The Order....One Mind and One Accord...

Every worship leader has this one dilemma...What should the order of the music be?

There are numerous thoughts on this out there.  What I've learned is this,  do what works.
What does that mean?  If possible, plan all the songs with one theme that's in common.  If it's not possible, then try to let the last two or three songs be on the same theme.  If we, as worship leaders, do our part to focus the thoughts and praises of the congregants in one directions, then we are more likely to enter the Holy of Holy's.

Acts 2:1-2
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Acts 2:1-2 tells us that they, the ones that had stayed in the upper room praying after the Savior ascended, were in one place, and with one accord.  This tells us something significant.  All those in that room were focused on one thing.  Everyone was on the "same page" as the person beside them.  Some ministers say it like this, "they were in one mind."  Others say it this way, "they were in unison in their prayers and worship."  Either way, it's the same thing.  They were desiring the same thing.

As worship leaders, we need to focus those we are leading to a singular point.  We have to get everyone on the same page and desiring the same thing.  Yes, it's difficult, especially when we have to compete with social media, political points of view, and we have to inspire those that refuse to grow in Christ to examine themselves and realize that they are not where they need to be.  We have to hear complaints of , "The music sounds too much like Rock-N-Roll," or, "Everything was just too loud," and even, "The music had too much of a country-western feel too it."  These examples are almost always followed by the sentence, "I just couldn't worship because of it."  These are also things we have to overcome.

I feel that if you can use a hymn or part of one or two in the services, then you need to try to do so.
For example....I would start out with the Call to Worship being Friend of God, written by Israel Houghton.  It's an upbeat song that starts off with the theme that we want.  Once the service gets to the worship set, I would lead off with something like Open up the Heavens, by Meredith Andrews, then go into either Cornerstone, from Hillsong or Your Presence is Heaven, by Israel Houghton.  Next I would slow things down a bit more with just the chorus to the hymn, What a Friend We Have In Jesus.  I would end with either the chorus to the hymn, I Surrender All, or the chorus to He's All I Need.  I might would include both.  All these songs point to being His friend, being in His presence, or His supremacy.  At the end of the worship set, the last two songs declare that we need Him, and He is all we need.  The other songs just support these two....

You must consider those that you are leading though.  Their individual tastes in music also help indicate what my be effective for them to worship with.  However, if someone says that they cannot worship to a particular style of music, then do not concern yourself with that person...they are focused on satisfying their taste in music, not the Most High God with praises.

Consider your sets.  First of all, pray for guidance.  Secondly, consider the keys and abilities of the musicians you're using that day.  Thirdly, start off faster, and end slower...this promotes a more intimate worship.  Fourthly, keep to a theme where possible.  And fifthly, make sure the songs resonate with your congregants.

All these things play vital roles in how each service is conducted.  They also help to focus or distract from true worship.  Learn how to be flexible in the style's of music.

After all, we want everyone in, "One Mind and One Accord!"

Stage Lighting....I Saw the Light

It's Sunday morning and you walk into the sanctuary to find a place to sit.  Service hasn't started yet and the stage is dark.  You're able to find a seat and sit down.

The house lights begin to dim, and the music starts.  As the house lights dim, the stage begins to light up.  Once the lighting is appropriate for the desired effect, spiraling lights and fog machines start kicking in and then you're in the church service.

There are many opinions on how much light, what kind of light, and the positions  and functions of the lighting in a church environment.  There are some that like the house lights on all the way and will not negotiate.  There are others that believe the lighting should resemble a club or concert setting, and again, these people will not negotiate.

I am of the opinion that there needs to be a blend.  I believe incandescent lighting in the sanctuary is best, with about twice as much light on stage as in the congregation seating.  I also believe subtle accent  lights can be used against walls, or in custom "fixtures" for accents and helping to set a "mood."   I believe that worship is an intimate action and setting the mood helps the worshiper in their own worship.  Our God is light.  He generates the light for Heaven.  I believe, that churches have no business keeping the people in the dark.  For a concert setting, you're fine...but for worship, I want to be surrounded by the light of God.

Your Business

Everyone likes to know what's going on at other churches.  They want to know what music is hot, if they are using any audio effects or undertones (pads), or if they are using visual enhancements in an attempt to create a more intimate worship environment.

