[Worship] Number of songs in repertoire (was Submission or Abuse)

["Robin Dhillon" <lionroarmusic@hotmail.com>]

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Having a repertoire of over 400 songs is fairly common amongst worship 
leaders and musicians in general. Some professional musicians have a 
repertoire of more than 1500 songs, but that's probably the exception.

I have been leading worship since 1987, and the repertoire of stuff I have 
and could do with little  notice (and the lead sheet) is about 600 songs. 
There is probably another 300 songs which I have forgotten but could 
re-learn in a short time. My current list which I could probably do without 
a lead sheet is about 300 songs. Most worship leaders I know have a similar 
repertoire in terms of numbers. I think it has more to do with the years one 
has been leading worship than anything else ... you would just run into this 
many songs during the course of time. The type of church you lead worship in 
may also be a factor. In vineyard or PIH-type churches, we generally like to 
keep current with whatever is out there.

Many of the songs I have learned have never been done by me in a worship 
service, but they are ones that I have learned because I liked them , or 
thought that they might be useful in some situation. Like Jim, I feel it is 
important that a worship leader has a large repertoire. I cannot count the 
times when God has moved in an unexpected way during a service, and an 
appropriate song was able to be recalled.

Robin Dhillon
Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada


Jim wrote
>Since you saw fit to cast a judgment... I have been leading worship and
>playing worship music 3 times a week publically for nearly 10 years and I
>worship God with my guitar almost daily alone with no audience but God for
>well over 15 years. I am not a skilled musician I follow chord charts and
>have mediocre talent at best. It was not a boast, but a point. I never
i>ndicated that I have memorized all of those songs, nor did I indicate I 
did
>them in a year. They are all in a thick binder that goes with me to all of
>these events. So yes I have nearly 400 songs in this binder and I know 
>every
>one of them. It is not an impossibilty nor improbability as I know other
>worship leaders that do that as well and even moreso. It was a point that
>maybe I didn't make very well. But a Bible teacher should be reading the
>Bible devotionally, studying it practically and applying it continually to
>be ready in season and out of season, worship leaders should be no less
>prepared in their calling and that means playing devotionally, learning new
>material practically and applying it continually. Of course this is not the
>view everyone shares but it is my view as well as a viewpoint shared by 
>many
>others.

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