17 Common Worship Leading Mistakes

1. Including too many new songs in the set – Your congregation is there to worship – most will find it difficult to do so if they spend most of the time learning your latest masterpieces. Vary your set list to include a variety of older, recently introduced, and brand new songs and be ready to make changes on the fly if you sense your congregation is becoming weary.

2. Pitching the songs too high – remember that a comfortable range for a woman is about five semitones (half steps) lower than for a man. Change the key down to avoid going above top D, particularly if you are playing in a small church situation.

3. Clunky moving from song to song. Playing a song once its underway is fairly straightforward so make sure you concentrate on rehearsing how to start and end a song. Practicing a seamless flow from one song to the next is worthwhile to focus on. It will help if both are in the same key with a similar groove, and if you are using music, make sure the sheets are side by side on your music stand.

4. Poor band dynamics – conflicting rhythms, one instrument speeding up/slowing down, vocalists overwhelming the sound with too many ad-libs or vibrato. Exercise leadership in directing your singers clearly, and if necessary, get them some vocals training. Get them to listen to each other's parts and possibly film or record a service to help with some constructive criticism.

5. Lack of leadership – Without clear guidance from the worship leader, it's difficult for the band to know what they are meant to do, let alone the congregation. Give a good clear brief in practice and use vocal cues and body language to communicate during the set.

6. Overly complex vocals – congregations get easily confused when the lead vocalist slips into harmonies, trills, and ad-libs. Simple clear melody is always the easiest to follow. Leave the harmonies for the backing vocalists.

7. Poor phrasing and blending by vocalists. Make sure that all your singers are phrasing each “musical sentence” in the same way. It can help to have one backing vocalist leading the others so that everyone finishes their words at the same time. In the studio, singers are often asked not to finish the last consonant in a line so that the ending doesn’t sound jagged.

8. Wrong keys or wrong capo positions. Make sure all the band are playing in the same key. Issue your set list in advance with instructions for keys. And if you change your mind, make sure that everyone knows.

9. Tuning – are all your instruments in tune and are they staying in tune throughout the set? Even the right notes out of tune sound far worse than the wrong notes in tune so buy yourself a decent tuner like the Boss TU2 – cheap tuners can be so frustrating.

10. Lack of rhythm and togetherness by the band – this can be caused by many things including poor musicianship and lack of overall direction. Try to generate a sense of team where everyone plays their part to contribute to the whole without any one musician standing out. Also, ensure that you have the relevant instruments in your foldback – i.e. the kick drum and other instruments responsible for rhythm.

11. Winging it – either the result of poor preparation or trying something new out on the spot. Be sure you can accomplish what you have in mind. Are you trying to sing a song without the lyrics in front of you, and you’ve forgotten the words? Does your AV guy have the words for the congregation, or do they have to remember them, too? Do you and the rest of the band know all the chords you need?

12. Technical problems. The sound gremlins can happen to the best of us but try to get there early, set up methodically, and make sure your technicians are well trained in the system they are using.

13. Problems with pitch – You’re starting a new song, and you’ve suddenly realised you’ve started on completely the wrong note.
Try to identify the problem songs in advance and quietly play the note you need to hit on your instrument. Hold the note in your head while playing the intro and then hit it with confidence. Alternatively ask one of the other (confident) vocalists to lead on that song.

14. Over emphasis on the melody line. Make sure your backing vocalists and single melody instruments are playing harmonies. The lead vocalist and congregation are all on the melody line – create some contrast.

15. Worship crash – often caused by trying something complicated that hasn’t been practiced enough. Never try anything complicated until you, the band. and the congregation are really familiar with the song.

16. Starting the song in the wrong tempo. Either invest in an in ear click or sing the song through in your head first so that you can pace the tempo properly. Generally, the chorus is the fastest part of the song.
 
17. Audiovisual failure – This happened to Matt Redman one time when Andy was playing. Matt just shifted his set list to songs with simple lyrics and gave spoken vocal cues to the congregation at junction points in the song. 

Creating Flow In Worship

One of the biggest challenges that worship leaders face is the ability to put together set lists for a worship service that provides a non-distracting experience for congregants. It’s easy to get into a rut or routine that seems to “get the job done,” but doesn’t inspire passion, creativity or a real sense of encounter.

The first step to creating a flow in worship is prayer. Now, I just heard everyone reading this column experience an “I could have had a V-8” moment. But seriously, one of the fundamental keys for worship leaders who are successful in facilitating “God moments” through their leadership is a basic understanding that worship and prayer are interconnected. I would suggest that worship is our prayers set to music, and worship songs are sung prayers. I think of the songs as prayer requests.

Some questions you need to ask

1. What life circumstances are dominating the conversations of people in your congregation? If you have a number of families losing their homes due to the recession, it may not be appropriate to sing a happy song.

Most worship leaders do not know how to effectively connect the musical part of the service with the lives of the people they are leading. The focus is on providing an “experience” instead of facilitating an “encounter.”

That is the difference between entertainment and ministry. Entertainment wants everyone to have a particular “experience” that is programmed for effect. Ministry is focused on people having a transformational “encounter” with God.

2. What message is consistent with the season of life for your congregation? New churches are filled with excitement, but older churches may be concerned about commitment. Young believers are trying to sort out if their faith is real. Seasoned saints are dealing with trying to recapture the excitement of the past. What is the overall message or “prayer” that captures the heartbeat of the congregation you are connected to?

The message in your song selection needs to fit the season of life your congregation is in. One of the biggest sources of frustration occurs when someone wants to change “the style” to appeal to a younger audience, and in doing so ignores the message. People don’t relate and they begin complaining.

3. What scriptures are being taught? There are some that believe that the pastor must stay in his or her lane and the worship leader must stay in his or her lane and never shall the two meet. In fact it’s almost a bragging point to say, “Wow, the worship and the message really flowed together this morning. I know the pastor and worship leader never talk, so that was really the Lord!” No, it was an accident.

Worship is an art form that gives voice to the Word of God. Our song selection should reflect the scriptures that the people are being taught through sermons or Bible studies.

4. What is happening inside of you? We forget that we are worshippers before we are worship leaders. If something doesn’t impact our lives personally, then how can we expect others to be impacted by it? I don’t use songs that I personally don’t connect with. It’s important that I not only believe in what I’m singing or “praying” to God, but that I’m also believable to others.

In our next issue we will discuss the relationship between keys and tempo in creating set lists that flow in worship.

Worship Team Training Episode 36 & 37

Here is an episode of Worship Team Training that I did with Shanon Wexelberg...

PODCAST CLICK HERE

Here is an episode of Worship Team Training that I did with Andy Park...

PODCAST CLICK HERE

What Is Congregational Worship?

Congregational worship is more than just a group of individuals having quiet times in the same place. It is the Body of Christ gathered together in unity and diversity centering adoration on the King of kings and Lord of lords and responding in obedience to Him. The emphasis is not on "my personal experience," but "our obedient response" to His revealed nature and character.

To understand where all of this started, I must go back to an email from Eric Benoy, our librarian at the Seminary, who really helped me begin to start thinking about “congregational worship.”

