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4 Characteristics of Great Worship Leaders

What a gig. The lights, the equipment, the fans–er, I mean “congregants”. In our era of  iTunes and American Idol, where worship bands go on tour and music is a major determinant of church membership, it’s easy to forget what makes a church worship leader good. Here are 5 characteristics of great worship leaders (spoiler alert: shopping at Buffalo Exchange isn’t one of them):

What a gig. The lights, the equipment, the fans–er, I mean “congregants”. In our era of  iTunes and American Idol, where worship bands go on tour and music is a major determinant of church membership, it’s easy to forget what makes a church worship leader good. Here are 5 characteristics of great worship leaders (spoiler alert: shopping at Buffalo Exchange isn’t one of them):

1. Great worship leaders lead the church in worship.

Yep, it’s basic, but it’s the only place to start. God calls worship leaders not for their musical ability or magnetic personalities or fashion sense (though they can be helpful tools). He calls them and gifts them to lead his people to worship him. They help people abandon their self-centered orientation for a God-centered one, and to join in the chorus of praise for our triune God that rings out across the universe for eternity. Worship leaders show how, why and, most importantly, Who to worship. Here are some practical ways great worship leaders do this:

  • They help people transition. Most of the people who file into the service bring a truckful of stress, distractions, emotions, and nagging thoughts with them. Worship leaders help them set all of that down so they can focus on God, Scripture, and the community. Through the atmosphere in the room, to what they say, sing, and do, the tempo and lyrics and order of the songs, great worship leaders plan the service to help people orient themselves appropriately, not just for the service but for life.
  • They help the church know what to do. Anytime your people get confused, they snap from God-consciousness to self-consiousness. If lyrics are on the screen, but there’s a solo on stage, people get spend more time trying to figure out whether they’re supposed to be singing or not (and often feel stupid whichever option they–or those around them–settle on.) If there’s a solo part, don’t show the lyrics. If you only want the women to sing a section, let people know. If you’re going to change the tempo or phrasing on a well known song, give them clues (like turning from the mic or casual hand direction) so they’re not lost. Similary, when singers go off on their own riff in the middle of the song (mmmm, we love you Lord….oh yes we do, yes we do, yes we do…mmmm), they leave the congregation behind. They’re no longer leading the church in worship–they’re worshipping while the church watches and waits.
  • They let the congregation be the “front man” of the band. One of my favorite professors explained this in a great course called “Leading the Church in Worship” (whichI highly recommend for any worship leader.) Ever wonder why it sounds like you’re the only one singing? Because today’s sound systems puts the emphasis on you, so the people in the pews don’t have to pull their own weight. Don’t overpower the congregation. They’ll be inspired by the sound of so many voices lifted up. The response? They’ll sing even more loudly.
  • They use a variety of worship methods. It’d take a whole other blog post to go over non-musical worship methods, so today I’m limiting myself to the band, but great worship leaders lead the church to worship through scripture, prayer, tithing, responsive reading, and other methods.

2. Great worship leaders don’t compete with God.

As a worship leader, you know you aren’t there to entertain the church, or get glory for yourself. But with church bands looking so similar to secular ones, and all the pressure and attention that is placed on the group, sometimes it’s easy to forget. Centuries ago, the choir loft was in the back of the church. The choir’s strong voices rose over the heads of the congregation, whose own voices joined them on the way to the cross or altar at the front. Now, bands play on stage, often under spotlights, in front of the church. Even if you’re not confused about who the Audience is  and who the performers are, your church might be. Here are some practical ways great worship leaders avoid competing with God for the glory:

  • They get out of the spotlight (figuratively and literally). Dim the spots. Don’t stand in center stage. Everytime you grab the attention or glory, your taking some away from God.
  • If you project the lyrics on screen, avoid video feed of the band as the background (people stop worshipping and focus on the images–who’s attractive, the shiny earrings that your guitarist is wearing, spinach in your teeth. It becomes less Amazing Grace and more Austin City Limits.)
  • When people applaud, turn that applause to God verbally like my friend Andy does: “that’s right–let’s give the Lord a hand for who He is and what He does” or non-verbally, like one friend does when she simply points up and, with her eyes raised, silently praises God.

