Worship is a time to address God, to respond to His gracious initiative in our lives with appropriate responses of praise, adoration, thanksgiving, confession, and joy. The responsibility of the worship leader (and the worship team, or the choir) is to facilitate the process of inviting people into God's presence with their sacrifices of praise; to ease the process by which people connect with the living Christ in the midst of our worship, and then to get out of the way!
Our leadership role is fairly obvious in the realm of our musical offerings of praise. I would like to address the issue of what we should and should not say when leading worship.
We need to be very careful that the words we speak really enhance and further the purpose for which we have gathered: that is, worship. Too much patter and "filler" can get in the way of the people's single-minded focus on God, and can lead to a more man-centered time which leaves the worship leader at the center of attention (which should be the last thing we want!). Enthusiasm is on thing; but we don't need to be cute, we don't need to compliment them when they sing well nor harangue them when they don't, we don't need to be an entertainer or a cheerleader or an instructor: we need to be one who models an attitude of worship before the people, and who lovingly and gently points them towards God.
A few things to keep in mind when it comes to what we say when leading worship:
1. We may speak to the people on behalf of God. Indeed, that is the sobering role in which we as worship leaders find ourselves. What then would God have us say?
God would have us communicate His Word to His people. Most churches use shockingly little Scripture in their services, including those churches which profess to hold the highest view of the Word of God. And yet the truth is that we gather for worship at the invitation and command of the Word; the Word provides the authority and the substance and the framework for our worship; and if we are going to worship Him in truth at all we must find that truth in Jesus Christ (who is the truth), as He is revealed and presented to us in the pages of the Bible.
In this light, a Call to Worship is anything but outdated. Indeed, it is (whether read, or sung, or prayed, or whatever) an acknowledgement that we have come to worship God by and through and with His Word, for any other source would simply be a pooling of our fallen ignorance.
What do we possibly have to say that can come anywhere near the significance of "This is the Word of the Lord"? As Monte Wilson has written, "Our worship services should drip with Scripture. We should read it, sing it, pray it and hear it taught." (Viewpoint [Reformation & Revival Minstries] Jan./March 1999)
Experiencing Worship, The Study
Used by churches all over the world to help teach worship, the Experiencing Worship study can help your worship team too.
Your team will learn why we worship and gain a better understanding of how to worship.
One user said..."Your 5 week study course has made a tremendous impact on my life in the study of worship... I would like to express my thanks for a well written study course that leads into a higher realm of praise and worship."
Experiencing Worship, The Study