We gather together for corporate worship; a group of people to do something in one accord. If that is the case, then why do some worship leaders today want to make corporate worship a personal experience? It is oxymoronic in a way. If we have gathered intentionally for corporate worship, then should we not then be striving for a corporate offering of praise, adoration, et al and hear from God as a body of believers? We have come together specifically to be the church gathered; to worship and become equipped to be the church scattered. [4/16/2010, used by permission]

Besides being our librarian, and a fine one at that, Eric is a pastor and a dear godly friend whose opinion is worth the time to ponder. I’m not sure I had spent much time thinking about the efforts being made to make “corporate worship” a “personal experience,” but the more I began to mull over the idea in my mind, the more I began to see some of the possible ramifications of the idea.

Biblical worship is God-centered. Scripture describes it as “in Him, through Him, by Him, to Him, and about Him,” that is, the focus of worship is Christ, not our tastes, style, opinions, etc. If we look at the Isaiah 6 model, as God takes the initiative and reveals Himself, the prophet not only sees the revealed nature of God, but sees himself as God sees him, sinful and unclean. He confesses and is forgiven and the prophet is able to hear God’s voice: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Worship then completes itself in obedient response as Isaiah responds, “Here am I, Lord, send me!”

How does all that fit into a congregational setting? A great question. The idea of the “congregation” is in reference to the “church,” not the church building, but the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ. This body, whose Head is Christ, Himself, is seen in worship in the book of Revelation as thousands upon thousands are gathered around the Lamb on His throne. He is the one central and only focus. Angelic beings circle around Him declaring His nature and glory, hallowed saints cast their crowns toward the One who is worthy. If we could look around at the worshipers in heaven, we would notice that it is multi-generational worship: Not only are there throngs of believers from all the ages, generation after generation, but old and young. It is also multi-cultural worship: tribes from every tongue and nation lifting praise and adoration to God.

In Acts 2:42 we read that “They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” [NET] There may be discussion as to what exactly is meant by each of these four activities, but central to each is the fact that they were done corporately. Paul deals with the abuses of the agape feast and the Lord’s Supper in I Corinthians 11, emphasizing the need for self examination, so that when they came together they would not be condemned. It is not by accident that he then deals with spiritual gifts and explains that they are each members of Christ’s body, each with different gifts for the building of the body. In I Corinthians 14, Paul deals with the fact that worship was participatory: “When you come together, each one has a song, has a lesson, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all these things be done for the strengthening of the church.” [14:26 NET] The focus was not on building up the individual participating, but the body as a whole.

A simple focus on the pronouns in the Model Prayer that Jesus left us in Matthew 6:9-13 will also help us see that the corporate emphasis: This, then, is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [bold type added]

It may be that because we live in a culture that prizes individualism we look at Scripture with “individualistic” lenses. While it is true that we come to Christ as individuals, our “cultural lenses” may filter the importance of seeing ourselves as the Body with Christ as its Head and as the Bride preparing herself for the Bridegroom. Though we are aware that this theme is central to the New Testament idea of the church, what implications are there to worship? Where does the church “see” itself as a the “Body of Christ” and not just a group of individuals? Is it not as believers gather for worship and join together unifying their focus on the Risen Lord?

Seeing ourselves as the Body of Christ is not to demean personal experience, but a help to guard against allowing our focus to shift to “our” personal experience rather than on who Christ is and what He as done. If we are not careful the desire to achieve a “personal” worship experience becomes a goal in and of itself and misses the object for which the worship should have been directed. We can begin to desire the “experience” more than the “Savior.” Brian Wren put it this way in book, Praying Twice: The Music and Words of Congregational Song:

Oh, I’m thinking of me praising Jesus, and loving the feeling I feel. When I think of his touch I am feeling so much that tomorrow I’ll praise him for real. [page 225]

Corporate worship can help us avoid the “me and mine” mentality and can help us see ourselves as Christ sees us. Being mindful that we are part of the Body can also help us avoid delusions of our own importance before God. This is especially needful for those who are in positions of leadership in worship; it is just too easy to fall into the trap of self engrandizement. When our focus is on worshiping as the Body of Christ, we are less likely to define our worship experience by the limited standards of our own experience. Personal preference is surrendered for the good of the whole.

What is the role of personal experience? The responsibility of every believer is to maintain a right relationship with the Father, to confess known sin, receive forgiveness and continue to grow and deepen the relationship. As we come together in worship, we then come prepared to meet with Him who loved us enough to die to restore the relationship that He knew we so desperately needed. We come together as members of the Body of Christ, different in gifts and abilities, but all functioning for the good of the Body. As we worship, we reflect the “unity in diversity” that is His body.

In corporate worship can we see the unity of focusing everything on Christ. In the same way that a wheel is recognizable as a wheel when each of its spokes is rightly related to the hub, so the members of the Body are recognizable when rightly related to Christ. Just as a wheel is more than a collection of spokes hub and rims, corporate worship is more than a group of believers in the same room at the same time.

So now what? What difference does all this mean in relation to what should happen on Sunday morning as we gather together? Glad you asked. For a start, let’s consider the following:

1. We must teach what biblical worship is and isn’t. There are still many people that believe that “the music is the worship...”
2. Personal worship is indispensable. We must feed daily on God’s Word; we must immerse ourselves in His presence in prayer. There are no substitutes for personal time with the Father.
3. Personal worship is not a substitute for corporate worship. We are baptized into the Body of Christ and are members of His body. There is no biblical idea of a member of the body existing apart from the body.
4. Corporate worship must facilitate worship that centers itself around Jesus Christ as His Body. The focus of corporate worship is not a focus on personal experience.
5. We must begin to learn what it means to live and worship as the Body of Christ. Personal preference is willingly subjugated for the good of the whole body

Ed Steele, a 20-year veteran as a music missionary with the SBC International Mission Board, is Associate Professor of Music at the Leavell College of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His blog, Worship HeartCries, weekly encouragements and insights into biblical worship, can be found at www.edsteeleworship.com

Why Do Worship Leaders Close Their Eyes? [ARTICLE REPRINT]

by Bob Kauflin

Paul Baloche’s song, “Open the Eyes of My Heart,” has been sung by millions of Christians throughout the world. It’s a song based on Ephesians 1, asking God to open our spiritual eyes that we might know him better.

But I wonder if those of us who lead congregational worship shouldn’t be asking God to open our physical eyes, too.

Why do leaders close their eyes so often? Not just for a few moments, but for 5, 10, even 15 minutes. I’ve seen leaders and vocalists keep their eyes shut from the first note we sing to the final “Amen” of the closing prayer.

There are definitely some good reasons to close our eyes. We want to shut out distractions. We want to focus completely on the words we’re singing. Our hearts are deeply moved by God’s mercy and we respond in humble adoration.

But are those the reasons we usually have in mind when we close our eyes? Are we even thinking about what we’re doing? Or why we’re doing it?

Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you find yourself closing your eyes when you lead for one or more of these not-so-good reasons.

