Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Tips For Worship leaders



There is no exhaustive list of important tips for worship leaders. Here are 10 things I think are super important – use the comments section to add more – let’s see what we can come up with:

1. Be a worshiper – don’t just do worship – be a worshiper. You will never be able to lead people to places you never go yourself. If you routinely lead your own heart to God, you will find it easier to lead others. Stay connected to the Lord, and develop a healthy life of personal prayer and worship. Worship is our life – not just our Sunday job.

2. Pray – Prayer and worship go hand in hand. You need to get your direction from the Lord for every service. God has a plan for every time your congregation gathers – we need to lead the congregation to His plan – not ours. God's presence is our destination and His glory is our ultimate goal.

3. Maintain good relationships with all your team – this includes technical staff, pastors, dancers, singers and musicians. Work hard for unity. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from your team, and don't be afraid of constructive criticism.

4. Respect your congregation and the traditions of your particular church. The Lord loves His Church above all things. We need to love those we are leading. Part of that means we honor the worship journey of the people and respect the things they hold dear. Be a servant within your Church. Encourage - don't drive the people.

5. Use songs that you love – you will always find certain songs and styles that suit you better than others. Learn how to identify those songs. Stay away from songs that you don’t connect with musically or songs that you simply don’t enjoy. You will do better at leading the people in songs that you personally love and songs that draw your heart to the Lord. Be aware of the keys you choose – how high and how low each song may go – transitions etc.

6. Song choice is important. You not only have to love the songs, but they need to be “singable” for congregations. One of the most common mistakes many worship leaders make is that they choose songs that the people don’t know – or don’t care to know. There are certain characteristics that make up a song that is "successful" for congregations – songs that gather them and take them on the worship journey. The songs themselves are not the worship or the destination - they are the tools that take us all to the presence of God. Identify the songs that accomplish this primary goal.

7. Practice – do a lot of listening to songs that God is currently using in the body of Christ. You don’t have to use songs just because they are the “latest and greatest” – use songs that will connect your people to the things God is saying. Make sure you practice songs well before you try them on your congregation. Strive for excellence.


8. Utilize the gifts God has given you – Each of the members of your team are gifts from the Lord. Understand their capabilities and make way for them to move out prophetically in song or on their instruments.

9. Be Flexible – always have more songs prepared then you need – you never know what the Lord will do, and where He will lead – you never know what direction He will draw the congregation to. It is super important to be familiar with His presence, and to be comfortable with the Word. Worship leaders need to be able to recognize God’s presence, and know what to do when they get there.

10. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead – He is the real Worship Leader. In many respects, we are simply doorkeepers of God’s presence. We need to keep our eyes on Him and allow Him to have His way among the people. We are those who listen, watch and wait on Him (Prov. 8:34). Keep your eyes on God, the Pastor, the congregation and the worship team – the Lord will use everyone to reveal His presence and carry His voice.


More tips for worship ministers: HERE

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