7 Qualities of a Worship Leader

If you consider a worship leader as a living signpost, what would matter a lot is which way the signpost points.

Some point towards music, others to self, some others to style and so on.

Then there are the good ones - the ones who point towards God, helping us connect with Him and express our worship to Him. That’s the kind of worship leader I strive to be.

Real worship leaders worship the Lord at all times and when necessary, they use songs.

What about you? Wanna be that stand-out worship servant who advances the praise of our God?

Here’s what I believe you ought to be working on:

The 7 Qualities of Awe-Inspiring Worship Leaders

1. BE A FRIEND OF GOD

Great worship leaders are God-lovers first and foremost. They love the Lord so much that they ensure to start every day with Him. They do this by maintaining strong and consistent personal prayer lives. They can pray without guitar and song. They are comfortable being still and silent before the Lord, with His Word.

2. DEPEND ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

Accomplished worship leaders don't bank on their own talent and experience as much as the Holy Spirit. Whether it's putting together a set-list or delivering a session on stage, their ears are constantly open to listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and their hearts stay in a disposition of obedience.

3. LOVE WORSHIP – not just a way of worshipping

Put simply, fantastic worship leaders don't believe that worship happens my-way-or-no-way. They do not cause or participate in worship wars. They respect liturgy and don't consider it inferior to contemporary worship. They appreciate "When I Survey the Wonderful Cross" as much as they enjoy "Everlasting God".

4. NEVER STOP LEARNING

Outstanding worship leaders value training. They always keep themselves open for training opportunities and make use of them more often than not. They consume books, blogs, podcasts, videos, seminars, webinars or anything else that advances their walk with God and ministerial competency. They never claim to know-it-all and they do not shy away from taking feedback.

5. BE SELFLESS- create space for others

First-class worship leaders are team players. They are secure about their own calling, position and place and therefore don’t let doubt, fear or insecurity consume them. This makes them other-centered: they love to share tips and the stage with others. They sincerely encourage and take pleasure in developing another - ministerially or otherwise. They worship when others lead worship too.

6. BE HAPPY IN THE PRESENT

Excellent worship leaders are grateful to serve wherever they are. Their happiness and contentment is not tagged to stuff like size of the congregation, count of Facebook, likes or twitter followers etc. They joyously lead through servant-hood.

7. KEEP IT REAL

Top-quality worship leaders are not different people on and off the stage. They practice worship outside the church sincerely. They don't play games with God or His people. Their spouses, children or mothers-in-law will vouch for their authenticity! I attended Don Moen's worship workshop twice and both times, the one thing he spoke about most is 'keeping it real'.

HOW TO LEAD WORSHIP SUCCESSFULLY

What is “Successful” Worship?

At the risk of oversimplifying things, let me say that worship is offering to God all that God is due. For us individually, this means offering our whole selves to God. The Old Testament vocabulary for worship includes words that reflect the submission of a subject before a king and the service offered by a servant to a master. At the core, worship is giving to God his due as King of kings and Lord of lords, not to mention our gracious Savior. This includes praise, thanks, love, confession, attention, honor, obedience, and service. In corporate worship, we emphasize offerings of words, songs, and actions, which enable us to praise, thank, love, and honor God together. Such corporate worship leads to a life of worship, in which we serve God, not just in the corporate gatherings (the worship services), but also in every part of life (the service of daily life). We worship God by presenting our bodies as living sacrifices to God, thus glorifying him every waking minute of our existence.

I’m not saying that we actually do worship God in this way. No human being, except for Jesus, has been able to worship God consistently and whole-heartedly. Yet this should be our intention.

So, successful worship for an individual is when I truly and fully offer myself to God, not just my praise and thanks, but all of me. Notice that this is not primarily about feeling anything. Worship is not an emotional state, though it usually involves emotions. It is, rather, an act of the whole person, an act of will, an act of giving ourselves freely and fully to God.

From a biblical perspective, genuine worship can happen when I am alone. But worship is not something offered only or even mainly by individuals. Rather, it is an action of God’s people. When we come together, we worship together by offering our songs, prayers, and gifts to God. When we move out into the world, we worship God as a community by living consciously as God’s people, serving him through serving others.

