Keys to becoming an effective worship leader
Tom Kraeuter
It took me more than 6 months to finish this little book. Because I wanted to finish one chapter per week and apply to my worship leading. I wanted this book would make me a better worshiper and a better worship leader. so I needed some time to apply what I learned and the insight I realized. and I spent a lot of time to summarize the book, not because I want to share this with others, but because I don't want that what I learned just easily be forgotten. God help me to be a life-time committed worshiper. 2003-10
1.Maintaining a strong relationship with the Lord
As I am leading worship for quite a long time, I began more and more to take my cues from peoples reactions to the "worship" instead of from the Lord. I was focusing more on worship leading not the Lord Himself. I was more in touch with the process than I was with God. (I had the same problem. I was thinking more about people's feedback and music quality. I monitored the music and how I lead the worship. but I had less interest in God himself.)
I was able to fool most of the people. No one really knew that I was more conscious of the techniques than I was of the Lord. (As I am getting more experienced with leading worship, my skill has gotten improved, which means I can lead and pretend that I am worshiping God and nobody really know my heart was not really worshiping Him)
The only way to be effective long-term as a worship leader is to maintain a close relationship with the Lord. Anyone aspiring to be an effective worship leader must have as their main anchor point maintaining a relationship with the object of their worship, the almighty God. There are no lighting bolts from heaven or earth-shaking revelation, just a simple understanding of His new-every-morning mercies.
2. Having a humble and servant attitude
Ultimately the Lord doesn't need our talents. He wants our hearts. All the abilities we can muster are of very little eternal consequence. God is looking for a broken and contrite heart, one that is not self-centered but focused on Him.
주는 제사를 즐겨 아니하시나니 그렇지 않으면 내가 드렸을 것이라. 주는 번제를 기뻐하지 아니하시니라. 하나님의 구하시는 제사는 상한 심령이라. 하나님이여 상하고 통회하는 마을을 주께서 멸시치 아니하시리라. (시편51편 16~17)
We do not really understand what it means to be a servant. we need to pray that God will reveal how we can manifest this servant attitude within our lives.
3.Having a levitical heart (왕같은 제사장의 마음)
God is not just looking for talented musicians. He wants our hearts. Our main purpose in life is simply to be to His glory. we, as worship leaders, should model for others this idea of existing for God's glory and yet we too often get so busy with the things of God that we miss simply being to the praise of His glory.
The Lord isn't nearly as interested in our abilities as He is interested in us. the very essence of our existence is not to do but to be to His glory.
One of the challenges was not leading worship well on Sunday service, but living as a worship leader in my daily lives. I couldn't worship when I had an argument with my wife, but I had to stand up and lead worship as if I had no problem at all
4. Living a life of worship
The worship of the sanctuary is meaningless unless it is preceded by six days of worship as a way of life.
We cannot go out and live in a manner contrary to what the Lord wants for us and then come in on Sunday morning and expect to fully worship God. It simply does not work. In reality, our Sunday morning experience of worship should be the by-product of an entire week of worship unto the Lord.
Worshiping God is our reason for existing. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (오직 너희는 택하신 족속이요 왕같은 제사장이요 거룩한 나라요 그의 소유된 백성이니 이는 너희를 어두운데서 불러내어 그이 기이한 빛에 들어가게 하신 자의 아름다운 덕을 선전하게 하려 하심이라) 베드로전서 2장9절.
It would not necessarily be more acceptable to God because we have been good, but for only blood of Jesus make us acceptable. the very reason we can still come to Lord and can worship is because of Jesus Christ and his abundant Grace.
내 법을 저희 마음에 두고 저희 생각에 기록하리라 하신 후에 또 저희 죄와 저희 불법을 내가 다시 기억지 아니하리라 하셨으니 이것을 사하셨은즉 다시 죄를 위하여 제사드릴 것이 없느니라 그러므로 형제들아 우리가 예수의 피를 힘입어 성소에 들어갈 담력을 얻었나니 그 길은 우리를 위하여 휘장 가운데로 열어 놓으신 새롭고 산 길이요 휘장은 곧 저의 육체니라 (히브리서10장16~19)
우리가 긍휼하심을 받고 때를 따라 돕는 은혜를 얻기 위하여 은혜의 보좌 앞에 담대히 나아갈 것이니라 (히브리서 4장 16절)
우리가 그 안에서 그를 믿음으로 말미암아 담대함과 하나님께 당당히 나아감을 얻느니라 (에베소서 3장 12절)
5. Thankfulness unto God.
We as Christians should be models of thankfulness. We should cultivate thankfulness in our everyday interactions with people. More importantly, however, we need to cultivate continual thankfulness toward God.
