Gospel Musicians: Do You Know What To Do In Every Segment Of The Church Service?

The goal of this lesson is to outline what church musicians do in every segment of the service.

Attention: If you attend a Pentecostal church, then this lesson is written with you in mind. For others, depending on the part of the world you’re in, it’s possible that a couple segments might be missing or slightly different.

The vital role of music in religious worship cannot be over-emphasized — this isn’t just about the church — so many other religious groups use music as a tool of religious worship.

Segments Of The Church Service — Outlined

In this lesson, we’re focusing on the application of music in different segments of the service and we’ll be covering ten segments:

Praise

Worship

Shouting

Talk

Traditional /Hymns

Preacher Backup

Offering & Fellowship

Occasional Music

Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)

Wild Card

Let’s get started!

Segment #1 – Praise

This covers traditional hand-clapping, foot-stomping praise and devotional songs performed in many charismatic churches. Examples of these praise songs include songs like “What A Mighty God We Serve,” “This Little Light Of Mine,” “God Is A Good God,” and others. For contemporary praise, see CCM section.

Attention: Click here to learn more about this segment of the service.

Segment #2 – Worship

This encompasses slow songs and chord progressions usually performed during the opening Praise and Worship parts of the service.
Attention: Click here to learn more about this segment of the service.

Segment #3 – Shouting

In charismatic churches, this is the high praise moment of the service and often musically associated with uptempo bass runs, looping patterns, rhythmic riffs and fill-ins, and more.

Attention: Click here to learn more about this segment of the service.

Segment #4 – Talk

This is filler music often used underneath a speaker (church/pastor announcements) to preserve the flow of the service.

Attention: Click here to learn more about this segment of the service.

Segment 5 – Traditional / Hymns

This encompasses hymns and sacred songs often performed by the entire congregational during various parts of the service.

Attention: Click here to learn more about this segment of the service.

Segment #6 – Preacher Backup

During charismatic sermons, this is the climactic ending that usually involves more excitement in speech and tone, accompanied by organ and/or piano.

Attention: Click here to learn more about this segment of the service.

Segment #7 – Offering & Fellowship

These are exciting parts of the service that get the congregation in a joyful mood.

Attention: Click here to learn more about this segment of the service.

Segment #8 – Occasional Music

These are less reoccurring events like communion, baptismal, anniversaries, and annual events that require special song selections.

Attention: Click here to learn more about this segment of the service.

Segment #9 – Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)

Common in modern churches, this style of music features more major-sounding chords and progressions and less traditional movements covered in other dimensions. Songs include “Lord I Lift Your Name On High,” “Here I Am To Worship,” and others.

Attention: Click here to learn more about this segment of the service.

Segment #10 – Wildcard

While this isn’t an official dimension, during wildcard segments, musicians could cover anything they wanted. This includes special grooves, miscellaneous parts of the service, or one of the previous dimensions.

Attention: Click here to learn more about this segment of the service.

Final Words

Although there could be more or less segments in a church service, learning and mastering what to do in every segment of the service is key to your development as a church musician.

You can sign up today for our Musician Xplosion masterclass and explode your church playing forever.

All the best and see you in the next lesson.

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Chuku Onyemachi

Head of Education at HearandPlay Music Group

Onyemachi "Onye" Chuku is a Nigerian musicologist, pianist, and author. Inspired by his role model (Jermaine Griggs) who has become his mentor, what he started off as teaching musicians in his Aba-Nigeria neighborhood in April 2005 eventually morphed into an international career that has helped hundreds of thousands of musicians all around the world. Onye lives in Dubai and is currently the Head of Education at HearandPlay Music Group and the music consultant of the Gospel Music Training Center, all in California, USA.

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Tagged as: offering & fellowship, praise, shouting, worship