Watch our most recent church songwriting webinar ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Songwriting Culture Webinar (Summary)

Key Outcomes

Writing Worship hosted a webinar introducing a structured framework to help churches establish, develop, and release original worship songs. The initiative aims to equip churches to write songs that speak their unique dialect, minister to their congregation, and bring unity through collaborative songwriting.

Why Churches Need New Songs

·      Fresh praise and revelation: New songs bring fresh expressions of worship and can unlock new understanding of God's character and scripture

·      Specific dialect: Original songs can speak the unique language and address specific needs of a local congregation, unlike generic CCLI songs

·      Unity building: Songwriting creates alignment between pastoral leadership and worship teams, with excitement spreading to the congregation

·      Congregational ministry: Songs can minister to specific situations like illness, baptisms, weddings, or funerals within the church community

·      Future preparation: Songs can help prepare congregations for revival or other spiritual movements the church is called toward

Three-Stage Framework

Stage 1: Establish (Education Foundation)

·      Writing Worship book study with free leader's guide for team walk-through

·      Live Writing Worship Foundations workshop for in-person deeper dive with church teams

·      9-week online mentorship with cohort format led by Writing Worship mentors

·      Writing Worship Camp in Franklin for mentorship graduates to write for churches

·      Coaching focuses on setting standards, education, and expectations before diving into songwriting

Stage 2: Develop (Building Rhythms)

·      Establish regular writing reps and co-writing rhythms sustainable for each church's unique context

·      Learn to write for specific targets based on church or community needs

·      Use Songwriter Personality Test to optimize co-write pairings for writing camps

·      Host writer's rounds as events where congregation hears new songs outside Sunday services, providing feedback before Sunday introduction

·      Coaching helps determine sustainable rhythms (weekly, monthly, or quarterly) and organize song rollouts

Stage 3: Release (Recording & Distribution)

·      Live writing camp where Writing Worship team travels to church for real-time collaborative writing

·      Song administration course covering publishing splits and legal frameworks

·      Streaming and marketing course for distribution strategy

·      Coaching includes producer selection, song selection for recording, and navigating publishing/distribution decisions

·      Recording is optional; framework customizes to each church's goals

Healthy Building Principles

Standards

·      Establish community agreements like "Creed of the Jewels" defining how team members treat one another

·      Create honoring but honest communication frameworks before writing begins

·      Prevents confusion and disunity by setting clear expectations upfront

Education

·      Provide common language about worship characteristics, psalming techniques, and songwriting basics

·      Cover practical knowledge like avoiding quoting other songs and understanding co-writing dynamics

·      Education empowers teams with confidence and catapults song quality forward

Expectations with Leadership

·      Clarify early that songwriting ministry is for kingdom impact, not revenue generation

·      ROI is ministry and blessing, not financial return—compare to children's ministry expenses

·      Align vision between pastoral leadership and worship teams for maximum unity

Participant Challenges & Guidance

Volunteer Without Staff Buy-In

·      Situation: Volunteers at larger churches where staff writes songs but volunteers are excluded

·      Guidance: Start small with book study among interested volunteers; don't say someone's no for them—ask for blessing to facilitate study

·      Move at the speed of relationship; approach worship pastor humbly offering to serve

Small Church Without Musical Experience

·      Situation: Intern wanting to include non-musical congregation members in songwriting

·      Guidance: Involvement can mean having stories told rather than direct writing participation; invite anyone to book study and natural dedication will reveal core writers

·      Collect stories from congregation for writing targets while identifying actual writers separately

Church Staff Bandwidth Issues

·      Situation: Church leadership wants songwriting but staff is burnt out with no capacity

·      Guidance: Look inside church for interested individuals or collaborate with other local churches; body of Christ extends beyond one building

·      Opportunities exist in nursing homes, women's jails, community festivals, coffee shops—endless mission field

Cross-Church Collaboration

·      Situation: Writing with friends from different churches without formal structure

·      Guidance: Hold influence loosely; suggest book study without going "guns blazing"; if no interest, move on gracefully

·      Book study can unite multiple churches for cross-church songwriting culture

Spiritual Warfare Warning

Expect spiritual resistance when starting church songwriting—the enemy does not want the church to reclaim her song. This is a kingdom initiative disrupting darkness, so anticipate challenges and maintain prayer cover.

Additional Resources

·      10-day songwriting challenge (3 times yearly) with teaching and prompts for team practice

·      Psalming book, devotional materials, and regular writing camp

·      Music production course and group songwriting events

·      Podcast for ongoing education

Key Theological Foundation

Songs make theology sticky—while sermons are forgotten, songs are memorized. Putting God's Word to melody creates lasting impact in elevators, hospitals, Chick-fil-A, and African bush simultaneously—the sneakiest mission field.

Next Steps

·      Book free consultation call with Sharon Bird at www.writingworship.co/for-churches to discuss church-specific strategy

·      Start with book study using Writing Worship book and free leader's guide (link provided to all registrants)

·      Expect spiritual resistance but trust God planted songwriting seeds in your hands for a purpose

·      Follow Holy Spirit's leading on timing and location; closed doors are blessings too when they redirect to fertile soil