"Let is continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God" (우리가 예수로 말미암아 항상 찬미의 제사를 하나님께 드리자. 이는 그 이름을 증거하는 입술의 열매니라) 히브리서 13절15절. It is not always easy to be thankful, but it is always necessary. Make thanking God a habit.
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6. Walking in God's Grace
Of the problems within the church today, I believe that the most prevalent is a failure to comprehend or fully believe the power of the gospel of Jesus. When we confess our sins with a heart, the blood of Jesus truly does wash away our sins and the accompanying guilt we feel.
By realizing and walking in God's grace each and every day, we will find far more power than by trying to live in our own strength. If we simple repent and allow the mercies of the Lord, we will find ourselves beginning to walk in His power, rather than in our own inconsistent strength.
Our main issues is not commit any sin, but how we deal with our sin once we have committed it. We feel that putting distance between ourselves and the Lord is the best way to handle it. we attempt to deal with the problem in a way that is totally opposite from God's way. |
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If we take the run-and-hide approach, we will find ourselves further from God each time we sin. but if, instead, we will run to the Lord (repent-and-forgive approach), we will find a power that will make an ongoing difference within our lives and in our walk with the Lord. |
7. Self-disciple.
It is true that self-discipline is not necessarily always fun, but it is essential. we must be willing to discipline ourselves in many areas, prayer, the study of God's Word, musical practice time, preparation for leading.
God can only use us to the extent that we are willing to discipline ourselves. in other words, he will not override our wills. God will not ordinarily bypass our wills in order to put His plan into action. He requires that we be willing to put our will and effort into what He desires for us. Without them we will never fully achieve God's ultimate purpose for our lives.
The words, "submit" and "resist" are not passive. They demand action on our part. We cannot be complacent. we must discipline our lives. We must submit to the Lord's will and bring our own wills into submission.
We are wise if we pray regularly for those whom we lead as well as those with whom we minister. we are wise if we pray regularly for ourselves, asking that we might be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
**8. Understanding God's word.
Recently someone asked me a question which I had never really considered before. the question was this: "is it more important for a full-time worship leader to have a music degree or a degree in Biblical studies?"
Your effectiveness in leading worship stems more from your knowledge of God's Word than from your musical abilities.
Worship leader qualification problem
| 1. Pastor did not carefully consider the Biblical qualifications for this leadership position. somehow for worship leaders these qualifications are often overlooked
2. The people in the congregation could have been guilty of giving too much praise to an individual.
3. We can end up so certain of our own abilities that we really have no need for God. Too much praise can be destructive. |
Yes, musical talents are an important commodity for a worshiper leader. but even more essential to the worship leader is a thorough knowledge of God's Word. this would be much better foundation than music training alone.
9. Accepting the role of being an example
As a leader your life needs to be exemplary. regardless of where you are or what you are doing people observe you to see what a worshiping Christian is really like.
"Brethren, join in following my example and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. (형제들아 너희들은 함께 나를 본받으라. 또 우리로 본을 삼은것 같이 드대로 행하는 자들을 보이라) 빌립보서 3장17절
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People have a need to be taught, not only by your words but just as much by your action. we as worship leaders cannot just talk about worship being a way of life. we must live it. and we must live it to the extent that others can look at us and see what worshipers are really like. Refusing to accept this responsibility is not an option. Like it or not, people will learn from your example.
What we need is not one more sermon, but a model to follow. people do what they see, not what they are told. |
10. Cultivating the gifts God has put within you
There is no question that we have each been given at least one gift. the friction comes when we consider nurturing the gift. The Lord gives us gift and then expects us to learn to use them to their fullest potential.
11. Keeping priorities straight.
God has clearly shown me that I have three main priorities
1. Knowing Him and cultivating that relationship
2. Loving, spending time with and caring for my family
3. Laboring in the ministry which He Sets before me. |
The long-term effect of spending time with my family will far outweigh a few hours of teaching worship leaders. No one else is going to take the responsibility for training my family
12. Using and cultivating administrative abilities.
Today, it seems contradictory to be both creative and organized at the same time. but it is possible to develop organizational skill even if they do not come naturally.
Without developing you administrative abilities you will never fully become the worship leader God wants you to be.
**13. Caring for the congregation
Don't just do your ministry, minister to people. Caring for the congregation refers to seeing the needs of those to whom we are ministering as more important than our own needs.
We are often far more ready to accept the responsibilities of the work of ministry than we are to accept the responsibility of caring for people. The work and the doing of work is important, but Jesus died for people.
For us as worship leaders, this ministry to people sometimes seems difficult to grasp. After all, our first priority is to worship the Lord. this is true, but if we see only worshipping the Lord is valuable, we have missed half of our job title, Worship Leader. we have a responsibility to lead people in worship.
