 Guide
to Leading Worship
by Etienne de Bruin (e-mail)
Nov 2003 |
Introduction
This article is written from a small church perspective.
In many larger, well established churches, the worship ministry
is settled and chances are the agenda is set. You could of
course come along side the mature ministry and be a breath
of fresh air! We will assume that you have a good measure
of freedom to build the ministry or lead the existing one
to new places - yes, to boldly go where no worship leader
has gone before!
The following topics will be covered:
The Church, Welcome to your Audience
A congregation, which represent a small part of the Body
of Christ, is a fascinating grouping of human beings. We have
been brought together by a Mystery and we are all on a journey
that has the same outcome - a Bride united with her Bridegroom.
And although the congregation might consist of the young,
the old, the loud!, the strong and the weak - we all have
one thing in common - no one knows what that meeting will
look like, sound like or feel like (unless ofcourse you're
reading this web page from beyond the grave). We are all bound
by the Holy Hope that He will recognize us and that we are
going to spend the rest of eternity together, worshiping our
Maker.
Although our journeys have the same destination, they certainly
do not have the same beginnings. Every person within the Church
has his or her own birth date within the new Kingdom. Spice
that up with a healthy dose of temprament, sprinkled with
upbringing and you have a vocal, opinionated people.
Welcome to your audience.
This is the people you will lead in passionate worship to
their God. The Spirit of God is a seal on each one facing
you and with united voice, as you strum your guitar, the Spirit
will aid her in offering sweet smelling sacrifices of praise.
Take a moment, a day, a month. Observe the congregation,
listen to the message and take notes at Bible Studies. This
is a good way for you to get to know the congregation. By
looking at the people, you will have a good idea of where
the congregation is - by listening to the sermons, you will
have a better idea of where the church is headed.
Same Faith, Different People, Different Congregations, Different
Styles, Different Paths, Same Destination. All in Jesus Christ
our Lord and Saviour.
The Team, a Fruit
You are the new worship leader in town so call up your musician
buddies! Get them jamming to some cool songs and blow the
church of her feet with a performance of a lifetime! She will
be in awe of your licks and sing your praise as you're packing
up after the Sunday morning service.
Man walks into praise quite easily the first time, but has
to work really hard to sustain it. So why bother?
The worship team should be a fruit of the gathering of the
Saints. Assemble a team from the congregation to the congregation.
This does not mean that you compromise the quality of worship
for the sake of inclusion. But this means that you rely a
little more on what God has given you than your powers of
recruitement. Certainly a visiting band or musician can be
a huge blessing and in some ways an inspiration, but not at
the expense of the congregation filling up the vacancies from
within herself.
If you alone are the worship team to 30 people for 30 months,
so be it. Impatience will be killed, anxiety will quiet down
and your ability to lead worship by worshiping will increase.
It is easier to invite bands and musicians to a Sunday service
than to work with those in your team and risk your musical
reputation. So I say, risk your reputation! Get rid of your
need to serve yourself!
And God will add unto you, daily those that have the ability
to play ... well, perhaps 'daily' can be replaced with 'weekly/monthly/quarterly/annually',
but watch God at work, His Spirit building His Church.
The Songs, an Expression
Perhaps the hardest part of all, the Setlist. Well, it's
the hardest part for yours truly. Instead of running to your
set of well known, well rehearsed Christian Classics, such
as 'Here I am to Worship', or Hungry, or even some of those
juiced up Hymns, why not get in touch with your insides as
well as that of your fellow worshipers.
Be original, be you. God has gifted you to be a worship leader,
to be a David. Yes, every worship song under the sun has been
written and is, at this very moment, being sung. But where
does that leave you? Will you guide your people with the latest
top ten worship song or with a heart felt, albeit not as catchy,
oracle to God?
I would rather read the genealogies of the Bible backwards
in the dark before I mindlessly parrot love songs, that express
what other congregations have been through and therefore need
to sing. My congregation might be, and probably is, in a totally
different phase or walk of life.
Where do you find these songs? Well, write them. Sing them.
Give them away.
Yours in Christ
eT
Comments:
What does it say in the scriptures freely I have given.Selfishness is not found in heaven.I did this etc.Its mine etc.
Ira Ricker (e-mail), 2005-04-23
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