• We want to look spiritual
• We think the Holy Spirit likes closed eyes more than opened eyes
• We don’t want to look at the faces of people who seem apathetic, concerned, confused, or angry about what we’re doing
• We’re battling fear of man and the easiest thing to do is just pretend that no one else is around
• We don’t want to see who walks out of the room
• We’re discouraged by the dwindling number of people showing up on Sundays
• We’re imagining that this is our own personal encounter with God
• We don’t remember the words to the next verse
• We can’t think of anything better to do

Not to mention that worship leaders who shut their eyes sometimes look more like they’re in pain than in God’s presence.

Corporate worship has a horizontal aspect that glorifies God. We’re to teach and admonish one another while we sing “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Col. 3:16). We’re to “strive to excel in building up the church” (1 Cor. 14:12). At the same time we’re singing with gratitude in our hearts to God and very aware that he’s present with us. Both directions — horizontal and vertical — are important to consider if we want to benefit fully from our time together.

That’s why I’ve come to think that more often than not, it’s better for me to keep my eyes open when I’m leading people in singing God’s praise. It’s not that I don’t ever close my eyes. I do. It’s just that in recent years I’m becoming more aware of the good reasons to keep them my eyes open:

• I can see how people are responding (or not responding) and adjust what I’m doing accordingly
• It’s easier for me to communicate to people how the truths we’re singing are affecting me when I look at them
• My heart is encouraged when I see people who seem to be genuinely engaging with God
• I can share the joy in Christ I’m experiencing by looking at the other musicians
• I can communicate directions more clearly to the team
• I’m more aware of what’s happening around me
• I can see what I’m playing on the piano
• I can read the lyrics to the song

Don’t hear what I’m not saying. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to close our eyes when we’re singing songs of praise to God. I just don’t think Scripture says that has to be our default.

To put things in perspective, having our spiritual eyes opened is far more important than having our physical eyes opened.

But maybe it would help us and those we lead if we did a little more of the second. 

10 Pillars for Building a Life-Giving Worship Ministry [ARTICLE REPRINT]

By Ross Parsley

So much of worship ministry training these days is philosophical or theoretical but as a practitioner I tend to gravitate towards the practical applications. What I've found through both success and failure is if we make sure the foundational principles are in place we avoid the shallowness and structural weaknesses of many typical worship ministries. The following ten ideas are the pillars that have been critical to building a life-giving organization and creating an atmosphere of freedom and simplicity where people can genuinely enjoy God. These are values and principles that I continually communicate to everyone who join our team. I know that if they get this philosophy down deep in their hearts, they will never have to struggle with many of the common problems in local church worship ministries.

 1. The senior pastor is the worship leader.

The senior pastor leads the church by example in worship. As the one who has been given the spiritual authority to lead the local church, the senior pastor indirectly, or sometimes directly, communicates the vision and direction for everything from style to a theology of worship. Not only do people look to their senior pastor for the vision of the church, they also look at him during services to see his vision for worship. This is why I appreciate Pastor Ted so much. When people see him lifting his hands, kneeling on the floor or dancing before the Lord, my job of leading becomes easy.

 2. The worship ministry should be a team.

Because I don't play well enough to lead from the piano or with a guitar, I used to feel inferior to other worship leaders until I saw the hidden lesson. Forced to rely on others early in my ministry, I realized something that sometimes takes years to learn: I can't do this by myself. Some worship leaders rely on their own talent so heavily that they miss out on the joy of team building. Others are insecure in their gifts and control everything to maintain their significance. Either way, the blessing of unity and the power of vulnerability are never realized. This team mentality requires everyone to give up their rights as individuals for the good of the whole. We surrender ourselves to bigger goals and objectives, fulfilling different roles, and allowing God to use us as one. Of course, this means that we have no tolerance for hot shots or prima donnas. Each serves the other in humility, and together we accomplish more that we ever could on our own.

3. Leading worship requires a clean heart and good skill.

Pure hearts are essential to successfully leading others into the life of God. Because worship is a heart connection with God, as leaders we must model transparency and vulnerability when we engage in worship. But our God-given abilities are also important and music, just like preaching or plumbing, has an element of skillfulness that either increases or decreases our effectiveness. Psalm 33:3 encourages us to be skillful, and the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 illustrates that we are responsible to cultivate the gifts and talents we have received. Some have the heart of worship without skill and others have skill and no anointing, but when we lead worship we want both. We want our teams to be like David in Psalm 78:72; "with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them."

4. We must speak the truth in love.

At New Life, our basis for auditions and the team mentality is Ephesians 4:15, which reads, "...Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Mature relationships require the truth. Most of the time we have the "syrupy" love with no truth, or brutal truth without love. In worship ministry, as in all ministries, we must have it both ways-truth and love. You've heard the saying, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." If we can embrace this idea on our worship teams we open the door for authentic relationships and genuine discipleship. If the team has the courage to shoot straight with each other, and if we, as leaders, demonstrate a willingness to invest in them, trust is earned and permission is granted to receive correction and instruction in love, so that we all grow together.

5. Evaluations are essential.

The problem with letting others evaluate us is that it can lead to comparison, insecurity, fear and shame. This is why most churches have difficulty implementing an evaluation process for their worship ministry such as an audition. But worship is a high and holy calling and so prayerful consideration should be given to deciding who does and does not lead worship. Evaluating people's gifts and hearts is not easy, but when we commit to it we find that it causes people to place a higher value on their participation in the ministry. It encourages them to make a higher quality commitment, and it forces them to face their fears and overcome their tendency toward comparison and shame. I always say, "There is no shame in being at a different level of skill than someone else, its just part of life. Find your significance in Christ and realize that there will always be someone better than you." Your evaluations don't have to be fancy. It might just be taking a person out for coffee and finding out a little about their life and calling, but whatever form it takes evaluations are essential for bringing order and clarity to the worship ministry.

6. Music is just the tool.

Music is not the purpose of the praise and worship ministry. Christmas celebrations don't drive us and Easter services are only an opportunity for more worship. All the songs and special presentations are simply tools for worship. It's easy to get so bogged down in all the work of rehearsals and preparation and planning that we lose sight of the higher purpose. Our rehearsals are important because the when we are rehearsed, we become better facilitators of worship. We work hard to learn the music so we can internalize the message and be free to embrace the bigger picture of what we do. Good music by itself can't do anything eternal for us, but music under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has the power to change us every time.

7. We are musical servants.

Musicians can become easily sidetracked when they concentrate too much on performance, talent or personal recognition. Our attitudes need to be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who laid down his rights to become a servant for all humankind (Phil. 2:5-11 and Mt. 20:28). As musical servants to the Body of believers, we must give up our rights, our agendas and our preferences so we can concentrate on the Lord's purposes. We serve the people in our congregations and we stay aware of their needs and desires. We don't serve our egos by singing and playing our instruments to be seen by others. Instead, we give our lives to serve them.