Caring for the congregation means lovingly encouraging them to follow along as you start up the mountain to God's presence. Do not beat them. gently lead them to come on along. they get enough abuse everyday from the world. from you they need encouragement. (When I prepare new songs and different kinds of worship I believed that was the new direction we are supposed to go. all other big and growing churches use lots of contemporary music, so I believed I should introduced more new and contemporary songs, but that was my mistake. I was thinking about applying my worship style to the congregation instead of accepting the worship style of my congregation. It was obvious that I was not leading people and also not leading worship either)
Caring for the congregation means listening to and responding to comments and suggestion from people. usually the feedback could be negative. people tend to speak out only when they are dissatisfied. In order to guard your own heart, you must understand that negative feedback is common. The unhappy minority speak out while the contented majority sit silently.
Even though you hear some negative feedback and sometime people say things you would rather not hear. Yet, they are the people the Lord has called you to lead in worship. Love them and encourage them in all you do.
14. Choosing members for your worship team
First, pray that the Lord will either raise up the right people within your congregation or send the right people to your congregation. Be specific in this prayer. The Lord honors specific prayers. Second, pray for wisdom and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit
Qualities to look for in prospective music team members
| 1. Maturity is the first thing I look for in individuals whom I am considering for your worship team. Spiritual maturity, do they really know God? Have they been walking with Him for a long time?
2. Commitment. is this person not only mature but a solid believer? and are they strongly committed to the work where they will be ministering?
3. Musical ability. Musicians need to be skilled enough to follow a service which is led by the Holy Spirit. poor musical abilities can distract and detract from the people's worship |
15. Caring for the members of your worship team
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What a tragedy that too often they have not realized the importance of cultivating good solid, biblical relationships. this can effectively alleviate most worship team problems. No, problems will not necessarily completely disappear, but they can be minimized by having proper relationships. It is an amazing fact that cultivating good, sold relationships will enhance everything in your music ministry program. |
If the only way you every interact with the members of your worship team is on a "professional" level, then you are missing a big part of what the Lord wants to do within your group. Loving, caring, friendly relationship should permeate everything you do as a team.
16. Getting the most our of your rehearsals
What should we do at our rehearsals?
Worship. this is often an overlooked part f the practice time. It is difficult to lead in worship on Sunday mornings as a team if we never worship together at any other time. If our times of preparation consist only of doing music and not actually worshiping God ourselves, we are sending the wrong message to our musicians.
Prayer. This too is frequently left out of many practice times. we should take time to pray for one another, for the congregation, for the pastor. A good thing to remember as the leader is striking a balance in your participation in the times of prayer. be a prayer example. Encourage people to "make their requests known" (아무것도 염려하지말고 오직 모든일에 기도와 간구로 너희구할것을 감사함으로 하나님께 아뢰라) 빌립보서 4:6절
New songs. please keep in mind that this is only third in the list. practice is not all about learning a new song (once I did practice to learn a new song and we were eager to sing during next Sunday and I brought more new song next weeks. this can help team to involve more on practice but not a long term solution for building a good worship team). When practice a new song, always try to learn a song thoroughly before using it corporately. this can save a great deal of embarrassment for everyone.
Old songs. most people simply assume that the new people know all of the old songs. unfortunately this is rarely the case. it is good to have a working list and make sure everyone on the team can be familiar with all the songs in the list.
Evaluate previous service. looking at what you did musically as well as considering the overall response from the congregation can be beneficial for future reference.
Special music. this one needs more work to prepare, but it is good to have time for this.
Most people easily fall into predictable patterns in any area of life. This true even in worship rehearsals. it is important to keep the interest and the enthusiasm of your musicians at a high level on an ongoing basis.
17. Understanding the purposes for the music
The first use of music is to praise and worship the Lord. music is a wonderful way to give expression of our adoration to our Creator, Redeemer, Deliverer, Shelter, Helper in time of need. He is worthy of our praise.
Another use of music is to teach God's Word. we often know more Scripture because of the choruses we sing than we do through memorization. there is something about putting music with the words that makes them much easier for us to remember.
We can also help release God' power through music. I do not fully understand how this works, but I have seen it happen too many times to believe it is just coincidence. It is not uncommon to experience physical and emotional healings, deliverances, salvations as we worship the Lord.
Music also helps bring a unity within our services. as we gather together we each come from varied backgrounds and experiences. but there is something about music that aids us to focus on Jesus of our hearts and thoughts. It draws us together into a corporate unity more quickly than anything else can.
Music prepares the hearts of the people to receive God's Word through the sermon. Nothing will work better than music for the preparation of peoples hearts. But be careful, not to make this your main focus during worship. Our eyes are to be on Jesus, not the upcoming message.
