Some Pastoral Advice to the Worship Leader

by Steve Badger

I'd like to try to share with you my thoughts on our worship services. (Throughout this essay I use the word worship to refer to the worship in song at the beginning of our church services.) I hope they will help anyone lead Christians to worship our Creator-Redeemer in spirit and truth. Perhaps some of these thoughts are just my opinions, but I'm sure others are much more than that. I hope you can determine which are which.

BUT FIRST, A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Don't think that I'm just trying to list everything I see wrong. But I've assembled these thoughts over a long period of time after observing many worship leaders, some better than others. Instead, rest in the fact that we all do the best we can. And then, secure in that knowledge, let each one of these provoke us to consider how we can best lead God's people in worship.

NOT HYPE

The task of the worship leader is not hype, not to "pump folks up." You are neither a performer putting on a show nor a cheerleader trying to work the congregation into a frenzy. In fact, your task is not to work (read, manipulate) the congregation at all.

You don't need to hype the people, and you also don't need to persuade God to come meet with us or to come and do something. God is present. He is willing and able to meet all needs. We are assembled to worship Him, not to try to convince Him to show up or act on our behalf.

If you are going to lead people in worship, you must first understand what it is. Worship is our response to God's revelation of Who He is and what He has done. It is recognizing God's worth and ascribing to Him His greatness. Worship is predicated on a loving relationship. It includes what we say in word and song, giving of our time and resources, and every act that submits to His rulership.

The first prerequisite to leading people in worship is that you must worship. If you yourself are not worshipping, you are not likely to inspire others to worship.

THE SINGLE FOCUS

There is only One we worship. Keep this fact clearly in mind as you select songs. Avoid songs that focus on anything or anyone other than our Lord Jesus. We are not there to focus on ourselves, the enemy, the problems of life, or even the Bible. Many of the Psalms depict worship as progressing from the objective (Who He is) to the subjective (What He has done for us). This is probably a good pattern for us to follow, too.

DISTRACTIONS

Anything that you do to draw attention to yourself or others present will distract people from worshipping God. What kinds of things can distract from worshipping Him? Too much talking distracts, and that includes giving too many directions. Exhortations or Scripture passages can effectively guide people into worship-but these must be brief, to the point, and not too frequent.

Another distraction is excessive talking during the worship in song. Constant chatter does not augment worship, on the contrary, it prevents it. Sometimes a sentence or two of explanation helps, but don't overdo it. More specifically, while you are admonishing the people, "Give Him praise!" you are not worshipping, you are telling others to worship. This is not to say that doing this is wrong, but that overdoing it distracts from worship.

Pointless repetition of phrases can also distract. Listen to your worship and prayers. Do you begin and end every sentence with "Lord," "Father," "God," "Jesus," or other references to the One we worship? This is monotonous. At best, this distracts from worship; at worst, it is (or at least borders on) vain repetition. "Thank you, Jesus" repeated a dozen times does not help people focus on God. You draw attention to yourself instead. This may begin as nervous "filler," but it quickly becomes a habit that is difficult to quit.

VARIETY AND BALANCE

Variety is an important element of worship. Several elements need to vary, including tempo, volume, and attitude (joyful, reflective, etc.). Which songs you select should vary, too.

In this context some people ask, "Which do you prefer? Hymns or choruses?" I think the answer to the question should not matter much to a worship leader. Why? Because these two forms serve different functions. The question should never be which do we like, but how can we use both to accomplish our goal (worship). This is the balance you need to try to discover.

Unfortunately many leaders never learn to use the hymns in worship. Why is this unfortunate? Because they contain so much excellent teaching and theology and their eloquence provides words worthy to be used in praise--both things that the modern church-goer desperately needs. The only way to learn how to use them well is to use them so often that you are as familiar with them as you are with the choruses. Try to find ways to smoothly segue from a hymn to a chorus and vice versa.

VAIN REPETITION AND GIMMICKS

Singing a chorus over and over again is not the key to persuading people to worship or convincing God to manifest His presence. Some folks might question this if they can recall a time that God's Spirit moved dramatically when a song had been sung repeatedly. The mistake is in thinking that the latter caused the former.

By the same token, gimmicks don't make people worship. For example having just the ladies sing, then just the men, will not necessarily promote worship. This is not meant to absolutely forbid this, but know that doing it does not foster worship.

APPROPRIATENESS

The songs you select and the way you sing them should be appropriate to the occasion. For instance, the songs you might sing in Children's Church (like "Father Abraham") might not all be apropos in a Sunday morning worship service. The motions and cute additions (e.g., Spring up O well -- "splish-splash") that some folks find fitting for a youth service will not augment adult worship.

Some people might find a long period of standing in worship fitting, but an older group might be able to focus on their Creator and Redeemer just as well sitting. Standing is not more spiritual than sitting. Since neither is better than the other, perhaps it's best to help people to feel a freedom to stand or sit depending on how it helps them worship.

JARGON

We need to notice the words we use from the pulpit. Christian jargon may sound spiritual, but it may be meaningless to any outsiders who may be visiting. (I apologize if I name any of your favorites here.) For instance, why do we say, "God, we want your presence here" rather than "God, we want You here"? Do we substitute "revival" for other words that would communicate better to any unchurched present? If you will listen, you will find many other words that may mean one thing to Christians and another to unbelievers.

None of these is wrong, but if we think in terms of leading people to worship, we'll want to use words that are most likely to accomplish that goal. If we use the common language of all people in our culture, we may be more likely to communicate God's truth faithfully to everyone present.

PLANNING AND PRACTICE

Planning and practice will help you to accomplish your worship goals. What should you plan? A sequence of songs that will accomplish our purpose doesn't just happen. You don't just pick a few of your favorites, or songs with a given theme, or songs in a good key.

Think of the songs you sing as a progression intended to bring people to the place of recognizing God for Who He is, themselves as sinners saved by His grace, and the people assembled as the Body of Christ. So the songs you choose should have development: it should start somewhere and it should go somewhere.

As you are leading in worship, maintain an attitude that will allow the Holy Spirit to change your plans and take the worship in a different direction. Planning and practice do not in themselves quench God's Holy Spirit.

Keep a record of the hymns and choruses used. As a general rule, don't use the same ones two Sundays in a row, unless you are teaching the congregation a new song.

Don't think you can just stand up in front of the people and lead in worship because you have a nice voice and talented musicians. To lead well, you must plan and practice. Ideally, all of the musicians (and sound technician) should practice by worshipping together before the service using the songs you plan to sing. If this is not practical, as many as possible should practice. This is a very important part of preparation for worship. Omit it, and you risk failing to lead people in biblical worship.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The importance of the person operating the sound board can hardly be overemphasized. With this in mind, any new technician should receive plenty of hands-on training.

If you are going to use a "worship team," we must be able to hear them. On the other hand, if the sound amplification is excessive, people will be thinking more of their pain than their Savior. Think of the sound technician as part of the worship team.

GETTING FEEDBACK

Finally, if you will pay attention to the audience, you will be able to detect when you are succeeding in your goals. Watch the congregation to see if they are worshipping. Further, from time to time a survey will help you determine how well you are leading people to worship. Beyond that, often a candid evaluation from a friend can be just as helpful as a church-wide survey.

Steve Badger, Feb. 24, 1997