8. We are all worship leaders.

The choir is not the background for the leader. The band does not just accompany the person in front. There are no "back-up singers." We are all worship leaders, and as leaders we have the responsibility to live worship daily and be prepared both musically and spiritually. When we stand before the congregation, we are the instruments of the Holy Spirit to motivate and facilitate the expression of worship. This means that none of us can be passive in leading worship. We can't simply sing and play and hope that the church will join in. We have to actively engage God and connect with the congregation, leading people into grateful, humble, and desperate worship. A lot of teams just play and sing along with the leader, but we want our musicians and singers to know they are responsible for leading that service. This empowers them to 'own' their ministry rather than function as mere participants with the worship leader.

9. We don't confuse who we are with what we do.

Musicians are strange! We are sensitive, emotional and creative personalities, who wear our feelings on our sleeves. Music is such a deep expression of who we are that we often begin to draw our significance from it. But of course, this leads to pride and insecurity. It is essential then, to understand who we are as children of God created in His image, as the righteousness of God in Christ, and as citizens of heaven. However, what we do is just as important as who we are-that's why the Bible is so thick. Our gifts and talents belong to God and are simply what we do in the church. We should never rely on them to give us worth or use them for prestige or applause. If we are able to separate our person from our performance, we can allow others to speak into our lives, and give them permission to disciple us and receive training to increase our skill as musicians. Without this principle, we become controlling, resistant, and proud, or we move in the other direction and become too timid or threatened to try. If we submit our gifts and talents to the Lord and find our significance in Him, then we'll stay humble and be more effective for the kingdom of God.

10. Enjoying God is our purpose.

Church should be more fun! I think we should be full of smiles and laughter as we gather. I'm convinced many people have difficulty enjoying church simply because they take themselves too seriously. "Doing church" should not be our goal when we come together. Instead, we should simply enjoy being with God and with other believers. Psalm 16:11 says, "In His presence is fullness of joy, at His right hand are pleasures evermore." Enjoying God is the key to enjoying church. We don't always have to be happy, but we should always enjoy the power and pleasure of worshipping God within the community of believers.
These ten pillars will make life easier as we build a house of worship that God will be pleased to dwell in. 

Great Tips for Worship Leaders from Lifeway Resources [Article REPRINT]

Do You Love God More than Worship?

by LifeWay Resources

 

Over the last two years, I have traveled quite a bit to speak for churches, conferences, and mission endeavors. Because of that travel, I have the opportunity to observe worship leaders in various settings. Though I’m no expert in music, I can (like you) spot when it isn’t going so well.

Now, I’m no musical expert. But I’m a guy who loves to worship. So, I’ve assembled some simple advice for worship leaders (no matter the style of your service). Please keep in mind that these are one man’s hopefully helpful suggestions.

1. Just sing the song.

Improvisation is great, unless you are leading others in singing. Then you just confuse everyone. Part of the genius to the hymns written in times past is that everyone knew the tunes to the music. The majority of people do not read music now so melodies need to be familiar.

The use of video screens in worship is helpful and appropriate for our technological context, but as a result we only focus our attention on words. Consequently, we have memorized the songs as they are most commonly sung. If you take off on a vocal riff, we don’t know what you’re doing and just wait for you (now singing a solo) to be finished.

2. We don’t sing La-La-La

For some reason, songwriters will substitute words with Ooh’s, Aah’s, and La’s of different progressions and combinations. Though it may sound really cool on the radio, most of us just feel stupid standing around singing La-La-La-La. And, anyway, it doesn’t feel like worship when I’m just cooing like a baby at God.

3. Open your eyes.

Keith Pipes – a good friend and worship leader – once described to me how odd it is for a worship leader to sing to God but look at people. I get it. But if you keep your eyes closed during the entire music set – it’s creepy.

But more than that, it tells the worshipers that you don’t really care if they are participating or not. Yes, it’s hard to sing to Jesus and look at me, but all of spiritual leadership involves a certain level of earthly awkwardness.

4. Stop singing in the key of “Tomlin.”

Let me say it plainly: if the worship leader is singing toward the top of his/her vocal range, then you have left everyone behind about seven bars ago. If you can sing like Jason Crabb or Chris Tomlin, that’s great. For you.

Speaking on behalf of the guys… Most men are baritones. They need music to be easy, middle of the road. From a guy’s perspective, we will more likely not sing than squeak like we’ve re-entered puberty. So, when you lead worship songs in a key only fit for professional singers, most men will simply not sing. I know because I look around while listening to you sing.

5. We only know 4/4 time.

Though we really enjoy hearing the David Crowder Band sing in their odd syncopated beats, none of us can actually keep that rhythm with David. Please keep it simple for us. Again, the brilliance of the hymns is that they were easy to sing. The simple music was contextualized to the style of their day. And, it has helped them stand the test of time as accessible to the masses. Lead music that we can all sing easily so the focus is on the content of the words and not trying to keep the beat.

6. Plan the transitions.

Just like you don’t like to see the preacher flounder for a transition between points, we feel the same for you. I’m not advocating a mini-sermon between songs, but at least have a plan. Hopefully, you and the speaker know what the theme of the service is to be, so speak about it in such a way that it values the scriptures and continually points us to Christ.

7. Turn up the lights.

OK – maybe this is more pet peeve than anything but here goes. I can sing by myself in the car, at home, etc. Only once (maybe twice) a week do I worship with the community of faith. But, when the lights are turned down in order to highlight the cool set, Gobo lighting effects, and newest ProPresenter backgrounds, then I don’t know what the family in the row in front of me is doing. It’s not that I need them to do something in order to worship, but–I think–God intends for me to worship with them. I shouldn’t have to use night vision goggles to see them.

8. Dress like it is worship that matters.

Leaders need to contextualize, but only to the point that you blend in with those you are seeking to reach and lead. For some reason, those of us on the platform (preachers included) feel the carnal need to be the coolest/best looking in the room. Thus, Target and Macy’s is making a mint off of ministerial professionals buying shirts with graphics emblazoned across the shoulders. But that is not the definition of contextualization. Don’t try to be the grungiest one who is “free” to wear blue jeans and go bare foot in church. And don’t try to be the sharpest dresser just because you are “up front.” Instead, be driven by the mission of who God has given you to reach and lead.

9. Love Jesus more than music.

All leaders face the temptation to love their work for God more than God Himself. It is our own temptation toward idolatry. To speakers, I would say that they should love Jesus more than their words about Him. For worship leaders, love God more than the music about Him. No matter what else happens on the platform, it will be obvious where your passion rests. 

Established in Nashville, Tenn., in 1891, LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention is one of the world’s largest providers of Christian products and services, including Bibles, church literature, books, music, audio and video recordings, church supplies and Internet services through LifeWay.com. The company also owns and operates 156 LifeWay Christian Stores throughout the United States, as well as two of the largest Christian conference centers in the country. Through its publishing division, B&H Publishing Group, LifeWay has produced one of the most accurate and readable Bible translations ever - the Holman Christian Standard Bible. LifeWay is a religious nonprofit organization that receives no funding from the denomination, and reinvests income above operating expenses in mission work and other ministries around the world.

