Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and we know how important it is to honor and celebrate all the wonderful moms in our church community. Choosing the perfect songs to capture the love and gratitude we feel towards these amazing women can be a bit of a challenge as praise and worship songs typically don’t reference “mom” specifically, but fear not – we’ve got you covered! We’ve put together a list of favorites that are sure to tug at heartstrings and make this special day even more memorable for everyone.

The Blessing by Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, and Elevation Worship: This song can be a prayer of blessing over our mothers, who have shown us God’s favor and protection throughout our lives. It also honors their legacy of faith and their impact on the world. “May His favor be upon you/And a thousand generations/And your family and your children/And their children and their children/May His presence go before you/And behind you and beside you/All around you and within you/He is with you He is with you.”

No Longer Slaves by Bethel Music: This song is a declaration of our freedom from fear and bondage, through the blood of Jesus Christ that made us children of God, which our mothers have prayed for and celebrated with us. It also testifies to the power of God’s love that breaks every chain and delivers us from every enemy. “From my mother’s womb/You have chosen me/Love has called my name/I’ve been born again into Your family/Your blood flows through my veins/I’m no longer a slave to fear/I am a child of God.”

Find You On My Knees by Kari Jobe: “In the place I least expect / Finding treasures in the trials on my knees”. Kari Jobe sings about finding strength and solace in prayer during difficult times. This theme can be connected to a mother’s constant presence and support for her family through her own faith and prayers.

A Mother’s Prayer by Celine Don is a heartwarming adaptation of the popular song “The Prayer” with new lyrics by CCM artist Kathy Troccoli.  This beautiful ballad captures the depth of a mother’s love, hopes, and dreams for her child as she seeks God’s guidance and protection.

In the Worship Workshop Podcast, host John Nicol and special co-host Peter Newman discuss the importance of managing song lists and rotating songs in order to engage a church congregation. They explain that churches need to repeat songs multiple times in a short period for them to become familiar and heartfelt. This way, congregations can sing from their hearts rather than relying on screens.

The podcast introduces a system called “Song Cycle,” which divides songs into three phases: Learn, Churn, and Burn. In the Learn phase, new songs are introduced and repeated frequently to help the congregation catch on. Once people begin singing from their hearts, the song moves into the Churn phase, where it is performed less often but still maintains momentum. Finally, when a song becomes well-known enough that it might lose its impact if played too often, it enters the Burn phase.

According to Nicol and Newman’s guidelines, tier one (Learn) songs should be played five to six times in two months; tier two (Churn) songs should be played about once a month; and tier three (Burn) songs should be played about once per quarter. The hosts emphasize that different churches will have different preferences for how long each phase lasts.

In addition to these tiers, they also mention other categories of music like hymns or classics—songs that can be pulled out occasionally but still resonate with congregations because they have stood the test of time.

Overall, managing song lists effectively can make a significant difference in engaging churchgoers during worship services by providing them with familiar music sung from their hearts instead of just reading off screens.

To help congregations learn new songs, John suggests having team members practice the song first for several weeks before introducing it to the congregation during pre-service or communion time. This allows the team to gain confidence in performing the song and also exposes it to early attendees. Additionally, playing recordings of upcoming songs during service transitions can help introduce them subconsciously.

When deciding when to retire a song, John recommends evaluating whether the song has been planned or missed within a few quarters (three-month periods). If it hasn’t been scheduled in that time frame and nobody seems to miss it, then it may be time to let go of the song. However, preferences play a role in this decision-making process; talking with others about their opinions on certain songs can provide valuable insight.

John emphasizes that serving the church community should take precedence over personal preferences when choosing which songs to include or retire from their repertoire. The goal is always for people attending services to connect with music and participate more actively in worship through singing together.