Worship leaders at times fear repeating a song too often. We’ll pass over a song as we are planning because we feel we’ve sung it too recently.
While there is a danger in wearing out a song (and I’m sure each of us has that song the congregation feels we sing too much), I have found the opposite to be true. Repetition is necessary.
There is a point in time, somewhere between the introduction of a song and its overuse, when the text begins to travel from our lips and our eyes, through the head and into the heart, and we are touched by its message. What was once unfamiliar is now familiar. What once was strange now connects.
There’s a sweet spot, where there’s enough familiarity for the heart and mind to engage the text but not so much familiarity that we disengage. We should always seek that balance.
Some people in our churches are in that sweet spot right away. Their minds and hearts engage immediately with the new. Others take a little more time. Still others take longer.
Because of these variations, you and I should not be afraid to repeat songs. In fact, we must repeat songs.
In your planning, where do you find the balance between always new and overuse?