2. Great worship leaders are intentional teachers.

No, I don’t mean that you’re delivering the sermon next week. I mean that you’re already teaching, and you need to be intentional about your lessons. Gordon Fee says, “Let me hear a congregation sing, and I will tell you their theology.” Think about it: most people will hear a specific sermon your pastor preaches once, but they’ll sing the songs you choose over and over, many for years and some for a lifetime. The lyrics seep into their souls and shape their beliefs. If they sing self-centered, experiential songs, their spiritual life will be self-centered and experiential. If they sing songs filled with God’s word and centered on Him, songs that reflect deep biblical truth about Him and His creation and His kingdom, their spiritual lives will absorb God’s truth. Here are some ways great worship leaders intentionally teach:

  • They choose songs on purpose, after reading the lyrics and thinking through the theology. Even if a song is popular on the local Christian radio station, weed it out if it teaches lies about God. Try updated hymns, or discovering new artists who write scripture-based worship songs–or become one yourself.
  • They take time to teach.  The great ones take time between songs to teach explicity. Perhaps helping people understand what worship is and why we do it, or the role of the band and the proper response of the church.
  • They prepare. Many worship leaders take time to throw out encouragements or prayers in the middle of sets. Great ones plan out what they’re going to talk about, and make sure that they don’t pass on bad theology because they spoke off the cuff (How many times have we heard someone inadvertantly thank the Father for dying on the cross or living inside us?) They have the lyrics handy, whether on a music stand or a monitor. True, secular bands don’t do this, but those guys sing the same songs at every concert for years. You’re changing songs every week, and it’s a lot worse to forget the words than to admit that you don’t have the entire library of modern and classic Christian songs in your head.

3. Great worship leaders are pastors.

The great ones are pastors to their worship team. In traveling all over the country, I’ve gotten to attend tons of churches, and seen how the absence of pastoral leadership on the worship team can derail a congregation’s worship. The “band” aspect of worship teams can bring out unique temptations. Oftentimes, band members are recruited for their musical ability despite low spiritual maturity. They’re placed in an environment that feels like a normal gig and even gives them a little fame in the community. All eyes are looking at them, and there’s pressure to look good, cool, cutting edge or even sexually attractive. Here are ways great worship leaders are pastors.

  • They protect and disciple their team, even before individuals are on it. This means that they don’t use people. They recruit people who can handle to position spiritually, and don’t put a brand new believer into a position she can’t handle spiritually simply because she has a rock star voice.
  • They tackle difficult problems with truth in love. They don’t avoid hard conversations about pride or jealousy or revealing clothing on stage.
  • They know their people and their families, build into their lives, and do life with them. They put priority on the individual’s spiritual life, emphasize on worshipping God humbly, and actually model these things in their own lives.

4. Good worship leaders worship God.

Above everything, good worship leaders love the Lord. It’s easy to fake it for a while–to perform rather than worship. In fact, if you perform dynamically, your congregation will think your great. You’re church might grow, and you might even get a raise. But that’s nothing if your soul is withering. Here are some ways great worship leaders continue worshipping God on the inside while you worship him on the outside:

  • They keep up their personal time with God. Though that can look different for different people, it includes scripture and prayer. It might also include things like spirirtual disciplines, time in nature, participating in a Bible study.
  • They have authentic community. Small groups, accountability partners and friends are crucial to our walk. Have godly friend in and outside your own congregation, and make sure you have people who aren’t impressed by you.
  • They serve in other ways. You aren’t just a worship leader. God has given you other gifts, abilities, talents and interest. Use those sides as well. Feed the poor, counsel the hurting, help build houses, raise money for a good cause.
  • They remember that God loves them beyond their work. Leading the church in worship is a big and important job, but God loves you no more and no less because you do it. Thank him for the opportunity to participate in his work, and thank him that his love doesn’t depend on that.

May God use you and grow you through your ministry!

