55. Keep learning your instrument! If you can play only by reading music, learn to read chords. When you can play with chord charts, try to learn improvisation and playing by ear. The more ways you can play, the more valuable you are to the team and the more flexibility you have.

56. Work hard to achieve excellent sound. A poor speaker system or poor technician can ruin the hard work of the rest of the band.

Don't Neglect Spiritual Aspects

57. Prioritize prayer. If God doesn't work through the team, if He doesn't draw the group to Him in worship, no amount of work or technique can make it fly. Pray during practice. Pray before the event. Challenge a team of people to pray during the event.

58. Shepherd your team. Love them, send regular e-mails and make phone calls to check up on them. Ask for their personal prayer requests, pray for them, then follow-up on them. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. If they know you care, they're more likely to respect your authority in rehearsals and forgive your mistakes.

59. Invest spiritually in your team. Worship leader Cynthia Cullen has team members read slowly through a book on worship and discuss a chapter at meetings. Marian in Slovakia started his worship band out of his discipleship group. Take responsibility for their spiritual growth.

60. Trust in the work of the Spirit. I recall one body builder in my youth group who always looked too cool to worship. His head was almost always down, appearing bored. I was shocked when his mom said he'd told her how much he loved the singing! That girl with the heavenly expression may be thinking of her boyfriend. No matter how the worship time looks or feels to you, trust God to work. Applying Bill Bright's definition of successful witnessing to the realm of worship, "Successful worship is leading praise, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leaving the results to God."

Don't Interrupt the Flow

61. Keep from breaking up the worship. Often, it takes me two or three songs back to back before I get other things off my mind and focus on God. When services do a song and an announcement, another song and a testimony, another song and the offering, I may never experience a spirit of worship.

62. Keep an instrument playing in the background when speaking between songs. Often, introducing a song or leading in a prayer or explaining some aspect of worship is entirely appropriate between songs. By keeping an instrument playing in the background, transitioning to the next song (use transitional chords), you keep from losing the continuity.

Warning: Some leaders work hard to perfect their music, but give no thought to their transitional or introductory statements. Prepare ahead to avoid aimless rambling.

63. Give it enough time. Again, it takes time to turn my gaze from the cares of the world to the look full at the beauty of God's face. One or two songs won't make it happen. Give yourself enough time to experience true worship.

64. Don't go too long. The optimum length of the praise time will differ from culture to culture and group to group. A large group celebration time in one youth group in Columbia, South America, may last hours.

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Right on Time I am often seeking more and more about Worship. I asked God for a fresh anointing of my ministry and Steve you have captured it all. I am a minister of Song and Dance. This will help us all. This is truly a message for God. I plan to share it with...more Submitted by: Carl E.Long Location: Dallas, Texas Talk about a prayer answering God! After our Praise & Worship Rehearsal on last evening, I prayed and asked God to help me as Praise & Worship leader to express the need to cater to the people of God through worship and praise. God directed me here and everything that we discs...more Submitted by: Cynthia Harris Location: Beaufort, SC Home Runs Much gratitude for this article. It is inspiring and encouraging. All the bases are covered and the home runs are all over the place. Good job and a true blessing. To God be all the Glory!!!!! May we continue to prepare a place that God will inhabit....more Submitted by: Paula Kay Location:

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