How to Lead in Worship

Vision Casting

Welcome everyone to the workshop

Talk about how I was a worship leader for years - but not because I was a good singer, only because I used the gift of leadership. So will be purely coming from that angle.

Worship leading is not lead singing

Have too many worship leaders nowadays that are only lead singers - as if leading the congregation in Karaoke. At HFTC this is not what we’re after.

Today I want to talk about how we can not just worship but lead people through worship

Worship leading is a combination of gifts

It is leadership, musicality as well as whatever natural gifts that you may carry (prophetic, exhortation, hospitality - these can all be expressed as a function of this platform)

But in my experience, the ability to lead is often more important in this sphere - and it is very understated most of the time (so often the focus is on having a good voice = good worship leader, but this simply isn’t the case)

Today I want to talk and go through more of the technical leadership gift as opposed to theological worship

Pray

Leading the room, not just the set

I want us to get out of the mentality that we are leading a set. We aren’t leading a set of songs - we’re leading the room.

And one of the first things we need to do when leading the room is know how to assess the spiritual temperature.

This should occur at multiple key points because it affects things like the songs (length, repetition, cutting), exhortation.

The first thing needs to be said here - it’s ok to close your eyes, but please don’t lead with your eyes always closed. You are unable to read the room if your eyes are closed.

Some simple and yet effective ways to read spiritual atmosphere:

Body language (hands raised, kneeling, jumping) and how far back does it reach? (the front guys are always expressive)

Volume (high/low)

Cultivate sensitivity to the HS (discernment)

Ask the Pastors how they feel/what is going on in the church (used far too little)

The goal is not to finish the set, it’s to lead people into the Presence

Leadership is a highly intentional action - the mindset to lead vs the mindset to finish is very different

Worship leaders should never autopilot the set

Exhortation 101

What is Exhortation?

It IS: a spirit-led encouragement OR challenge to the congregation

Often tied to scripture or prophetic insight, or testimony

It is NOT: A mini-sermon or vague emotional hype or rambling commentary

Exhortation should be given to ADD to the worship set by giving:

Context behind the song selection - something God has spoken to you, a revelation you received

An encouragement to deeper level of focus or worship

A challenge to lean in to a greater level in worship

Here’s a quick format that we can use:

SEE - What is happening?

PICK the moment

Exhortation can be given at any time in a set - it can even be given multiple times in a set. But the key is picking the moment.

Discern where the room is spiritually - is there a high level of faith or is it flat? (will help you choose whether to encourage or to challenge)

When there is real momentum - you can do vibrant, more lively encouragements

When the room is flat - it sometimes helps to slow things down and to speak instruction/challenge to get the room to lean in more.

SAY - speak your exhortation (keep it UNDER 30 seconds)

Speak clearly - at a preacher’s pace (not too fast, but not too slow - 100 WPM)

Make eye contact - don’t say it with your eyes closed, look and engage the congregation

If you have scripture it is often good to read it first and dynamically (obviously don’t pick a passage that’s too long)

The key is short, sharp to the point.

STIR - call to action

This is an important segment that is often left out, we have to use the exhortation to lead people into a deeper level of worship. Sometimes people just end the exhortation and it falls flat, even if they had something good to say.

Always end with an action - often that involves a posture change, a greater form of expression etc.

Examples include “Lift your hands” “Lift our voices” “Give a shout of praise” “Begin to praise Him”

Generally just encouraging and giving direction on how we should engage further. Will depend heavily on the direction with which you take your exhortation.

EXERCISE: Craft an exhortation

Craft 2 exhortations for the start of service: 1) It’s a flat week, and you need to challenge people to get into the set. 2) It’s an amazingly high week and you want to encourage people to engage in worship.

Ad-lib exhortations are also useful and can be used much more frequently “Come on”, “all over this place, let’s worship”, “lift your hands”, “shout it out” - very useful in momentum spikes.

Song Selection

Song choice really is half the battle

Sometimes we gloss over this and “deconsecrate it” but very much like preaching - the right song in the right season has the power

The key with song selection is that we should always try and align it with the season of the house.

One thing that worship leaders don’t do anywhere is consult with the pastors to find out the SEASON that the church is going through. But I always find this is a good thing to do, because there may be words in season that align with certain songs that you want to select.

Worship tends to have a pattern. Look at Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6 ESV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Revelation (God’s holiness) -> Repentance (woe is me) -> Response (send me)

Worship is an intentional progression from the outer to inner, from the outward encounter to the inner working

A typical 4 stage Arc includes these elements:

Enter (Celebratory, Thanksgiving, Upward-focused) these songs help people to engage with God.

Exalt (Lift up the name and nature of God) these songs move people into truth-centered worship, anchoring the set on the character and nature of God

Encounter (Surrender, repentance) these songs move from revelation of God to personal declaration and devotion. They make room for a call on God to meet a need, or to convict.

Empower (response, commissioning, obedience) these songs solidify the work done by encouraging us and giving us statements to declare acts of obedience.

EXERCISE:

Construct a songlist comprising of 4 songs using this methodology. It’s a standard setlist. The church is going into the meaningfull series, and has very strong momentum going for it. Include at least 1 exhortation (put it wherever you like) in the planning.

Private Devotion fuels Public Leadership

Your authority comes from your secret place

Your inner walk always fuels your ourward practise

personal worship will always shape public worship

you can’t take people where they haven’t been.

Q&A/Pray and Commission the team.