Choosing the songs is only half of worship planning. The other half is knowing what your church is actually allowed to do with them.
A single song can show up in a lot of places during one week: the worship leader's notes, the projection slides, a printed order of service, the livestream, the YouTube upload afterwards, a social clip, a rehearsal file and a public playlist. Each of those is a different kind of use. A song that is fine to listen to at home is not automatically cleared for projection, printing, recording or streaming.
This checklist walks through the credit and licensing questions a church team should answer before a song is used in public. It is written for worship leaders, media volunteers and small church teams who do not have a dedicated copyright administrator.
Quick Answer
Before a worship song is used publicly, confirm seven things: the correct song title and version, the writer credits, the copyright notice, the license your church holds (and its number), whether that license covers the exact use (projection, print, recording, livestream or upload), where the lyric text came from, and who on the team keeps the record.
If any of those is unknown, do not copy the lyrics into slides, PDFs, social posts or videos until someone has checked.
1. Start With the Correct Song Identity
Many credit mistakes begin with the wrong version of a song. Before a song goes into the set, record:
Do not rely on a YouTube video title for credits. Upload titles are often incomplete, unofficial or written for search. Writer and copyright details should come from an authorised lyric service, the published sheet music or the official release notes.
2. Separate Discovery From Licensed Use
Discovery is listening, comparing and shortlisting. Licensed use is projecting, printing, copying, recording, streaming or uploading.
Streaming apps and video platforms are excellent for discovery, and so is browsing worship songs by mood, language and occasion here on ChristianMusiQ. But hearing a song on a platform does not give your church permission to reproduce its lyrics on a screen, print them in a bulletin or include the performance in a livestream. We compared the two biggest listening platforms in Spotify vs. YouTube for Christian worship music; neither one is a licence.
Write the hand-off into your workflow so it is never skipped:
3. Check Projection and Printed Lyrics
In many countries churches use CCLI's Church Copyright License for this. According to CCLI, the licence covers projecting lyrics from a computer or digital device, printing lyrics in bulletins, programs and song sheets for the congregation, recording services for archive or limited distribution to people unable to attend, and making custom arrangements or translations where a published version is not available (CCLI Church Copyright License).
That is broad, but it still depends on the song being covered and the licence being active. Before projecting or printing, confirm:
If nobody on your team owns this check, assign it before Sunday rather than after a problem.
4. Check Livestream and Upload Use Separately
Livestreaming is a different use from singing in the room, and this is where many churches get caught out.
CCLI sells streaming cover as an add-on to the Church Copyright License. Its Streaming License covers live-streaming or uploading services that include songs performed live by your church musicians, while the Streaming Plus License extends cover to master recordings, meaning artist tracks, backing tracks and multitracks from authorised sources (CCLI Streaming Licenses). CCLI also notes that some alternative streaming licences do not allow lyrics to be shown on screen, so read the terms of whatever licence your church uses.
Platforms run their own copyright systems as well. YouTube lets rightsholders submit removal requests and uses tools such as Content ID to match uploads against copyrighted material (How YouTube handles copyright, YouTube copyright removal requests). A licence does not stop a platform from flagging a video, so plan for that too.
Before a service goes online, ask:
If the answers are unclear, simplify the stream plan (for example, live musicians only, no backing tracks) instead of hoping nothing gets flagged.
5. Keep a Song Credit Sheet
A simple credit sheet per service saves the same questions every week. Suggested columns:
Most church presentation and planning software can export a set list, and licensing services increasingly support automatic usage reporting. Even then, a shared sheet is the easiest way for a new volunteer to see what was checked. If you are building sets from scratch, our guide on how to build a worship set that actually flows pairs well with this sheet.
6. Keep Lyrics Out of Public Posts
A song title and credit are usually enough for a public set list. Avoid posting full lyrics, chorus screenshots, slide exports or lyric PDFs unless your rights for that public use are confirmed.
Safer public post format:
Riskier public post format:
When in doubt, credit the song and link to the official recording instead of reproducing the words.
7. Check Translations and Local-Language Songs
Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil and other local-language worship songs need the same care as English songs, and sometimes more, because credits are often missing from uploads. Record:
CCLI's licence allows translations only where a published version is not available, so check first whether an official translation already exists. Changing a line, translating a chorus or merging two versions creates a new rights question; treat it as a review step, not a casual edit. For background on these traditions, see the story of Malayalam Christian music and our guide to Hindi Christian worship music.
8. Small Churches Need This Too
It is tempting to think licensing only matters for large churches with big media teams. In practice, small churches are often more exposed, because one volunteer handles slides, the stream and social posts with no time to check anything. If that is your situation, keep the process light: one licence record, one credit sheet, one person responsible. Our notes on worship planning for small churches cover how to keep the rest of the week manageable.
The Checklist
Before finalising a worship song for public use, confirm:
Scripture describes worship as teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16). Getting the credits right is a small way of honouring the people who wrote those songs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What credits should appear for a worship song?
Keep the song title, writer credits, copyright notice, publisher where available, and the licence number or reporting record your licence requires. Show them on slides or printed sheets in the format your licence terms specify.
Do churches need a licence to project lyrics?
In most cases, yes. Projecting lyrics reproduces the song's text, so it should be covered by your church's licence or the rights holder's permission before the service. Public-domain hymns are the main exception, but check that the specific translation or arrangement is also in the public domain.
Can we livestream worship songs?
Often yes, but check it separately from in-room worship. Live performance, master recordings, backing tracks, uploads and each platform's own copyright system can all have different requirements.
Does ChristianMusiQ provide licensing clearance?
No. ChristianMusiQ is a worship song discovery and resource site. Churches should confirm lyric, projection, print, recording and streaming permissions through their own licence or the rights holder.
Sources
CCLI: Church Copyright License