Genuine worship, according to Jesus, is worship in Spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). This means that you and I cannot worship fully without the help of the Holy Spirit. It also means that our worship must be permeated with and shaped by the truth of God. Only when our worship is truly spiritual and biblical will it be authentic, or, if you will, successful.

What is Successful Worship Leadership?

Successful worship leadership facilitates successful worship. If you are a worship leader, you have led well if those who have followed your leadership have offered themselves to God genuinely.

Notice what successful worship leadership is not?

It’s not creating an experience. It’s not getting people excited.

It’s not helping people to feel God’s presence.

It’s not leading a moving performance by the band or choir.

It’s not preaching a fine sermon.

It’s not getting people to like you.

It’s not being popular.

It’s not growing your church.

It’s not musical perfection.

It’s not doing great art.

It’s not a chance for you to express your creativity or individuality.

Of course all of these things might be connected with successful worship leadership. But they are not the point. The point is leading people to offer to God his due, which ultimately includes all that they are.

You have been successful as a worship leader if, in any given gathering, those you have led have genuinely given themselves to God. This means that they come away from the service, not impressed by you, but by God. If on their way home they’re talking about how great the music was or how great the sermon was, you have not been successful. If they’re talking about how great God is and how they’re going to live in response to God’s greatness, then . . . bingo!

Successful worship leadership cannot really be measured in the moment, however. You can only truly know your success as a worship leader in the long run. If the people you lead in worship learn to offer themselves to God in every facet of life, if they live out the truth of God in the world, if they see their daily life as worship, if they serve God at school and in the office, if they seek to honor God by living lives of justice and righteousness, then you have been a successful worship leader.

“But,” you may be thinking, “that’s a whole lot harder than getting people excited or helping them to feel inspired in the worship service.” Indeed. It’s much, much harder. You might also be thinking, “But, wait, what you’ve described isn’t something I can pull off on my own. I can’t ensure that people will actually worship authentically.” That’s true. I believe that the success of a worship leader (or pastor, or mission trip leader, or . . .) does in fact depend on the response of those being led.

This means you cannot produce your own success. Not only do you depend on those whom you lead, but also and mainly upon God. You will never succeed as a worship leader apart from the help of God’s Spirit. Thus, we who lead worship join the Psalmist in praying: “O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success” (Psalm 118:25).

How to Become a Better Worship Leader

(Understand your own Christianity in order to become an effective worship leader).

Worship leaders have an awesome responsibility to lead others into the presence of God. Some believe the only requirement for being a good worship leader is to be a good musician or singer. But being a good musician is only the beginning. Understanding the nature of worship and your role in it is crucial if you want to become not only a better worship leader, but also a better Christian.

Tips for Leading Praise and Worship

1       

S   Spend time with God.

T   This is the single most important thing you can do to become a better worship leader. It's only when you spend time in God's presence that you learn who He is and what pleases Him. You will never be able to lead others in worship if you don't spend time with God.

2.       Listen to God. Ask God what He wants, not only for each individual service, but also for your worship team as a whole. Allow God to direct you in all things. Spend time in prayer before each service asking God to show you which songs He wants for the service. Always be open to new suggestions from God.

3.       Study the Bible. It's crucial that as a worship leader you know what you believe. Worship leaders don't have the luxury of being lukewarm Christians. If you are not grounded in your faith, your worship will be dry and ineffective.

4.       Be humble. Because leading worship puts you in a position to be noticed by others, sometimes your ego can become a problem. Try to maintain a spirit of humility as a worship leader. Remember, pride always comes before a fall.

5.       Exercise authority. Although you need to maintain a humble estimation of yourself, it's important to exercise the authority God has given you. Take charge. You are the one God has chosen to lead your congregation into His presence.

6.       Avoid rebellion. You will not always agree with your pastor or those who are in authority over you. Sometimes they may ask you to take the worship service in a different direction from what you believe God wants. That being said, you should always try to submit to those who have rule over you unless God tells you otherwise. In the end, God will bless you for your faithfulness.

7.       Pray. Spend time in prayer daily for your pastor, your worship team members, your congregation, and mostly for yourself. If you are not spiritually strong, you will not be an effective worship leader. Pray for God to give you the strength to lead people in a way that is pleasing to Him, and ultimately to become a better worship leader.

  

      May our worship be soul-lifting, heart warming, taste-quenching and GOD reaching this year.

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