Worship Teams
Stop Writing Worship Songs That Sound Like Everyone Else ft. Kaelob Mecum
Why do so many worship songs start to sound the same? Maybe it’s because we’ve gotten really good at knowing what “works”.
In this episode, Matt sits down with songwriter and worship pastor Kaelob Mecum to talk about originality, honesty, and the pressure to follow the formulas that produce successful worship songs. Kaelob shares why he believes we may be losing some of the art of songwriting, and why the best songs often come from writing what you’ve actually lived instead of trying to recreate someone else’s sound.
He also shares the powerful story of a tragic mountain climbing accident that changed the direction of his life and eventually shaped the songs he would write for the Church. Along the way, Matt and Kaelob get practical about congregational songwriting, breaking familiar formulas, co-writing, and learning to write songs that sound like your church.
Key Discussion Points:
- Why so many worship songs can start to sound the same
- The difference between inspiration and imitation
- Are we losing the art of songwriting for the sake of songwriting?
- Why writing for the CCLI charts can’t be the goal
- Finding the sound and story of your own church
- When a personal song can become a congregational song
- How to know if a song is actually meant for the Church
- Breaking out of familiar chord progressions and songwriting formulas
- How Kaelob’s mountain climbing accident changed his life and songwriting
- Writing worship songs from experiences you’ve actually lived
- Why the Church needs songs centered on who God is
- Practical ways to become a better songwriter
- How to walk into a co-write with a stronger idea and vision
