Leading people in worship to the Living God is an awesome privilege and involves four major areas: music, worship, leadership and your relationship with God. The more you understand and grow in each area, the stronger your worship leading should become.
I have been leading worship with congregations ranging from 70 to 7,000 people for over 25 years, and I am still learning. Here are the main areas to consider for growth in your own personal journey. I’ve also put in links to help you go into more depth in each area.
1. Develop your music skills
- Take music lessons on piano and/or guitar (Keyboards: 12 Keys to Improving)
- Become a lifelong student of musical skills and styles
- Learn to sing at a good level (10 Keys to Improving Your Singing)
- Take music theory courses (Worship Musicians Theory Book)
- Learn to sing vocal harmonies
- Learn to memorize music
- Learn to play-by-ear, improvise with chord charts and read notes
- Develop a good sense of time and rhythm (Does a Click Track Help?)
- Learn to write your own songs
- Learn to write your own charts (Worship Charts: 7 Keys to a Great Rehearsal)
2. Develop your worship skills
- Worship in private (The Secret to the Most Effective Worship Leading)
- Study worship in the Bible (Actions and Attitudes of Biblical Worship)
- Understand the progression of worship
- Study under a strong worship leader
- Serve faithfully on a worship team (Great Worship Team Members)
- Watch great teams online (Hillsong, Bethel, Gateway, Elevation, Lakewood, Passion)
- Read great books on worship (Link to my favorite books on worship)
- Develop strong stage presence (Guidelines for a Strong Worship Team)
- Learn to pick great worship songs (12 Keys to Picking Great Songs)
- Be a lifelong student of worship
3. Develop your leadership skills
- Love people – John 13:34
- Learn the importance of serving – Matthew 20:28
- Lead yourself and your home well
- Be faithful with whatever opportunities (small or large) God opens up
- Learn good administrative skills (The Role of a Music Director)
- Learn to run great rehearsals (10 Tips on Improving Your Worship Rehearsal)
- Develop your own strong team (Worship band and vocals)
- Learn to communicate in front of an audience
- Learn how to be a constructive member of a pastoral team
- Develop a good relationship with your pastor
- Mentor future leaders and grow your worship team (12 Keys to Being a Successful…)
- Read leadership books (My favorite books on worship)
- Study other leaders and be a lifelong student of leadership styles
4. Develop your relationship with God
- Read the Bible daily (Bible Reading Challenge)
- Pray daily – Luke 5:16
- Listen to what God is saying to you – John 12:49
- Listen to what God is saying to the church
- Do what God is telling you to do – John 5:19
- Learn to trust Him more daily (Do You Trust God?)
- Keep your heart soft and pliable before God – Revelation 2:4
- Learn from other great men and women of God
- Learn to love the church like Jesus loves the church (Top 10 Guidelines)
Check out my new book, Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure, available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions. This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.
This article originally appeared here.
