Worship Leading Tips

Our favorite illustration for worship leading is an analogy shared by Gerrit Gustafson. Gerrit is an excellent teacher, one of the founding members of Integrity Music. A worship leader should be like a butler. The butler does not draw attention to himself. He greets the guests, possibly gives them some instructions, then leads them to his master. Once they are in the master’s presence, he quietly slips away. A good worship leader does not have to cajole the congregation to worship. A good worship leader should inspire the congregation to worship.

Most of the time, it seems that an upbeat song is the best way to start worship. This gives people the cue to take their seats and begin to focus on the Lord. After the first song, a leader may want to read a Scripture which exalts the Lord and say a prayer. This helps everyone to bring their mind into a state of worship and turn away from distractions.

Musical skill is very important to a worship leader. Your skill needs to be at a level where you are able to concentrate on the Lord, listen to His leading and cue your worship team while you play and/or sing. It takes hours of practice to be proficient on your instrument, but the Lord deserves an excellent offering, and you will be more comfortable leading when you have sufficient skills.

It really helps the flow of worship if your playing is seamless without a lot of stops and starts. Of course, there may be times for silence in worship. The American church is not very comfortable with times of silence, but the Lord may lead you there.

Those who sing on the worship team or play for worship need to know that they are setting an example for worship. At times, we have seen worship teams that look bored, apathetic, anxious or distracted. The congregation will follow suit. The worship leaders are lead worshippers, and they should all be fully engaged in their exaltation of the Lord. Oftentimes, the worship team just doesn’t know the songs well enough to feel relaxed. Be sure to rehearse sufficiently so that all can enter in.

There are many other principles for leading worship and worship teams. Jeff teaches seminars on these concepts and works with musicians on a consultation basis. If you’d like more information, please click here. Our friend, Gerrit Gustafson also does worship seminars. If you’d like more information, please visit the www.worshipschools.com website. For help with church choirs, we highly recommend Dave Williamson in Brentwood, TN.