Worship Leadership (Part 1)

A lot has changed in churches over the last half century especially in the area of music, probably more than has been given credit. Even amid the worship wars of local churches there has likely never been a time of greater contribution and access to the artistic expression of worship music. I'm not saying it's the finest quality in history, but by volume and access unparalelled. This change has led us from "song services" and "song leaders" to "worship experiences" and "worship leaders". There is, of course, great debate over that and what those terms mean, but in my experience over the last 15 years a few guidelines of worship leadership have emerged that I wanted to share.

My own journey into worship leading was as a freshman at Valley Forge Christian College. I wanted to tour with a ministry team from the school, and was a fairly good singer. I auditioned for the role of backup singer. I have always had a preference for harmony lines, and preferred to offer my voice to back up the front man. I made the team and was informed that I would be the leader. I knew very little at that time and had the instruction of a gifted musician in N.J. I dealt with the insecurity of not having the kind of "cool" voice that many worship leaders of the 90's had. But genuinely I wanted to worship well, and help others express to God the honor and glory He deserves.

Here is the first guideline for worship leadership: Worship leading starts in the heart of the worship leader.

Unlike music performance worship leading is not about drawing attention to yourself and your gift, and is all about drawing attention to God and offering your gifts to Him. It starts from a heart of selflessness that seeks to honor Him.

I have not always understood this, and have not always practiced it. Sometimes the temptation of having fun or showing off trumps the true act of worship. However, while you may end up with a good show, you will not have truly led the people to worship.

I do not believe our spirit gets tuned up in a short prayer held during rehearsal or a last minute hand hold before the service. Prayer is important, but the heart of the worshipper should be seeking purity and holiness off stage if one wants to worship that way onstage.

Worship leading starts in the heart of the worship leader.

--Ben