10 Worship Guidelines from the Early Church (ARTICLE REPRINT)

10 Worship Guidelines from the Early Church
by Dr. Lee Martin McDonald

1. Worship Involves Sacrifice
In New Testament times, worship consisted initially of sacrifice (of animals). However, the focus of worship for Christians is on self-sacrifice in honor and adoration of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). Worship appears to be the total response of grateful persons to the grace of God that comes to us in the work of Jesus Christ (see Romans 12:1-2). It is no longer related to the temple notion of animal sacrifice, but rather, in Christ the whole Church has become a temple and a priesthood inhabited by the Holy Spirit or presence of God (see 1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 2:19-22; and 1 Pet. 2:9).

2. Worship Is Spiritual
Even though worship does involve rituals, our worship, from a New Testament perspective, is essentially spiritual (see 1 Pet. 2:5; Rom. 12:2). It was an internal attitude rather than a practice of external rituals. This understanding is also found in Isaiah 1:11-20 and Psalm 51:15-17.

3. However, Worship Did Include Specific Practices
Some of the rituals in the New Testament include baptism (Matt. 28:19), communion (1 Cor. 11:23-34), laying on of hands (Acts 6:6; Acts 8:17; 13:1-3), foot washing (John 13:5-17), lifting up hands in prayer and worship (Luke 24:50; 1 Tim. 2:8; see Psalm 134:1-2 and Psalm 143:6), the reading of Scriptures (1 Tim. 4:13), and contributions for ministry to those in need (1 Cor. 16:2). Because we are not given explicit instruction on how to practice these rituals, many variations of their practices emerged in the early churches. Of course, the early Church patterned much of its worship service after that of the Jewish synagogue service. Worship services at first were on the Sabbath (Saturday), but by the middle of the first century, many Christians were gathering regularly on the first day of the week (see 1 Cor. 16:2; Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:10) out of respect for the time of Christ's resurrection. At first, however, followers of Jesus in Jerusalem gathered daily in the Temple for prayers (Acts 3:46).

4. Worship Was Filled with Charismatic Praise
The offering of enthusiastic praise and prayer under the influence of the Holy Spirit was characteristic of the early Church's worship. This was demonstrated through speech (1 Cor. 14:19) and tongues or ecstatic speech (1 Cor. 14:2, 6 ff.). Each person was given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (1 Cor. 12:7) and to build up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-15).

5. Worship Was Didactic
The early Christians were a teaching community giving instruction in their time of worship (see 1 Cor. 12:8; 14:26; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 3:2; 4:13; 5:17).

6. Worship Was Eucharistic
The early Christians were a community that was conscious of the need to give thanks to God (Eph. 5:19-20; Col. 3:17).

7. Worship Involved Koinonia
The Greek word, koinonia, means "sharing" or "participation" and is seen as the kind of giving in the fellowship that builds up the family of Christ (Acts 2:42-47). This is the focus of 1 Corinthians 12:1-7-each person was expected to come and share in the event of worship rather than simply listen to one person.

8. Worship Was Corporate
There was also a corporateness in worship in every sense (1 Cor. 12:12-26). The Church was consciously a body or a fellowship of persons who saw themselves as inextricably bound together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

9. Worship Included Music
The early Christians lifted their voices in praise to God. The New Testament frequently mentions the corporate singing which took place in their midst and also indicates some of their hymns and spiritual songs (e.g., Phil. 2:6-11; Eph. 5:19-20; Rev. 4:8-11; 5:9-13).

10. Worship Included Singing and Songwriting
There are a number of hymns or spiritual songs in the New Testament literature. Among many others, here are examples of Christian spiritual songs: Eph. 5:14 (three lines, first two rhyme in Greek, and the last is a promise), 1 Tim. 3:16, Phil. 2:6-11, Col. 1:15-20, Heb. 1:3. There are also the Nativity hymns in Luke: the Magnificat (1:46-55), the Benedictus (1:68-79), and Nunc Dimittis (2:29-32). Besides these, there are a number of well-known Christian hymns that date from roughly the early second century AD currently known as the Odes of Solomon, a collection of some 42 spiritual songs. One can see in all of these songs both praise and testimony to the greatness of God's activity in His Son in Jesus the Christ.

All of the above hymns relate to the person and work of Jesus the Christ. They sometimes mention His pre-existence or how He became a man and accomplished redemption (salvation) for the world through His suffering and death. The dominant motif in most New Testament hymns is that Christ is victorious over all of our enemies and is rightly worshiped as the image of God Who is over all.

The Good News
The above examples show us how the early Church lived out its life in worship of God. Worship, of course, was not a simple act done occasionally, but rather a way of life that involved one's complete dedication to honor Christ and give our complete lives to serve Him. Worship cannot be reduced to a few songs, a Scripture reading, a sermon, and a closing prayer. It is a whole life of submission to the call of God that comes to us in the proclamation of good news. Christian worship is good-news oriented, even when reflective music is sung. We serve a God who does not abandon His children when this world's challenges are overwhelming, but comes to us in all circumstances of life.

Lee Martin McDonald is the President Emeritus and professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College in Nova Scotia, Canada, and the President of the Institute for Biblical Research. He and his wife are now living in Mesa, Arizona.

Worship Leader Glossary Of Terms

I originally saw this printed by a friend of mine - Phil Christiansen. This so inspired me that I decided to tweak some of his definitions and add a few of my own... feel free to get creative. I’d love to see the list grow...


ACAPELLA: The practice of singing without instruments. Particularly difficult with modern worship leaders who rely on drums, loops, guitar effects and large PA’s to pull off a song. It's also a great technique to use when changing the capo on your guitar.


ALTOS AND BARITONES: People who complain that the songs are too high until they learn to harmonize.


AMP MODELING: (1) This is what happens when guitar players get together and show off their amps. (2) The belief that you can make the sound of a VOX amp by plugging your guitar into a computer when it’s just as easy to go and get a real VOX amp and mic it.


ANOINTED: Anything that people say they like a lot. It can apply to songs, worship leaders, bands, pastors, food and starbucks!!! Did I forget to add Kirspy Kremes?


BALLAD SALAD: A worship set of quiet songs that generally have the same chord progressions with different words intended to foster a gentle flow of worship and meaningful encounter with the Lord. The Ballad Salad generally follows the up-tempo moments of celebration. (See also Rock The Flock)


BLENDED WORSHIP: The confused result that comes when the worship leader approaches corporate worship with the goal of avoiding any criticism.


CHOIR: A strategically placed community for singers who do not fit in the worship team. Choirs provide a convenient solution for worship leaders who are too nice to say that you really can't sing. Can you say awkward moment?


CHORD CHART: A document that contains lyrics and a few vague musical suggestions. May or may not indicate the proper key, time signature or even exact moment of the chord change, but it does give musicians something to look at while the song goes by. Particularly frustrating to pianists, who prefer being told exactly what to do. Ideal for guitarists. (See also Sheet Music)


CLICK TRACK: A mechanical device that simply serves to remind you of how badly you fail at playing in time.


DRUMMERS: People who worship God by hitting things. Churches often keep them in Plexiglas cages.


EARLY SERVICE: A service in which attendees may appear zombie-like. While confusing to worship leaders and teaching pastors alike, the event is generally harmless until coffee is served.


