Worship Leading 101
“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
Psalm 27:4 NIV
Are you starting out in worship leading and wondering where to begin? Or maybe you’ve been leading for some time but are looking for some good foundational teaching. You’ve found the right place.
In this article, I’m going to lay out 5 foundational keys to being an effective worship leader.
1. Develop the heart of worship
It goes without saying that a worship leader must be a worshipper! After all, a worship leader leads people in worshipping God.
Learn how to minister to the Lord.
Start at the Cross of Christ. Thank Him for saving you, for forgiving you, for setting you free. Thank Him for welcoming you into His presence. Surrender to God afresh.
Then behold Him in His majesty, His greatness, His Fatherhood, His nearness. Search the scripture for His attributes and praise Him accordingly.
Minister to Him.
Take time on your own to worship the Lord. I love what Matt Redman says, “All worship is a response to a revelation—it's only as we breathe in more of the wonders of God that we can breathe out a fuller response to Him....the key to a life of passionate and powerful worship comes from seeing God.”
Jesus said in Matthew 6:6—“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
Your public ministry generally won’t exceed your private ministry. Taking time on your own to worship the Lord will develop a well within you to pull from when you minister publicly. People will notice the difference when you’ve spent time with Jesus! (Acts 4:13)
2. Learn the basics of music
“Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.”
Psalm 33:3 NIV
Play skillfully! God wants us to be skilled.
Here are some basics:
Singing on key
Learn the song you’re leading (lyrics, melody, arrangement, chords, etc. Don’t depend on the tracks to tell you what to do!)
Music theory 101
All of this will help you to:
Lead the song more confidently
Lead the band more effectively
Have you ever been in a situation where you know what you want to tell the band to do, but didn’t have the words to describe it? …and you end up speaking in weird gibberish trying to sound out the drum beat? (Lol)
This is why developing musical skills is so important!
It will bring everyone together on the same page so you can move forward in your goal: leading people to worship God!
I highly recommend Jeffrey Kunde’s (guitarist for Jesus Culture) book on Music Theory. Easy to understand and gives a great foundation for music theory. Find it here.
3. Know who you’re leading
Get to know your congregation! Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” (John 10:14). As we follow Jesus' footsteps in leadership, we see His example of knowing the people He leads.
One of the most basic ways you can get to know your congregation in regards to leading them in worship is—lead songs that they know!
One thing that I’ve seen over and over, is that when a new worship leader gets a chance to lead, they almost always want to do brand new songs.
This isn’t the best choice for a few reasons:
The church is getting to know how you lead (and adding a new song adds another speed bump to the process)
The band is getting to know how you lead (and again, adding a new song slows that process because it’s more to think about)
You’re new to leading (the lack of momentum in a new song can stifle your confidence and growth as a new leader)
The solution: Learn the top 10 songs your church sings.
Get them in you so you can lead them from your heart, not just your head. Let them become well-trodden paths so you can lead them like it’s second nature.
Songs are meant to be pathways to the heart of God. When there are too many new songs, it’s hard to walk the path.
I’ve always had new worship leaders do a song that the church loves. Why? So the new leader gets to ride the momentum that’s already there—the church connects with them better, the band can follow them better, and their confidence soars! A great foundation to build from.
Learn your congregation's Top 10!
4. Learn leadership skills
The other important part of the title “worship leader” is leader!
It would behoove the worship leader to get some leadership skills.
Here is a brief list of leadership aspects that will help the worship leader:
Authority
You have the delegated authority to lead the team!
Lead with confidence! Take charge!
Remember: you’re also under the authority of the senior leaders
Servanthood (Jesus-style)
How can I serve the people I lead?
How can I help them encounter God?
True leaders are there to serve
Organization
The most underrated part of worship leadership
Planning, rehearsing, structure, expectations, etc.
I love to use Planning Center Online!
Relationship
Learn people skills
Build relationships with your team and congregation
Have fun with your team!
Authors John Maxwell and Tim Elmore have excellent resources on leadership.
5. Lead the people!
This is a little different from the last point in that—the last point is more of a macro, big-picture view of leadership, while this point is more micro, focused on the actual worship leading.
Remember, you are not up there singing through a song list or just having your own time with the Lord—you’re leading people to worship God!
This can look like:
A call to worship as you start
Praying throughout the set
Asking the congregation to engage, i.e. lift your hands, shout to God, dance, clap your hands, bow before the Lord, sing! etc.
People sometimes just need permission to do what they already want to do. You as the worship leader can give it to them. Many times it’s just one “bridge” statement that helps people move from passivity to passion. Don’t get caught up in just singing the song—engage the people!
A brief read through the Psalms and you can see that the worship leaders called the people to engage quite frequently. Do the same!
I hope this helps you on your worship leading journey!
Let me know if you have any questions or if there’s something you think should be added to this list! Comment below!