility, pastoral usefulness, and durable recall—not only platform enthusiasm or streaming popularity.
Check licensing and lyric accuracy. Approval for theological and musical use does not bypass licensing, reporting, or proofreading obligations.

New-song approval¶

Before a new title enters Trial:

Confirm all six core song criteria in writing
Complete a line-by-line lyric review, recording Scripture references and any concern or ambiguity
Confirm it fits beneath the 50-title rolling ceiling
Name what function it adds that the current repertoire lacks
Choose a congregation-friendly key and teach strategy with the Worship Lead
Schedule likely second and third outings
Confirm the title is in the church’s licensed catalog (or rights are otherwise cleared; originals: writer splits recorded); prepare accurate lyrics and chart
Obtain Director approval; obtain pastoral review if theology-sensitive

Review rhythm¶

Per service¶

Check for at least one previous-week carryover or record the exception.
Identify whether any title is new, in trial, core, resting, or returning.
Confirm every title appears in the repertoire register.

Quarterly¶

Count distinct titles used in the preceding 12 months.
Review participation, excessive repetition, neglected themes, range, and seasonal needs.
Move songs deliberately among Trial, Core, Rest, and Archive.

Annually¶

Review the full repertoire with pastoral oversight.
Confirm doctrinal alignment and identify gaps in the church's sung theology.
Publish the coming year's core list while preserving room under the ceiling for seasonal and genuinely needed additions.

Exceptions¶

The Director may approve a one-service exception to the repertoire-shaping defaults for a clear pastoral or liturgical reason. The two avoidances above (secular / generic love songs; the congregation singing in God’s voice) are not the Director’s to waive alone: leadership — Director with pastoral oversight — may make a documented exception (e.g. a Scripture chorus, a God-voice hymn stanza with a speaker cue). Record every exception and its rationale on the setlist worksheet. If exceptions recur, revise the policy openly rather than normalizing an unwritten rule.

https://theonize.github.io/petra/06-music-library/song-selection-policy/

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