You’ve been there before—it’s Tuesday night, your Planning Center account is open, and you’re staring at a blank setlist for Sunday. The pressure’s on, and you know that what you choose will shape how your congregation connects with God this weekend.
Andrea Olson, the founder of Overflow Worship, gets it. With nearly 20 years of worship leading experience, she’s faced that blank screen countless times. In her YouTube video she shares her time-tested “Setlist Checklist” that has helped her create meaningful worship sets year after year.
“Sunday’s always coming,” Andrea reminds us. Between volunteer rehearsals, tech coordination, and your own spiritual preparation, the last thing you need is to waste precious time second-guessing your song selections.
The Banner of Worship
Before diving into her practical tips, Andrea shares a personal reflection on Exodus 17:15, where Moses builds an altar called “The Lord is my banner.” She connects this to our role as worship leaders:
“Your worship is a banner,” she says. “When you’re standing up there, you’re waving a banner declaring God’s goodness. What you’re doing is needed and necessary and valuable.”
That perspective changes everything about how we approach our setlists, doesn’t it?
Step 1: Pray About It
Andrea starts with what might seem obvious, but she admits she’s often guilty of skipping this step: pray about your setlist.
“My hands naturally want to go to the piano and start playing,” she confesses. “That’s not a bad place to be, but we can’t start there.”
Ask God what He wants for this specific Sunday. This simple act positions your heart correctly and gives you a foundation for everything that follows.
She also warns against sacrificing our own time with God for administrative tasks. “We can’t lead people to a place we haven’t been and don’t go to frequently,” she says. “We’ve got to know the way.”
Step 2: Research It
Next, Andrea suggests taking a bird’s-eye view of your church’s worship life:
- Check what songs you’ve done recently (Planning Center’s Matrix View is great for this)
- Note which songs really clicked with your congregation
- Consider upcoming and past holidays
- Think about new songs you might want to introduce
“Take a look at what resonated,” Andrea suggests. “We just started doing ‘Gratitude’ at our home church, and so many people came up afterwards saying how much they loved it.”
She also recommends planning new song introductions quarterly or every six months, letting your team know in advance what’s coming.
Step 3: List It
After praying and researching, make a list of all potential songs for the weekend. This might start as 10-15 songs that you’ll narrow down.
“Sometimes if I’m totally blank, I’ll scroll through Planning Center, iTunes, or Spotify to jog my memory,” Andrea says.
This step turns your vague ideas into concrete options you can work with.
Step 4: Key It
Now comes a critical step many worship leaders overlook—considering keys that work together.
Andrea asks us to think about:
- Which worship leaders or vocalists are singing that weekend
- How songs will transition musically
- Whether you’re using tracks for some or all songs
- Most importantly, keys that are singable for the non-singer
“I like to sing in certain keys because it’s fun for me as a singer,” Andrea admits, “but that doesn’t mean it will encourage the congregation to join in.”
She uses a great analogy: “If I’m training to run a 5K with an experienced runner, they won’t sprint right out of the gate and say ‘keep up with me.’ A good trainer works at your pace while still pushing you to grow.”
This step alone can significantly narrow your list from 15 potential songs to 7 or fewer.
Step 5: Order It
The final core step is determining your song order and flow. Consider:
- Where songs fit within the service structure
- How transitions will work between songs
- Whether your worship set is continuous or broken up by announcements or other elements
“If all four songs flow together, you’ll want to keep them in similar keys,” Andrea explains. “But if you have one up front, then announcements, then two more songs, that front one could be in a completely different key.”
Your Turn
Andrea hints at additional tips in her complete Setlist Checklist (available free at overflowworship.com/setlist-checklist), but these five core steps provide a solid starting point for any worship leader.
What strikes me about her approach is how it balances the spiritual and practical aspects of worship planning. It acknowledges both our reliance on God’s leading and our responsibility to plan wisely.
The next time you face that blank Planning Center screen, try Andrea’s method. Start with prayer, do your research, make your list, consider your keys, and thoughtfully order your songs. You might find that what used to be a stressful weekly task becomes a life-giving part of your ministry.
As Andrea would say, your worship is a banner—make it one worth waving.
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