The answer to this question is provided by Ben Whipple, pastoral intern over worship and music.
Throughout Scripture, singing is used to communicate and respond to the reality of who God is and what He does. In the Psalms, David often wrote things like this: “Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth (Psalm 96:1)!” So when it comes to choosing songs, you have to first evaluate them based on what they say about God. And believe it or not, many songs out there don’t have much to say!
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul points us to another purpose of singing, that of teaching and admonishing believers around us: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs . . . (Col. 3:16)” It’s pretty amazing, when you think about it, that you and I have a responsibility to teach others when we sing! From this purpose, then, we can accurately say that the content of our songs is important – it must teach truth, and must do so in a clear, accurate manner.
These two purposes are the foundations in choosing songs. So I ask questions like “What does this song say about God?” “Is it true, and does it bring Him glory?” “Does this teach Biblical, spiritual truths to the congregation?” “Will it lead them to give thanks to God?”
From this point on, the possibilities are wide and vast. Songs that meet these criteria can be found in hymns, modern worship music, southern gospel, country, rap, and any other style you can think of. At this point, the issue becomes that of accessibility. Which songs will work well in a congregational setting? Are the melodies easily learned, and is it in a range that can be sung by the average person? Here, the point is that while all styles can produce God-honoring, believer-building songs, not all songs are ideal for congregational singing.
We sing songs from a wide variety of sources, but there are a few places that I’ve gone back to time and time again for new songs. I would encourage you to check some of these places out, as they regularly produce new music. Here are a few I’d recommend, along with an example of one or two of their songs that we sing at Kossuth:
Sovereign Grace Ministries – I Will Glory in My Redeemer
Keith and Kristyn Getty – In Christ Alone, Speak O Lord
Passion (Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, etc.) – Uncreated One, Give Us Clean Hands
Regretfully, picking songs for a Sunday morning service can become a matter of expediency, or even worse, a matter of preference. Oh, that God would deliver us from these pitfalls, and that He would give us the desire to sing deep, rich songs that lift Him up as the great and glorious God that He is!