ELECTRONIC DRUMS: Do you remember powdered milk? Do you remember when the government said powdered milk was better for you than real milk? Did your mom believe them? Electronic Drums are the powdered milk of percussion.


ELEVEN: A mythical belief that there is a guitar volume that is louder than ten. Most intelligent people just make ten louder.


GROOVE: A gene that is found in gospel musicians and singers that give them the unique ability to effortlessly clap on 2 and 4 while singing and moving from side to side... all at the same time.


HAMBURGER: The painful result on hands of carrying musical gear through a narrow doorway and not paying attention.


HOT SEAT: A chair placed in the center of the room for a member of the worship team who needs prayer. It is often used as a communication tool for choir members who aren't cutting it.


HUMILITY: The beautiful quality in a talented artist of considering others more important than him or herself. Closely associated with servant hood. Very rare.


HYMNS: Books of songs that were popular with your parents or grandparents usually found in antique bookstores and characterized by an overabundance of words making them nearly impossible to memorize. Written by guys who are generally dead therefore making them royalty free for recordings and publishing rights. There is, however, a movement amongst modern hymn writers to continue writing dead music.


IN THE POCKET: The subtle groove created by musicians who actually listen to each other and play in time.


JAM FOR THE LAMB: The art of incorporating Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton or Rolling Stones guitar riffs into the arrangement of a worship song.


MANLY WORSHIP: Worship stripped of feminine girlie themes such as visiting gardens, kissing the Son and Jesus as lover (difficult concepts for manly men). Approved themes include God as Conquering King, Majestic Warrior or generally kicking the devil’s hindquarters.


OPEN/ROOTLESS VOICINGS: A stylistic practice of both guitarists and keyboardists in which primary notes of a triad are substituted or dropped altogether to create versatile textures. Can be puzzling to novice musicians who wonder why a C chord would contain only a D and a G.


PASTOR: The visionary leader in a local congregation whose primary function is to interpret the Word of God and care for those whom God brings into their sphere of influence. The Pastor is not the messenger of Satan sent to buffet the Worship Leader. That is the sound guy.


ROCK THE FLOCK: The effect of an up-tempo praise song on a congregation.


SELAH: The pause occurring in the middle of a verse or between the chorus and the verse that often happens when the person projecting the lyrics forgets to put the next words up.


SEVEN-ELEVEN MUSIC: Praise songs that repeat the same seven words eleven times, or some similar configuration. These are generally enjoyed by youth, but annoying to older adults. (See also Hymns)


SHEET MUSIC: A document containing detailed instructions for a musical arrangement. Perfect for keyboardists. Particularly frustrating for guitarists, who 1) hate to be told what to do and 2) usually can't read it anyway. (See also Chord Charts)


SIGNATURE: A musical phrase that helps define or set up a song, most often heard in the introduction. Well-known signatures include the opening 6 piano notes of "Shout to the Lord." The signature often forms the "turn-around" for the piece and the closing notes, as well.


SOPRANOS: Female singers who love to sing the high notes at the end of the Easter Song or O Holy Night.


SUPER NOVAS: People in the congregation who visibly connect with God during the worship events. Not a dependable indicator of their maturity, but impossible to miss and a joy to observe.


TALK BACK BUTTON: A special button installed by sound engineers that gives them to power to talk to you like your teenage kids.

TEMPO: A concept of time that is usually lost with most drummers.


TESSITURA: An Italian term that refers to a melody that is consistent within a certain range. If the melody is too high, then the tessitura is said to be high and men don’t sing. If the melody is too low, then the tessitura is said to be low and the ladies complain. Basically it’s another fancy way for people to criticize your ministry.


THE THRONE-ZONE: The place we'll spend eternity, and therefore the place we should spend every possible moment on planet earth right now.


VIBE: The general practice of playing together without chord charts or sheet music. Usually occurs when the worship leader forgets to bring the charts, is unprepared or doesn’t know what he or she is doing.


VIBRATO: A technique used by singers to help hide pitch issues.

Worship Life 2008 - Friday Update

I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7

Often I’m asked how do I release worship in my congregation at church. One of the most direct references in scripture that I see with regards to this subject is the joy that is released in heaven when one person turns from their life of sin and surrenders to Christ. If you want to see worship released in your church, then commit to leading people to Jesus.


I saw this first hand at the Worship Life 2008 Conference. Hosted at Ocean Hills Church and led by the leading Calvary Chapels in our region and the nation. Calvary’s such as Harvest Christian Fellowship with Greg Laurie, Calvary Chapel South Bay with Steve Mays, Crossroads Church in Grass Valley with Todd Johnson, Crossroads Community with Bill Ritchie and worship leaders from Maranatha! Chapel, Horizon Christian Fellowship, Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain, Calvary Fellowship and many more!!! It was truly is an amazing time of fellowship as we are still in the middle of the conference as I give this report.


The most amazing news is that we have seen two people give their lives to Christ as result of the worship conference. One young man was a man from Germany who came with one of the vendors that had a display at the event. When he saw the worship that was pouring out of people in love with Jesus... he said, whatever you guys have I want!!! My wife had the privilege of leading him to Christ and we loaded him up with music, Bibles and discipleship materials. We’re looking to hook him up with the Calvary Chapel of Siegen when he returns to Germany. The other person saw the live webcast over the internet in Austria. They just happened to tune in and decided to give their life to Christ in response to a message given by Chip Ingram!!! Praise the Lord!!!


I can ‘t tell you the spirit of rejoicing that has surrounded the conference as I believe all of heaven is rejoicing with us!!!


Praise the Lord!!!

Worship Life 2008 - Thursday Update

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
Psalm 133:1

One of the simplest way we can release worship in our congregations is simply by living in unity with other believers in the Body of Christ. There’s just a “feel good” factor that occurs when believers from different churches, communities, denominations gather together to worship the King of Kings!!! I have heard pastors express fear and trepidation in linking arms with other believers because in reality they preach against these other believers and don’t want to confuse their congregations by linking arms with them. Can I just say that this grieves the heart of God and quenches the work of the Spirit. As a pastor I’m saddened by this misrepresentation of our Lord’s heart.

Imagine Paul writing in Ephesians when he tells the Jews the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile has been torn down. This was revolutionary. He was greatly persecuted by his own brothers because of this “heresy.” I’ve seen very prominent pastors decide to distance themselves from something simply because a particular church was a part of a particular group.... despite years of relationship. It was almost as if the title or affiliation was more important than the relationship. I do agree that we need to speak out against heretical teachings or those who teach them as did Paul. But I find that it happens much less often than some say.

Can I ask you a question pastor? Has Jesus torn down the dividing walls in your heart between your church and the church next to you? Or is that dividing wall still big in your heart - no matter how subtle it is?

When I was 16, I was the first worship leader for Calvary Chapel Vista. I was one of the youngest worship leaders in the Calvary Movement. When I was praying for an outreach event we were conducting, I believe I received a vision from God. I saw people from all denominational backgrounds coming together to worship the King of Kings!!! It was an overwhelming vision. At first I thought it was specifically applying to an event. However, at this stage I see it as more of a calling.

