Crafting a Setlist (Basic)

 Hello! This is a walkthrough of how I crafted a setlist for December 22, 2024. Since it's the Christmas season, I knew I had to include at least one Christmas song in the setlist. The song I chose is "Angels We Have Heard on High."

Personally, I prefer songs that are more musical and melodious because they align better with my singing style. However, your choice of Christmas or seasonal songs should match your singing style. Some people excel at creating a festive mood, but that’s not quite my strength.

Song One:
The first song in the setlist is 将天敞开. Typically, the opening song should be easy to engage with and slightly upbeat, though that's not always the case. It's often a good idea to choose a familiar hymn or a song with simple lyrics that invites everyone to participate. Bethel calls these "invitational songs," a term they use in their worship university.

Song Two:
Songs two and three in a set of four to five songs are great places to introduce new material. In this case, I placed the Christmas song "Angels We Have Heard on High" in the second position. This creates a nice contrast with the first song because I plan to sing it at a slower tempo. The intention is to start with high energy, bring it down in the second song, and then gradually build it back up to a crescendo in song four.

Song Three:
The third song is 充满在这里, a declarative song. Declarative or declaration songs focus on proclaiming God’s goodness and glorifying Him as the subject. This contrasts with encounter or intimate songs, where the subject is more personal (e.g., "Oh God, You love me" or "You know me so well").

In our Chinese congregation, declaration songs tend to resonate more strongly. However, in the English main service, encounter and intimate songs often elicit a good response. Knowing your congregation is key to selecting the right songs.

Song Four:
The final song is 神羔羊配的 (Worthy is the Lamb), which ends the set on a high note.

You might also notice that the songs are all in the key of A. Having every song in the same key gives you flexibility when it comes to transitions. Having songs in different keys brings about another set of considerations which I will cover next time.

That’s my thought process behind this setlist.