18. Understanding music as a tool
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We need to begin to be more sensitive with our use of music. Do not just "plow through" during your praise and worship time. Instead, strive to be sensitive to how you might enhance the moving of the Holy Spirit through the use of your music.
Most church praise and worship music is put through a "blander". we are not adequately expressing the various moods of the Spirit of God. |
We need to learn subtle nuances of musical enhancement of your worship. Use all of the instruments you have available to their fullest potential, but do not over use them.
The bottom line is this. we need to learn to be sensitive and creative with our music in order to enhance what God wants to do.
19. Understanding the power of music
Music in and of itself is a powerful force. Music during service is not just "mood music". It can dramatically affect people's lives. We need to begin to find through personal experience and the experiences of others how to use music to its fullest potential.
I will be the first to admit that I have more questions in this area, music, than answers. I do not fully understand how to always accomplish this (Gods' purpose in music)) in my own church, let alone in yours. However I have no question that we have only begun to scratch the surface of the full potential of music
God understand this vehicle we call music far better than all of our human teachers combined. Allow His creativity and sensitivity to fill you so that you can fulfill His purposes in the earth.
20. Compiling a sold song repertoire
The main key I have found to solve this problem is striking a balance and incorporating a variety of music and types of songs into the repertoire.
When you check the songs and lyrics, ask yourself.
1. Do the words line up with Scripture? (Think about the scripture before you pick the songs and examine the lyrics separately from the music because we tend to like the song if the music is great even though the lyric is very poor)
2. Are they within the experience and understanding of the congregation? (If your congregation cannot understand the lyric, music doesn't matter)
3. Do they rhythmically fit the music? (you need more training on this)
4. Is the music good quality? (not boring?)
5. Is the music within the experience and understanding of the congregation? (I have use very contemporary music and brand new song, but our congregation seems not familiar with the music and I couldn't lead people to worship. it was just a good performance)
6. do you use enough different keys in your music? |
"Sing a new song to the Lord". I am convinced that this is more for our benefit than for His. The Lord never tires of our saying "I love you", but we tire of saying it in exactly the same way with the same melody. I thought I am picking the new song for God because he wants the new songs (성경에서 "새노래로 찬양하라" 고 했으니까), but actually it was more for me, worship leader. worship leader listen to many songs and easily get tired of old songs and make an excuse to pick the new song for God, but God loves new songs and old songs.
When you prepare song, be careful to choose the right ones for the Lord's current dealings with your church now. and understand the spiritual condition of your people.
21. Loyalty to those in authority over you
I believe the most important characteristic a worship leader must pursue in relation to his pastor is loyalty. developing loyalty may not necessarily be simple. Like love and faithfulness in a marriage, loyalty is a decision. It does not just happen, you must work at it.
"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you" (Hebrews 13:17)
When your pastor realizes that you are loyal to him, he will begin to give you more freedom in your area of responsibility. More freedom in ministry, given by the pastor, is simply a by-product of genuine intense loyalty
22. Sticking with it even in the not-so-fun times
Leading worship, although it is often a lot of fun, is not always a lot of fun. sometimes it is just plain hard work. sometimes it is even very discouraging.
Discouraging reasons
| 1. When congregation is completely unresponsive. it is as if people did not even understand what worship was all about.
2. Lack of commitment. Often I have been disappointed in team members only to discover later that if I had been in their situation, I would have made a similar choice, but still it is discouraging.
3. Hot new song. we as a music team have worked for weeks on what we believe to be a "Hot" new song. then, with great anticipation, we introduce the song to the congregation, but they cannot wait to move the next song. |
Sunday afternoon let-down syndrome. this is a feeling of mild depression following shortly after the service. I am not sure as the whether this is completely psychological, somewhat physiological, or even partly spiritual.
It is important to remember why we do what we do. if we strive for popularity, fun times, or anything except to serve God, we need to reconsider our motivation.
There are lots of fun times, but they are not the things that got me started, nor will they keep me going long term. I am absolutely convinced that the Lord has called me, and He will sustain me.
He who has called me is faithful and He will see me through (너희를 부르신이는 미쁘시니 그가 또한 이루시리라) 데살로니가전서 5장24절
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning (저녁에는 울음이 기숙할지라도 아침에는 기쁨이 오리로다) 시편30편5절
God is with me and will not forsake me in my time of need (내가 과연 너희를 버리지 아니하고 과연 너희를 떠나지 아니하리라 하셨느니라) 히브리서13절5절
He who began a good work in you will perfect it. (너희속에 착한일을 시작하신이가 그리스도 예수의 날까지 이루실줄을 우리가 확신하노라) 빌립보서 1장6절
