For the past two posts, I’ve been sharing a list of worship leading nuggets that I had written for a friend leading a seminar. You can catch the first group of 5 here and the second group of 5 here.

Today, we come to the final group of 5 nuggets.

11) Take time to learn. While methods change, biblical principles of worship and working with people don’t. Learn from those who have gone before.

12) How well you lead is related to how well you can follow. Can you follow and submit, not only to the Lord, but also to those in authority over you? They love and care for the body of Christ as you should also.

13) Know the people you are leading. Unless you end up as a traveling worship leader, get to know the group you lead regularly. The personal connection will enhance your ability to lead well. I was once challenged that instead of spending the last 10-15 minutes before a service starts sequestered away, be in and among the congregation talking to people building relationship. This goes for the whole team.

14) Worship should result in transformation of our hearts, minds, and lives. The same is true of those we lead. Is worship being carried out into daily life? Is the time we spend together with the Lord changing how we live and interact with others daily? Are our hearts becoming more like God’s because we’ve spent time with God? If you don’t see evidence of that, it might be that we are spending more time with ourselves than connecting with God through the avenue of worship.

15) Tell the story. Don’t just get up and sing a bunch of songs, but constantly tell the story of God, Christ, the cross, and His great love for us. Lead the people into the story and provide opportunity for them to respond wholeheartedly.

There you go. 15 worship leading proverbs for the new (and honestly, not-so-new) worship leader. Not necessarily an exhaustive list or the authoritative source on the matter, but these are ones that seem significant to me. What impacted or challenged you from this list? What was a good reminder? What would you add?

Feel free to pass these along to others you might know.

What are some resources you have used to gain a greater understanding of what leading worship is all about?

Yesterday, I started sharing a list of worship leading nuggets I had written for a friend. You can catch the first five (and background) here.

Here are the next five:

6) You can’t judge people’s depth of worship by only outward expressions. Not everyone is the same and not everyone will respond the same.

7) Worship leading isn’t about making yourself look good and showing off your musical chops. It’s about serving the body of Christ and helping the community express praise and adoration to God with all of who they are because of all of who He is. If people aren’t singing/participating, you may need to evaluate what you’re doing.

Keep your eyes open. If you’re not making eye contact with the group you are leading, then it’s hard to know whether or not they are following and participating.

9) Read. Read the Bible, read books about theology and worship. Read. Know God, who He is, and what He has done. This will do more for your ability to lead people in worship than practicing your instrument for hours each day. You can’t lead people somewhere you haven’t gone or to someone you don’t know very well.

10) Worship leading is as much, if not more, a pastoral function as it is a musical function. It doesn’t mean you have to be a “pastor”, but you’re more than a song leader.

There we go. Another five worship leading nuggets. I’ll post the final group tomorrow.

What’s the best advice about worship leading you’ve ever received?

We all love a good insight. Especially those in the form of a nugget of wisdom.

Some people are just great at that kind of thing. Perhaps your grandpa, the old wise guy at church, or a particular author you like to read.

Another place is the book of Proverbs in the Bible is full of wisdom. Often in the form of short, concise sayings that illustrate a point and/or valuable life lesson.

We find these valuable because they provide direction for life.

But what if you’re a worship leader, especially a new worship leader. Where do you turn for those “nuggets” as you begin serving in this type of role? Continue Reading…

One of the benefits of my recent search for a new ministry position was the development of a “philosophy of worship ministry.” I had the opportunity to clarify what I believe, have learned through experience, and that God has taught me about the role of corporate worship and being a worship leader/pastor.

It’s not that I hadn’t thought through these things before. In fact, if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I’ve written about these topics from time to time. I’ve taught on them, discussed them, and perused the thoughts and writings of others on this same journey.

But, I had never boiled these thoughts and principles down into a written format. Yet, I needed to as I was submitting resume and information to various churches.

It was an investment in time, thought, and study, but it was time well spent. Continue Reading…