How to Write Christian Music Lyrics

St. Augustine of Hippo, a 4th century church leader said, "Singing well is praying twice." For more than 2000 years, Christians have used music to express their love of God and share their faith with others. Writing Christian lyrics is a powerful way to make the Bible come alive and faith relevant for both new and veteran believers alike.

Instructions

1. Seek inspiration. Immerse yourself in God, since that's who you're writing to and about. Attend church, pray or read the Bible. You can also go for a walk, sit on the beach or have a heart-to-heart with a Christian friend.

2. Put your inspiration into words. Think about which Bible passage really spoke to you. Consider how your friend helped you on your spiritual walk. Some Christian songwriters even take notes while their pastors are preaching.

3. Review the basic elements of song writing including stanza, chorus, rhyme, meter and repetition. A lesser-known element is the hook-a phrase that expresses the main idea of the song and captures the audience's attention.

4. Select your style. Like secular music, Christian music has a variety of expressions that speak to different audiences from rock and hip-hop to southern gospel and traditional hymns. (See "How to Write Hymns" under Related eHows.) Listening to your favorite Christian music can help you narrow it down.

5. Structure lyrics according to the style. While songs have common elements, not all of them are arranged the same way or included in every sub-genre of Christian music.

6. Find a listening ear by getting the opinion of a Christian friend, musician or pastor. This is helpful whether writing for your church's worship band or an established Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) artist.

Tips & Warnings

• Put a new spin on an old hymn. This is a popular way to introduce traditional hymns like "Amazing Grace," "How Great Thou Art" and "All Creatures of Our God and King" to Christian youth.

• Avoid plagiarism. While ethical writers don't do this intentionally, Christian music has been around a long time and it could happen inadvertently.

• If you include lyrics of a traditional hymn into your song, be sure to give proper credit to the original composer.

• Avoid clichés and forced rhymes.

Resources

• For more song writing tips, visit Ultimate Songwriting.
• Network with Christian songwriters at Christian Songwriting.