Worship Essentials

Prepare Your Heart For Worship

Practical things to set your heart and mind.

i. It begins with picking songs.

Sit with your pastor and look at the theme of the message for that week.

Be in prayer for the people on your worship team, and people coming in to worship.

Be in the Word constantly.

During practice, pray with each other and encourage each other through what you’ve read in God’s word.

ii. Saturday night preparation.

Find a book that gets you excited for God. (The Pleasures of God by John Piper, or Astonished By God, also John Piper are good for this.)

Have set aside prayer specifically for the morning. (Valley of Vision is a good resource for this)

As much as it depends on you, get a good nights rest.

iii. Sunday morning prep.

Rise early and pray. Pray that your own heart be softened to the realities of God. Pray for your music team members. Pray for every person that will enter your church that morning, that God would prepare their hearts.

Read the Psalms! Find psalms that are specific to the greatness, and glory of God. For example: Psalm 89, Psalm 98, Psalm 45, Psalm 135.

Listen to music, maybe even the songs you have prepared for that mornings service, and worship God.

On your way to the church, look at Gods creation and be awestruck, and worship God. Find the little things to be grateful for so that you enter His courts with thanksgiving.

iv. Sunday morning rehearsal.

Pray together as a group. Invite God to empty everyone of everything that’s not of Him.

We’re not looking for perfection here, but rather affection. Are our affections for Christ, or for nailing a certain part in a song?

When things aren’t coming together, simplify what you’re doing. Singing part of a song a cappella is better than forcing instrumentation that may distract.

When things aren’t going smoothly, (and they many times won’t) go be alone. Reset your heart and mind in a quiet place, and then help your team do the same.

Transitions

Transitions can either help keep people in worship, or take them out.

i. See transitions as important, but the goal is not to create a perfect production. Our mindset must be for the edification of the whole.

Structure songs together, if possible, based on key changes, capo/transpositions, to minimize dead space between. For example: if you have two of your four songs that are in the key of C, stack those back to back.

Use Scripture readings to fill dead space, or to tie songs together, but don’t force this! Don’t use Scripture that has nothing to do with what you’re trying to say through the songs. Maybe do research on what the writer was thinking when they wrote the song. They’ll always have Scripture that they pulled from. Use that.

Utilize the keys to help transition between songs, and work together. Intentionally start and end songs in a way that allow the keys or guitar to be ready to start the next song.

Vocal Range

Focus on the whole.

i. The goal is to have the congregation as a whole lifting their voices as one.

Keys for songs should be in the range of the average attender. (usually C-D) This varies however with the style of the song.

Think about the men. If men are singing, everyone will follow.

Avoid vocal dynamo parts. Sunday morning is not the time to show everyone how incredible you are!

2. The blending of vocals.

i. This is personal preference. All unison, light harmonies, etc. What’s the objective?

A good practice is that the “lead vocalist” is close to the microphone. (think of it as though you’re eating an ice cream cone)

Anyone singing harmony stay further from the microphone. Standard practice would be to stay roughly 6” away from the mic.

Practices

Structure is best.

i. Be intentional with practices. Always practice with a purpose.

Have music ready and know what you want from everyone. Who’s starting and ending? Who’s singing harmony? Be clear on what you want everyone to do.

Don’t just go through the motions, but hone in on key parts/trouble parts.

Simplify if needed. Don’t waste time on trying to nail the guitar solo. Encourage the “soloist” to work on their part in their own time so that the practice isn’t revolved around one individual.

If you’re learning a new song: Don’t be afraid to introduce the song to the church. Explain what the song is about. Use Scripture to show that it’s theologically accurate. Use Scripture to show the realities of God in relation to the song. Prepare peoples hearts for the new song.

Pick songs that are theologically and biblically sound, and are God centered. Look for, or arrange the songs with the congregations ability to follow it in mind. Rhythm patterns and melodies that they can follow even though they’ve never heard it.