Nothing is more puzzling to a worship leader than seeing a sermon Scripture paired with a topic that makes you go, "Huh?" 

You can't avoid something like this happening, but it's still your task to tie everything together and support what will be taught that day—and here's how you do it. 

Alternative Angles

Excluding things that would be grossly taken out of context, much of Scripture can be used to illustrate important values and lessons for the believer, even if they have to be connected with others to drive the point home. 

You'll tend to get varying takes and angles on how to approach teaching Scripture; sometimes, a teacher will examine a Scripture at face value and explain what it means, how it ties into the greater story of the Bible, and how it connects to the Gospel. Others will be led to teach on a particular topic, where they pull together any number of Scriptures that support the value and importance of that topic being used in the Christian life.

One approach doesn't necessarily trump the other—it all depends on context and where the congregation currently sits in their understanding of the Word and its application in their lives.

When the face value of the Scripture seems to be at odds with the topic and points being taught that day, it's important to consider the end of goal:

• What is the overall takeaway that the congregation needs to hear?

• How can I, as the worship leader, support and expand on that?

Using Your Tools

The first thing I do when reviewing Scripture for a Sunday set list is to use inductive study to really dig into what the Word is saying. When and if my takeaways still don't line up with the sermon topic, I explore "around" the main text to see what I can work with. Oftentimes, there are passages that "bookend" the main text that give you fuel for general worship topics which help set the scene for the sermon as a natural "next step," rather than explicitly addressing topic keywords verbatim. 

Another tool I like to use is a song that calls the congregation to attention before the sermon is preached. There are many songs that talk of preparing one's heart for God's Word, and while they may not directly support the topic at hand, they DO cultivate the "ground" for a seed to planted and nurtured. 

As a final way to accent the topic (and if all else fails), POINT TO JESUS! Meditate on how Christ perfectly exemplifies the lesson being taught, and then choose a song that addresses that. 

Then, once you have those songs selected, take time to thread them together with spoken exhortations and encouragement, or even corporate prayers. 

Happy planning—you've got this!

Updates in the Field

Thank you to each of you reading this, whether you’ve been praying for us, getting the word out about what we do for churches, or supporting us financially—it means the world!

Just to keep you up to speed, here’s what we’ve been up to recently:

• We’re continuing our guitar lessons for students in Boonville, MO. Lots of great growth happening there!

• We helped a rural church in Auxvasse, MO troubleshoot wiring issues with their audio and video set-ups, plus we offered advice on how best to improve those systems with new gear and hardware.

• We did some website tweaks for a church in Fayette, MO and are continuing to help them optimize their livestream audio.

God is doing great things through Worship Strategies to help churches who need it—and we can’t thank YOU enough for your support!

Be blessed 👊✌️