If used well, the worship set prepares the congregation for the specific questions and priorities that the sermon will address. It unifies the songs around a central concept, which promotes understanding. The worship set can be a God-glorifying approach because deliberately shaping the order of songs aids in “the strengthening of the church” that is to characterize our corporate praise (1 Cor. My hope was that this process would aid believers in responding to God in robust praise with their heads and their hearts, and I believe God blessed this effort. In a former church, serving as director of worship, I devoted substantial time each week to crafting and preparing sets of music. On the whole, I think the worship set is a wonderful idea if it is used well. Bob Kauflin argues for this kind of deliberate thematic development in his book Worship Matters, and he outlines a number of helpful worship set frameworks to try. It could consist of a celebration of the resurrection, or a call to respond in faith and discipleship, or simply a declaration of praise. The final song of the set is the theological and musical climax. If the first song focused on the character of God, these selections might move the church to consider our sin and redemption in Christ. Next, a couple more songs develop the theme both musically and lyrically. This song sets a particular theme and invites worshipers to praise God.

A set might begin with a call to worship or song of invitation. Similar to a meal with an appetizer, entrée, and dessert, the worship set follows a dynamic arc or storyline. It’s a far better option than picking a few popular songs and tossing them up on the canvas like a Jackson Pollock painting. Simply put, the worship set is a consecutive group of deliberately chosen worship songs or hymns. So, what exactly is the worship set? And should it be a given in our churches? Step into a church sometime between the opening greeting and the sermon, and you’ll likely find yourself in the middle of a 20-30 minute block of music. The worship set is something of a fixture among evangelical congregations, whether the music is accompanied by a choir and orchestra or by an 8-piece indie-folk band.

Bob kauflin worship