3 More Secrets of the Most Admired and Sought After Worship Leaders
Continuing from the previous post, from a ministering angle, I believe that a worship leader would do well to lead worship that encompasses these 3 aspects: Impart truth through songs and prayers that have solid scriptural footing Respond to truth by renewing the lordship of Jesus over our lives Desire for internal conversion and transformation (heart and mind) in the power of the Holy Spirit
To some, this may sound highly theoretical and even a bit too lofty—I get that, but I believe that it’s not impossible! A mix of good attitude, prayerful work ethic, and right practices will help us get there. Here are some thoughts: 3 Practices of Most Wanted Worship Leaders—Those Who Lead Worship With Substance 1. Conversation
While we don’t want to be boring, feeding the congregation’s inclination for entertainment shouldn’t be our aim either. Let’s not reduce worship to entertainment—some kind of a ‘Christian’ gig. Instead, let’s treat music as a tool—a vehicle to help people converse with God.
A key to bring in a conversational dimension is to pick songs that our congregations can sing to God directly—yes, I am talking about vertical songs. Look out for songs whose lyrics are descriptive, emotive, and expressive—conversations should follow easily. 2. Kill Manipulation
It’s easy to over-depend on musical/vocal skill, and use it to manipulate people’s emotions, especially when we become good and experienced at leading worship! The increased loudness of people’s “amens”, and other responses is not the end goal, God is.
Let’s ensure we don’t compromise on our private quiet time with the Lord, guarding our hearts against idols at all times. When we acquire the fire personally, God will use us to set others on fire corporately. Emotional manipulation may please people in the short run, but keeping it real pleases God any day.
The songs that we sing should be far more than dull cliché lines; they should have words that matter to the Church. They should flow out of a heart already set on fire in prior prep-work. For when we first connect with the lyrics and engage with the Lord, the Holy Spirit will use us to open the hearts of our people, for ongoing transformation. 3. Remembrance
The content of our worship should help people remember the new covenant. This should hopefully make us realize the reality of the amazing relationship Christ has established with us—and the priceless cost He paid for it.
This is where the Eucharistic meal plays a pivotal role: Worship moving us to remembrance Remembrance moving us to respond Response moving us to communion Communion moving us to worship again
A reading of Acts and early Christian writings would teach us that from the very beginning of the Church, the Table always held a central spot in Christian worship—it shouldn’t be any different for us either. For no other element of worship helps us remember and experience the new covenant in the profound manner that the communion meal does—let’s ensure that it has its rightful place in our worship.
So let’s not hesitate to pick songs that enable people to connect with the Table and receive Jesus as the Lord of our lives… again.
I believe practicing these 3 will go a long way in solidifying our worship and move our ministering to deeper levels... from milk to solid food.
"Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:13-14) What is your ultimate goal when you lead worship? How do you balance holiness and music?
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