10 Songs For Your Easter Set List This Year (2018) and Why.

 It's that time of year again! We're all frantically searching for songs and trying to create the perfect set list for one of the biggest Sundays of the year on top finishing of the hundreds of other responsibilities that we take on as worship leaders & pastors. 

So my first recommendation would be for you to just pause, pray and let the Holy Spirit help lead you to the songs that are right for your church and your congregation. 

But the reality is there are a lot of practical things we do to prepare for a Sunday and one of them is picking songs. For some of us this comes easy and for other not so much. Maybe the biggest challenge is getting on the same page with you pastor. Nonetheless, here are my Top 10 Songs for Your Easter Set List This Year & Why. I hope this helps you narrow it down!

Now I realize there are probably thousands of candidates for these slots, but I’ve worked hard to narrow it down to my kinda unbiased top 10 songs! 😉

 1.     What A Beautiful Name (Hillsong Worship) 

Alright, you probably have thought of this one already, but c’mon! The #1 song on CCLI is there for a reason and while we’ve all probably overdone this song already, this anthem is seriously one of the most powerful worship songs and a perfect addition to any Easter set list.

Listen HERE

2.     Death Was Arrested (Northpoint, InsideOut)

I’ll admit the first time I heard this song I didn’t like it. Disclaimer: If you get to know me, I’m like that with pretty much every song, anyone else? But after listening to it for a few months it slowly became one of my favorite worship songs in 2017. This one might take a little practice to nail down right but just take a look at the lyrics of the chorus:

“Oh, Your grace so free, Washes over me
You have made me new, Now life begins with You
It's your endless love, Pouring down on us
You have made us new, Now life begins with You”

If you need a new song to introduce this Easter try this one, you won’t regret it!

Listen HERE

3.     Forever, We Sing Hallelujah (Bethel Music, Kari Jobe)

Imagine if you could only pick 1 song for your Easter set. I think everyone would pick this song. It’s epic! One of the most powerful worship songs ever written, brings me to tears every time I hear it.  

Listen HERE

4.     Reckless Love (Bethel Music, Cory Asbury)

I’m sure you’ve seen this song slowly climbing the charts and for a good reason. In my opinion this has been one of the most powerful, congregational worship songs written lately. It’s only 4 chords the whole song and has a melody that anyone can sing along with. Not to mention how incredible the bridge is. Thematically it’s the perfect song to add to any Easter set list.

Listen HERE

5.     This is Amazing Grace (Wickham)

Another great choice for Easter Sunday. I love that you can play this all-year long yet it still makes for a powerful, accessible song in any Easter set. Bright, fun and very congregational. One of my favorites, plus it’s a fast song! Why are fast songs so hard to find!

Listen HERE

6.     Resurrecting (Elevation Worship)

Have you heard of this little band called Elevation Worship? Kidding, but honestly Elevation has written some great songs that are perfect for Easter Sunday. Resurrecting is one of my personal favorites, but O Come to the Altar, Mighty Cross & Grace Like a Wave are some incredible additions as well.

Listen HERE

 7.     Because He Lives (Gaither)

An oldie for sure. But why not take a stab at bringing back some of the classics? It’s important to be a worship leader who can lead generationally. These can be some of the most powerful moments in a worship setting! What are some of your favorite classic worship songs?

 8.     Alive (Hillsong Young & Free)

Need another fast song for your Easter set? While many people might reserve this for a youth services don’t underestimate this song for a Sunday morning!

Listen HERE

9.     Overcome (Elevation Worship)

Our church has recently been doing this song and it has quickly become one of my favorites. Especially in a world that seems to lack fast songs. I love how flexible this song is: you can do it with all the backing tracks and bells & whistles or if you’re a smaller team, this song does just as great acoustically. One of my favorite lines of this one: “And for every fear, there’s an empty grave, for the risen One is overcome!”

Listen HERE

10.  O Praise the Name (Anastasias) (Hillsong Worship)

This song is SOLID. It's basically a modern day hymn. Hillsong never ceases to amaze me. One of my favorites of last year! Have you heard John Gray sing this and hit notes that we could only dream of! Haha.  

Listen HERE

BONUS:

Technically not a bonus song, but I want to challenge you and your church to write more of your own songs for your church. There’s nothing more powerful than songs that come out of your house and what God is doing in your church and community!

P.S. You can help equip and train your team with learning most of these songs through Worship Solutions. Try it out for FREE here.

Hope this helps! What songs are you singing in your sets that I missed!

Jakob Haymond

Jakob is the Communications Director at Worship Solutions and is also the Worship Director at a new church in Portland OR. He has been leading worship for about 10 years and enjoys exploring new restaurants and coffee shops with his wife Katie.