There is nothing wrong with this.  Things like this help us grow as musicians, worship leaders, and they help to create a sense of community and camaraderie among the various churches.  This is a good thing!
After all, aren't we supposed to work together to build the Kingdom of God, and to be about His business as one people?
Absolutely!

But...be careful.  Sometimes the problems of other churches come into the conversation.  Various internal issues that do not need to be outside the four walls of that church, or your church, can be detrimental to the effectiveness of the church in question.

Guard your heart and your church...Don't allow gossip to bring down a ministry that, although they may have made a mistake, is still a viable resource and a ministry tool for God.

In your conversations with other churches leadership, keep the focus on where it needs to be.  Use the sense of community to further God's kingdom, not some agenda that may or may not be feasible or honest.

Keep integrity in your worship team, your church, and your own life.  Speak up for the churches that are trying, but that are having problems.  You never know....It maybe your church one day!

Practice - Effective Time Management

Every successful worship team has to practice.  We have to find what works within our own dynamics of the teams we have.  We have to strive for excellence so that we take everything seriously.  Practicing helps us learn the music, the words, and the dynamic attributes of the songs we do.  But...Practice can either be really great, or it can be a jam session.

When we practice, we take the song by parts.  We start with the intro, then move on to verse 1, the chorus, and so forth.  We work out each section and make sure everyone has it, or is close to having it.  We will review each section several times before we move on.  This does annoy some people though.  I had a lady on my team tell me that she learns better by playing through the entire song, even if she was playing it wrong, then making changes once the song had been played through in its entirety.  Once those changes were made, she said to play the whole song again, then make changes, and continue until we were happy with the song.  This is a waste of valuable time.  When you take it in sections, you can tweak it more and have a higher chance of everyone remembering what to do than having them play the song wrongly ten times and correctly three times once everything is worked out.  Once you each section like you want it, play through it several times to solidify it in your teams mind.  Then work on the transition and the next section.  You'll find that this method works better for those teams that want to sound really good, and really want to please God with their worship.

You don't want to waste your teams time.  They volunteered to be here, but they have their own lives that they need to give attention to.  Make sure to keep them between an hour and an hour and fifteen minutes.  Shoot to accomplish everything in that time frame.  Plan your practice so that you have certain goals, and make them realistic.

Also, there are other ministries that your team may be apart of.  In my church, the two other vocalists are ladies and are heavily involved with the ladies ministries, Sunday School, and Children's Church.  I always try to accommodate these other ministries and work with them.  On Sunday's where the Ladies are having a meeting, or when the Children are having a big event that weekend, I don't have practice.  Yes this "holds us back" in terms of the number of songs we can learn.  But in the big picture, the entire church has a healthier membership due to the "breaks" they get from one ministry and the change of scenery by helping with other ministries as well.  We do good though.  We just make our time count.  We don't jam during practice, we practice.  My team provides me with valuable feedback, and they are glad to be there.

Respect the time of your team members, and make your time with them count!

What's Hot....and What's Not!

A lot of churches worship leaders will hear the number one song in the land and declare, "We have to do this song!"  In reality, not every song that is number one is number one.
What does that mean....
Just because everyone knows it and its on the radio for a thousand consecutive weeks at number one, doesn't mean that it will be a great worship song.  In fact, sometimes the pressure to take a number one and make it the best in your worship set can distract you from what God is wanting to do.

This is where knowing your congregation helps.  Knowing them provides insight to what will be effective and what may be a flop.  Use that to your advantage.  Plan out new music based not on the charts of popularity, but on the wings or worship.  You learn it and worship with it in private.  Then, if you can get to His presence with it, present it to the team and see what they think.  There are a lot of songs that are for "Positive Entertainment" and nothing really more.

What?

Yes...I wouldn't sing a song by Francesca Batistelli called "Free to be Me" in church!  How does singing about a rip in your jeans, or being late for work, or the speeding ticket help you focus on worship and entering His presence?  It distracts more than help.  That's because it's not appropriate for worship.

Use wisdom and good judgement when picking out music.  Mostly, pray that God direct you into a fountain of great music for leading the church in worship.  After all...He gives sermons to pastors,why would He not give you the music if you seek Him?

Worship Engagement

You're on stage and between songs.  Everything up to that point has brought you here.  You have one (or two) songs left on the set list, and you feel an urge to do something not planned.