There has been such a sweet presence of Jesus at the Worship Life Conference. One of the reasons is because of the way the Body of Christ has joined together in the spirit of unity. I look at the list of worship leaders alone... Tommy Walker from Eagle Rock Assembly, Chris Lizotte and Sheri Carr from Vineyard Music, Brett Williams from Calvary Fellowship, Jason Ritchie and Daniel Smith from Crossroads Community, Hanz Ives from Harvest Christian Fellowship, Evan Wickham from Horizon Christian Fellowship, Jimmy Robeson from Maranatha! Chapel, Josh Blevins from Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain, Chris Duran from Mosaic, Travis Ryan from Saddleback Church, Greg and Pam Fadness from Lighthouse Christian Fellowship, Tony Logan from Crossroads Church and our worship team from Ocean Hills Church. And here is the truth.... it has been a sweet time of unified worship in the presence of God!!!

I believe God is pleased...

Southern California Worship Conference

This year I had the privilege of conducting a workshop at the Southern California Worship Conference held at Calvary Chapel South Bay. It was very similar to the Worship Life conference.... some of the same worship leaders and workshop speakers, but a one day version of it. I was asked to speak on the subject of Technology In Worship... which when I told my tech team caused them to laugh. I have a great team and rely heavily on their expertise so that I can focus on ministry.

Because I’m primarily a Bible teacher and not a tech guru, the approach I took was more centered around the theology of technology. I wanted to approach the subject from the standpoint of purpose. What is the purpose of the church and how does technology fit into that purpose? If one boils down the primary focus of the Church down to one word... I would have to use the word COMMUNICATE. We are in the business of COMMUNICATING the gospel. This revelation came to me when I attended NAB in Las Vegas. Acres of vendors and booths all organized around the mission of COMMUNICATION. I was blown away by the variety of ways that are available to COMMUNICATE to people. That’s when it hit me... what we do in church is built around COMMUNICATING the gospel. That’s where technology comes in as a tool that can enhance or confuse the message.

One of the most profound messages for me personally came through Pastor Steve Mays. I can’t remember all the details of the message, but during his message I believe the Holy Spirit spoke to me. Lately God has been asking me questions and two came that morning. The first question was... Can you say Amen and Alleluia? It came while Pastor Steve was teaching out of Revelation 19. If I truly believe that my hands are in God’s hands, that He directs my paths, that God causes all things to work together for good... then whatever comes my way I can say Amen (to His will) and Alleluia (to the manifestation of His will). To be honest... it’s easier to say Amen than it is to say Alleluia. It’s easier to say... whatever Your will is, I accept. It’s harder to say... Praise God for this difficult situation I’m in.

The second question God spoke to me was... Am I being Incarnational? This takes some explaining. There is a theological concept called Incarnational Reality. It is the reality that Christ lives in us and lives through us. If I am a believer and disciple of Christ, then Christ literally lives in me and thus lives through me. The question is, do I live in the present reality of that truth? Do I truly live... fully alive and fully present... or am I living in the past reality? Do I believe the lies of the evil one that would seek to distract me from believing the truth of who I am in Christ as revealed through God’s Word? If I truly believe that Jesus lives in me... and that He lives through me... I wonder what changes in lifestyle that would make? Not from a legalistic stand point because the LAW says so. But from a relational stand point because I want to give myself entirely to my Lord and Savior.

Kevin did a great job... God was glorified.... now we move on to Worship Life 2008 a few weeks later.

A Theology Of Worship Leading

Have you ever asked the question where do worship leaders fit in the Bible? Are they the same as Old Testament Levites? Do we have a Biblical model for worship leading? These are difficult questions especially in light of the fact that they way we do church is really a modern cultural invention. Where do you find Sunday School in the Bible? The modern American church owes much of it’s methodology to the revivalists of the Great Awakenings. Charles and John Wesley modeled the Pastor and Worship Leader connection as they married the word and worship through their meetings.


One of the struggles I’ve had as a worship leader has been over the issue of the legitimacy of Worship Leading as an office or gift. I’ve been told that God had called me to be a Worship Leader, but it’s not listed with pastor, teacher, apostle, evangelist, prophet. I’ve been told that I have a gift of worship leading, but it’s not listed with the other spiritual gifts. So where do I fit?


I want to submit a theological paradigm that I believe provides a Biblical context for the office and function of a worship leader. Ephesians 4:11 tells us, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles,

some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers...” I don’t think that it is an accident that worship leader is not listed. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:1, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.” He goes on to write “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (1 Cor. 12:4 – 7).

There are three words mentioned as it relates to how the gifts of the Spirit function in the church.


They are diversities, differences and activities. The original language translates these words distribution, implementation and effect. In other words, all the gifts are from God but they are distributed to different people and implemented different ways through activities that produce an effect. This is where I find the “gift” of worship leading. A worship leader is a pastor, teacher, prophet, evangelist or apostle who exercises their gifts through facilitating sung prayer. It’s not a musical function, but a leadership function. In fact, you can discover the primary leadership function of a worship leader by the songs that they select. Pastors choose songs that emphasize

relationship and healing. Evangelists choose songs that are stylistically relevant with simple and easy to understand language. Apostles are concerned for the nations and mission. Teachers are

concerned with doctrinal truth and prophets are concerned about purity and holiness.


Your theology of worship influences your philosophy of ministry as it relates to the function of worship leading. If you view worship as a musical function, then you’re concerned about song selection and musicality. If you view worship pragmatically, then you’re concerned about setting up the message properly or having a worship ministry that will draw the community. Every pastor has an opinion of how worship should happen, but very few understand the role of a worship leader.


So what is the function of worship leading? Look at the book of Psalms. It is a collection of what I like to call - prayer songs. The prayers of David and others were set to music and incorporated into

the worship life of the nation of Israel. They became part of the corporate and private expression of worship to God. Using David’s model as a worship leader, I facilitate the corporate expression of

prayer from the congregation to God. It is a relationship based ministry where the worship leader is providing language through prayer songs for the congregation to relate to God. Worship songs are prayers set to music and the set list is equivalent to a list of prayer requests.


This has huge implications as it relates to how I perform my function as a worship leader. It means that I need to have my own private life of prayer. It also means that I need to be in touch with the

work of the Spirit within the community of believers I’m serving. In other words, I can’t fake it. My relationship or lack of relationship with God will have a direct influence on my ability to facilitate the

corporate sung prayer of the congregation. This is why you can worship with a group of well-rehearsed musicians in a worship service and walk away feeling like you’ve never met God. In other words, worship is not purely musical, but relational in function.


Incidentally, this is the creative impetus behind writing new songs of worship. All “prayer songs” are given to a local congregation for the purpose of facilitating the corporate prayer life of that community. Sometimes, those “prayer songs” inspire other communities and become part of a regional or national expression. I have never written a song with the intent of getting it recorded or to “get the songs out there.” My entire focus is simply to serve the people that show up every week for worship and that includes writing songs that best express the cry that is in their hearts. What happens after that is up to God.