Laura Singleton’s passion is the transformation that happens when women get access to God’s Word and God’s Word gets access to women. She was twenty-five when her life was turned upside down by an encounter with Jesus Christ. With an insatiable thirst for scripture and theology, she soon headed to Dallas Theological Seminary to learn more about Jesus, and left with a Th.M. with an emphasis in Media Arts. She, along with two friends from DTS, travel the nation filming the independent documentary Looking for God in America. She loves speaking and teaching and is the author of Insight for Living Ministry’s Meeting God in Familiar Places and hundreds of ads, which pay the bills. Her big strong hubby Paul is a former combat medic, which is handy since Laura’s almost died twice already. She loves photography, travel and her two pugs.

7 Comments

  • BeingmrsdrD

    Great post! Thanks for the reminder

    I very much enjoyed this post and for the great points that you raise. I couldn't have said it better – all the best in your ministry!

  • Brendan

    A Good Worship leader

    Thank you for writing this page. I hope you don't mind but i hae summerised some of the points to use to help a youth group grow in better worship

    God Bless

  • Music_Girl

    Needed: Mentorship and Leadership

    NEEDED: PASTORS WHO WILL MENTOR WORSHIP LEADERS

    I'm an experienced worship leader. By experienced, I mean I have led worship, built teams and done this in what some would consider "major" churches (500-1000 members). I've toured and traveled with worship bands – no name dropping. However, I had an experience recently which I would like to share.

    From the beginning of my tenure at the church, the pastor shared with me that the congregation was very difficult to please. This was a red flag for me. It's unrealistic that everyone will be pleased all of the time — however, his concern was that the hymns were not being sung. My curiosity was piqued: how did he make his decisions for worship and what were they based on? I almost walked out at that time. But I believe Someone held me back. I do happen to know a lot of hymns and contemporary music as well. So we mixed it up. Often, he would choose the first song.

    After about a month, I received a written warning — this was about song tempo. You have to realize, that to a musician, this coming from a relatively inexperienced person, this is disheartening. Apart from very fast or very slow, tempo is relative. It's like adjusting EQs – some people just cannot tell the difference and feel they can. It's relative, too. Often his words were, "well, with energy!"

    The comments from the church body were extremely positive. Too positive. From further conversations with the pastor, he let me know that the "money" people (his words) were still unhappy. I did some other songs at his suggestion and then, had an epiphany.

    It wasn't the songs. It wasn't the style — even when accommodated. I'm pretty good at various styles. It wasn't the voice, nor the presentation. It was him. There was an air of condescension every time he would come and rehearsal and stop me as I was beginning. He would sing along during rehearsal and distract the singers. It became a nightmare. I brought in a drummer for Easter after him saying we had a bit of a budget for gas. The guy would have come for free as a favor; but the Pastor was still unhappy. Still great comments from the congregation.

    Then there were the rules: no songs about the blood of Jesus, no songs that were too new, no songs that were too old. I was asked for ideas and these ideas were rejected. And in my case, I felt for the people — we were starting to see growth! We had several singers practicing and some musicians rehearsing. We performed once and after that, planned to begin rehearsal more regularly. I had my first meeting with them, went on a planned vacation and when I came back, they let me go. At that meeting, he did not open in prayer, and was going to let me go without doing so, until one of the ladies got up and asked if we could all pray. So we did…and in her words she said, "no matter how we feel, right or wrong, help us Lord."

    Through all this I felt…………victorious. I had done every single thing possible: studied my music, chosen songs which fit his parameters, built a team, had their first dramatic presentation for Christmas, and I believe we were on a good road. I had asked for mentorship and development as a leader, but the only meetings we had were very negative.

    I would like to say that I believe he made a good decision for the wrong reasons…..and I do. I sincerely prayed over this church before I joined — and I believe that God took me out in His time. But I will never forget the wide, strange grin that the Pastor had on his face as he walked me out — and I will hold on to the peace I felt right then, too.

  • Grace Vimbai

    God i want to have these characteristics

    Help me Lord to receive all these things…..in Jesus name, amen!

  • Daniel Ogunwole

    Godly Praise and Worship Leader
    Thanks for this write up. This is to notify you that I have extract some points from it to teach my group in our local church.
    Thanks and I pray for more grace for you.
    Daniel