Sometimes it takes a quiet moment to hear God's voice and directions.  We prepare and pray for His guidance in the upcoming services, and sometimes He gives us just enough to get to 'that' moment.  It can be anywhere in the worship service, and you know it when you get there.  What do you do?

Some worship leaders know exactly what to do.  Others don't.  I knew what to do from the experiences I received by watching my parents and other ministers and worship leaders.  Not everyone grows up in the environment I did, and therefore doesn't have the same experiences to draw from that I do.  None the less, it was still terrifying to actually do it.

God will sometimes drop something in your spirit or in your heart, and you can't help but share it.  It's usually something that uplifts or edifies the church.  Pentecostal brothers and sisters will know what I'm talking about...Sometimes God uses speaking in tongues for this something, and other times He impresses us like He does ministers when they are preparing their sermons.  The method is not important.  What is important is that when this happens, you trust God and do or say what He wants you to.

Their are other times that speaking to the congregation will encourage worship or help set the attitude and help focus the people in their worship.  Sometimes a simple prayer or an exhortation can be enough.  Then there are times where you may quote scripture and briefly interpret it for them. There are many  things that can be done in those moments.  You just have to do it.

Don't be afraid.  You're already singing in front of the congregation, why not go ahead talk to them.  You talk to them before and after services anyway.  Sometimes we get nervous about the little things we do, when we need to just focus on God.

These moments of spoken word will have positive results in the long run.  It may take you a couple times to get the feel for it, or to recognize what God is asking you to do; but...It keeps the focus of the people where it belongs.....On worshiping God.  You never know what condition someone may be in, or what they are going through.  Your words may remind them that He is sufficient for all needs in their lives; that He is mighty enough, loving enough, and gentle enough to help them through anything they are facing or dealing with.  This opens their hearts to a more sincere form of worship, and those that respond usually leave encouraged by God, having a more positive outlook on their situation, and since they've had an encounter with the Almighty, they leaved changed.

After all, isn't this our mission as worship leaders?  Aren't we supposed to help people into sincere worship?  Aren't we supposed to help them into the Holy of Holies? Aren't we supposed to help the Pastor make sure that people leave changed?

This is one way to do this!

Epic Fail!

Ok...So I set out with a great plan to post everyday during the week up to Easter. I failed.
I wanted to show the effort and care that the writers of hymns used to carefully craft their songs.  I think I accomplished this, somewhat.
I wanted to inspire you, my readers, to take extra time and effort in your worship during the week before and the day of Easter.  No idea if that was successful...but I hope so.

Sometimes we set out to do things that seem incredible and we believe if we can do that thing, then the presence of God will be so think in the room that the fog of His glory would surround us.  In our minds and imaginations we tend to believe that our project or task will be awesome, and everybody will hit their parts perfectly, the harmonies will be flawless, and the lighting will be perfect.  Basically, we picture our team onstage lip-syncing to Hillsong, Bethany, or Bethel's music.
Reality check...As I've said before, we are not these worship teams.  You will not sound like them!

As much as I wanted to accomplish my earlier stated goals, I'm not a writer for a newspaper, magazine, or any other publication outside of His Presence - Our Praise and I've failed.
The fact is that failure is part of life, and part of learning.  If we don't fail, then we don't learn how to make things better.

This past Christmas, I was given an entire service to lead the congregation in worship.  I had the lights dimmed to a soft ambient setting.  I had candles placed strategically around the stage, and I created a background for the screen to have up.  I envisioned a time of intimate worship with everyone enjoying the presence of God on that night.  While it was a success, the intended result never materialized.  There was sporadic worship, and everyone enjoyed the music.  But I learned some things about our congregation, and their expectations.  They walked in the door looking to be entertained more than looking to worship.  That's not a bad thing, it's just not what I was hoping for.  They came expecting a type of cantata instead of worship.

My point is this.  Don't be afraid to try something and fail at it.  You can only grow from it.  Thomas Edison tried to make the light bulb around two thousand times before he found the one way that worked.  When he was asked about it, his reply was this..."I didn't fail two thousand times, I just found two thousand ways to not make a light bulb."   When you fail, you're not really failing.  IF you learn something, it's a success!

......But still don't expect your worship team to be Hillsong!