My Top 7 Most Important Traits of an Effective Worship Leader:
1. Transparency:
Vulnerabilty invites vulnerabitly and creates an environment where it is safe to be undone, broken, and real.
a. We as worship leaders need to be transparent and real.
b. When we show emotion it breaks down barriers and opens up doors.
c. Our congregation is looking to US to see what is okay and what is not. When we show joy, honor and passion, they will follow!
2. Spirit Lead:
Listen for the Holy Spirit's guidance and follow it.
a. We should not be afraid to go off the script when we feel the Spirit lead.
b. The more we listen and obey the voice of the Lord, the more audible He will become and the easier it will be to follow.
3. Fearlessness:
We must trust that God is directing our heart, our words, and our music.
a. God is going to take care of every note and every word that we say, but we must allow Him to!
b. We must trust that even when we dont feel that we can do something, God can.
* Which means that sometimes we should go for the note that seems impossible, or start saying the words that God puts on our heart, even if we are not sure that the congreation will respond. If it is coming from a place of the Spirit and glorifying God, then He will make it happen.
d. We must let go, trust His guidance, and let God take the glory!
4. Prepareration:
Play Skillfully! We must honor and worship God through the obedience of skillful preparation.
a. Practice and prepare everything.
b. If we do the work ahead of time, God will do the rest.
c. We should wake up early ad prepare our heart to lead through the reading of the word, prayer and praise. We can not fill others if we ourselves are empty.
d. We should also prepare our instrument through warming up our body, voice, arms, etc..(depending on our insrument).
c. Preperation ensures that we can have freedom to follow God's leading during our worship. It frees us up to focus on worshiping in spirit and in truth, as opposed to from a place of skill.
d. We should practice and prepare what we are going to say in advance through prayer and consecration.
e. When we know the words we are singing by heart, then it frees us up to then sing them from the heart!
5. Prayer:
Be humble; we can NOT do it alone!
a. We must NEVER forget to pray!
b. We must invite God in to everything we do.
c. Asking for His guidance on everything from choosing the songs, to choosing the people to sing them.
d. Asking for guidance on what to say and even what to pray.
e. We should trust that God’s spirit will give us the right thing to say even if it doesn’t make sense until its coming outof our mouths on Sunday!
6. Don’t Sing:
Lead: The congregation is not there to hear us sing; they are there to worship.
a. Unless we are doing special music, we must make sure to keep our eye’s open and on our worshipers.
b. Sense how they are responding and react to it.
c. Sing notes and play in keys that are easy for the congregation to sing.
d. Sing adlibs and have fun…but don’t distract.
e. If we feel it, say it, do it, move it! They will follow!
f. The congregation is looking at us…we must lead them to look upward!
7. Word led worship:
Worship should be founded in the Word of God; so should our heart.
a. We must plant ourselves in the word of God.
b. The first thing we should do on Sunday morning is prepare our hearts to lead by reading the word.
c. We must saturate ourselves with the word of God so that it is the first thing that is on our lips.
d. Worship is an overflow of what is going on in our heart. If our heart is grounded in the word of God, in His truth, His mercy, His grace, His power, His glory: so will our worship be.