If worship is relational, then spontaneity is a natural part of the worship leading function. Think of a prayer group. Each individual prayer influences the prayers of the group. When you are in the midst

of the worship event, the opening prayer of the pastor, the scripture reading, God’s leading or the message will all influence the prayer songs that I select. Sometimes this change might happen during the worship service after sound checks, set revisions and power point. Sometimes the only song that fits is a “new” song that is birthed on the spot. That is how Let It Rise was written. It was a spontaneous prayer that captured the cry of our hearts at a coffee shop Bible study in Pacific Beach. I always tell my worship teams, we play from the heart not the chart. This requires greater preparation at home on their part. I encourage them to live the songs. I prepare my media team to

be ready to go “off the page.” This requires them to pay attention and have good tools at their disposal. We’ve built a culture with the understanding that our worship is responsive and not programmatic.


I started leading worship when I was thirteen. I would sit in my room and play worship songs to the Lord for hours. I would sing what was on my heart. I would sing songs from the Young Life Songbook that I had. I didn’t know that God was training me to be a worship leader. I just loved to spend time with God. It wasn’t until I was sixteen that I led worship in front of people. Do you get my drift? I encourage worship leaders to sing their prayers during their private devotional time with the Lord. Sing scripture. Develop a natural prayer language of song. That way when you’re in a congregational setting, you’re simply responding as you do in your private times.


So where does style and instrumentation fit into all of this? This is one of the areas of greatest tension with churches. Jesus provides the best solution to this ongoing tension when he says, “And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.” (Mark 10:49) When it comes to style and instrumentation, we need to ask, “does it best serve the community gathered?” When you bring a full drum kit into a room that holds 50, does it best serve that community gathered to seek God?


When you play traditionally arranged choral songs for a young congregation, does it best serve that community expression of prayer? Keep in mind that these dynamics change as a church grows

numerically and culturally. What works today, may not work in six months. You might be in a room that is best served with acoustic guitars and djembe. In a year, you might be in a room that can

handle a full band. But, if you keep the attitude of a servant and weave that attitude into every aspect of your ministry, then you will go far in diminishing potential problem areas.


I like to give some basic guidelines to pastors and worship leaders on instrumentation. Unless you have an extremely gifted drummer, I wouldn’t introduce drums until you’re in a room that can hold

over two hundred people. Actually, the acoustic approach is a very hip approach right now. Using acoustic guitars, bass, piano and djembe or cajon is a culturally relevant and sonically easy to

control instrumentation for music.


Be creative in your use of technology. New products are constantly being developed that expand your instrumentation in ways that are appealing even if you don’t have the talent base to produce

what you hear in your head. You might want to explore the use of loops or keyboard sequencing. What about using a vocalizer to strengthen backing vocals? The possibilities are only limited by

your imagination.


All ministry is incarnational. What do I mean? The word incarnational comes from The Latin incarnatio and corresponds to the Greek sarkosis, or ensarkosis, which is taken from John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh". It is God made flesh in Jesus. In Colossians 1:27 Paul writes, “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Here he introduces the idea that this God made flesh in Jesus now lives in and through every believer. When we say that all ministry is incarnational, we are saying that all ministry is the life of Jesus living through the individual believer. It is Christ in

you ministering to those around you.


This is both freeing and terrifying. It is freeing in that so many leaders look at the success of others and try to duplicate them by imitation. We go to conferences trying to learn the latest techniques and kill ourselves trying to implement them. It can be a pressure filled prison of unrealized expectation. Or worse, it can work and we become enamored with our own success thinking promotion comes from my cleverness. I’ve watched leaders trapped by their self-made success.

I’ve also watched them crumble under the pressure of it. The truth is that God does not anoint us being someone else. God doesn’t anoint me doing someone else’s vision. God uniquely gifts and anoints you and I for the tasks that He asks us to do. So, be who God made you to be. Play the music you love to play, pray the way you love to pray, serve the way you love to serve. But also be prepared to discover that what you love to do may not be rooted in His love. It might be rooted in your desire to be something you’re not and He may take you to task in order that His image might be reflected unhindered in your life and ministry.


This is terrifying in that we realize that if we don’t obey then the expression of Christ through us is lost. He doesn’t give it to another. It remains undone because no one else can do what we can do as empowered vessels in the hand of God. God may give the assignment to another as in the case of Saul and David, but that reflects on Saul’s disobedience to God. That means no one can steal

your ministry or influence. God gives and takes away. That means you can hold no grudge when you feel held back. That means you can’t be bitter because you lost your position. You have to come face to face to God. Is He testing your faithfulness when given a better opportunity? Is He testing your obedience during hard times? Is He testing your sense of calling when it’s taken away? When we say thus says the Lord, are we making it up? Is your God schizophrenic or

unchanging?


Wherever you are in your development as a follower of Jesus, it is important to remember the central theme of worship. We love Him because He first loved us. Our service, our creativity, our passion is simply the response to the price that He paid when He died on the cross for our sins. We sing because we’ve been liberated from death and have been given a new life of hope and joy. So let us serve with gladness and thanksgiving the One who has redeemed us for Himself.


CREATING A FLOW IN WORSHIP


1. Think of your set in terms of a journey. A typical journey begins with songs of celebration and ends with songs of intimate adoration. You can also begin with songs of intimate adoration and end with songs anthemic exaltation. It just depends on the mood of the service.


2. Have at least two songs in a row that have the same key and feel. This creates a sense of movement without distraction.


3. When you move into a time of intimate adoration, use simple songs that are well known or easy to remember. You want people to focus on their personal experience with God and focus on trying to remember the words.


4. Create space to linger. Don’t feel the need to move quickly through your set from song to song. This might mean repeating a chorus or hanging on a particular chord. It might also mean allowing for silence.


5. Use prayer as a means to transition from one segment of the service to another. This keeps the congregation focused on the Lord and allows you to make dramatic changes with minimal distractions.


6. Once you begin your set of worship songs, focus all your conversation to the Lord. When you engage the congregation, you take the focus off Jesus and you put it on yourself.


7. Think of your set in terms of a theme. Maybe you will want to choose songs that focus on God’s holiness or salvation. Maybe your pastor has a message that you can reinforce through song selection.


SONG SELECTION


1. Choose songs that are not too high or low. The standard congregational limits are the “D” one octave above middle “C” and the “B” below middle “C”


2. Choose songs that minister to you.


3. Choose songs that fit the season your church is in. There are songs that express the heart cry of the congregation. These are reflections of the work that God is doing in the community. Discover what those songs are and make them a key part of your song selection process.


4. Choose songs that fit the worship team. Do songs that you can do well. Your job as a leader is to make your team sound great. If you don’t have the talent pool you wish you had, then pray and use who you have wisely.


5. Introduce new songs in seasons. I like to introduce four or five new songs within a short period of time. Those songs may represent a current message or season in our church life. The congregation accepts them because they relate to them and it gives them opportunity to say something new to the Lord. It keeps the worship team fresh and excited about worship. These seasons may happen once a quarter or with each new sermon series.