My family once visited a church known for its compelling teaching, dynamic community, and outreach to the non-churched. At the beginning of the service, the congregation was invited to stand. After 30 minutes of singing, my husband, a non-musician, looked at me, his eyes begging for mercy. The worship team, lost in their passion, had no idea that people like my husband were nowhere near as enraptured by the experience. That made me wonder what non-musical folks might say if they had a voice in the worship planning process.

1. Please choose singable songs.

Most people don't sing much in public, other than at sporting events where they routinely massacre the national anthem. Songs that captivate musicians should be carefully screened to determine whether average people can pick up the melody. When worship planners ignore this, we risk leaving out many in the pews who can't express themselves through difficult music.

2. Must we repeat so much?

While some repetition is strategic—to ...