Here’s a list of posts I’ve written on secular worship songs. I wouldn’t recommend them all for corporate worship. Sometimes I enjoy digging into a song on my own, and often these secular songs carry more meaning for me than worship songs.
If you have a song you’d like to see added to this list, leave it in the comments. I add one song a month.
Is “Awake My Soul” by Mumford & Sons too obvious? Maybe so, since Marcus Mumford is the son of a Vineyard pastor.
I actually did a Mumford & Sons post. It’s sort of what inspired me to start looking into secular worship songs. http://rebootingworship.com/2011/11/worship-music/
We’ve used Awake my Soul as a call to worship where we drop the verse lyrics and replace them with a prayer from the front during the first verse structure and reciting the Lord’s Prayer together during the second verse structure. We then increase the repeats of the hook and chorus structures to really build a lot over time.
I’d like to submit a new addition to your list.
“Dust to Dust” by The Civil Wars:
http://youtu.be/YhatytEAJh4
I had a good experience with this one a couple weeks ago, but more from the perspective of being sung to by God. Let me know what you think.
I have recently discovered The Civil Wars, and love them. I have not heard this one. I will look into it. Thanks!