Worship Team

How To Lead Worship

How do you lead worship? Do you start with learning an instrument? Perhaps by choose songs to build a set list? Maybe leading worship happens when you’re standing in front of people with a microphone? While those things might be involved in leading worship, those things are not the primary ways you lead worship.

Be a worshiper

Everyone is a worshiper, so in theory, everyone is in fact a worship leader. We all direct the aim, attention, and affection of others toward what we worship. But it is only followers of Jesus who are able to rightly worship the only one worthy of right worship. And that is why to be a worship leader you must…

Have your face turned toward God.

We must continually lift our eyes to behold and treasure Christ. To turn away from sin in repentance and faith, and find the satisfaction of our soul in Jesus. Use songs, music, and liturgy to serve the people you lead to turn the hearts, eyes, and lives toward God.

Go first

In the early 2000s it was popular to call worship leaders, lead worshipers. A subtle way of saying that we go first. We lead out. We serve intentionally. Go first in your preparation, go first in your time and attention worshiping God.

What else would you add?

Resurrection Sunday: Liturgy + Set List

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  • FOREVER NOW A CROWN

    Call to Worship: 10th Presbyterian Church Call to Worship

  • CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY

  • LAMB OF GOD

    Let’s confess what we celebrate as followers of Jesus. I will read the parts marked ‘Leader,’ together we’ll read the parts marked ‘All’:

    LEADER: Alleluia! Christ is risen.


    ALL: He is risen indeed. Alleluia!


    LEADER: Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    ALL: He has given us new life and hope.
 He has raised Jesus from the dead.


    LEADER: God has claimed us as his own.


    ALL: He has brought us out of darkness.
 He has made us light to the world.


    LEADER: Alleluia! Christ is risen.

    ALL: He is risen indeed. Alleluia! 


    —based on 1 Peter 1:3-5, the Worship Sourcebook

    Sermon: Hebrews 2:14-18

    If God in Christ had never stepped down from heaven, laying aside his glory, taken on his flesh and blood, lived the perfect life, died the death we deserve, become our sin, if none of those things had ever happened, God would still be worthy of our worship, adoration, and obedience. How much more, as followers of Jesus should we respond with worship, adoration, and obedience in light of the propitiation of Christ? We’re going to respond now as we sing about how Jesus is, what He has done, and who He has called us to be. Would you stand if you’re able…

  • THANK YOU JESUS FOR THE BLOOD

  • NO BODY

    Benediction

Liturgy: Start Here

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The longer I lead worship the more heavily I lean into liturgical rhythms and practices. I have seen in my own life how deeply formative these practices slowly, consistently, and over time transform my affection and attention. But if you say ‘liturgy’ or ‘liturgical’ in some contexts, they immediately think Catholic. But liturgy has nothing to do with style, nothing to do with denominations. The word liturgy is Latin for ‘the work of the people.’ Every gathering is formative whether it is shaped by smells and bells, or loops and lasers.

When I served on staff at a church in the UK, apart from the Church of England and the Catholic Church there really was no context for liturgical rhythms and practices. So when I started bringing up the idea of corporate confessions, responsive readings, and scripted prayers, I had to spend time helping our people grasp the purpose and intention behind incorporating elements that were immediately associated with churches to which they intentionally did not belong.

But discipleship is the long game, so just because you serve in a context where there may be misunderstanding or immediate resistance to incorporating new rhythms does not mean you should not try. If you are looking to create liturgical rhythms within the community you serve, I think the church calendar is a great place to start. Engaging the seasons of Lent and Advent. So if you’d like to dip your toe in the water of more intentional liturgy, here are a few things I’ve written that can get you started:

Serving

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I get weird about the words we use in church. It’s not a stage, it’s a platform. We’re followers of Jesus rather than Christians. We’re not gigging, playing, singing, or even volunteering - we’re serving. For me, serving carries the idea that we are here for Someone and something outside of ourselves. We have responsibilities apart from our own goals and agenda. And our serving should be in response to the God who “…came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).”

How might we model service in our serving? Perhaps it looks like:

Serving the congregation you have, not the congregation you wish you had. Serving with the musicians you have, not the musicians you wish you had. Serving with the equipment you have, not the equipment you wish you had.

Sometimes that might mean choosing a key that wouldn’t be your first choice.

Sometimes that might look like introducing a song that will speak to your people but may not have been at the top of your list.

At one year's LIFT Conference, I heard Christy Nockels talk about how she envisions leading worship as table waiting - choosing the linens, cutlery, and the meal's pacing.

When we come to the house and table of the Lord, it is always God himself who is the feat. And waiting on this table means we are not focused on our own consumption or the feeding of a few, but at the insistence of the Master of the feast, we call people to taste and see that the Lord is good (Luke 14:23, Psalm 34:8).

2023 In Review

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I love speaking with people about corporate worship. I love speaking with people working through a theology of worship, the practical realities of serving on a team, or with volunteers. I think that is why I write about worship - I love that we as followers of Jesus, and worshipers get to think through how we encourage and equip the saints to worship with beauty and truth. As 2023 draws to an end, I wanted to collect all of my Friday posts in one place. I hope these words have been helpful to you:

29 October: Liturgy + Set List

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  • BEFORE THE THRONE

    Call to Worship: Psalm 27:7-13

    When we gather, we behold the goodness of God in the land of the living. We see in part now what one day we will see in full, we behold the glory of the Father in the face of the Son. We see His goodness. Let’s sing to Him:

  • THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD

  • ABIDE

    Sermon: Mark 11:27-12:12

    If you are here as a follower of Jesus, Scripture tells us ‘Your life his hidden with Christ in God.’ And one of the things that means is that when God looks at you - he sees Christ’s perfect obedience, Christ’s perfect righteousness, the song of delight the Father sings over the Son He sings over you, the eternal inheritance which rightfully belongs to Christ, Christ shares with you and me. I hope that makes us humble, grateful, and worshipful. Would you stand if you’re able, let’s sing together:

  • THERE IS A REDEEMER

  • LAMB OF GOD

    Benediction

1 October: Liturgy + Set List

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  • REJOICE

    Call to Worship: Psalm 16:7-11

    If you are here this morning as a follower of Christ, the fullness of joy and eternal pleasures are not just a future promise but a present reality in and through Christ. And so we are here to once again set the Lord ever before our eyes. We’re going to introduce a new song this morning that gives us a clearer picture of who Jesus is and what He has done…

  • NO BODY

  • HYMN OF HEAVEN

    Sermon: Mark 10:17-31

    We started our morning with a call from the last verse of Psalm 16, I want you to hear the first verse of Psalm 16 as well:

  • Psalm 16:1-6

    If you are here as a follower of Christ, whether your life feels abundant or constricted - the boundary lines have fallen for your in pleasant places, and you have a beautiful inheritance - not an inheritance of earthly riches, but the inheritance of Jesus. Jesus is your inheritance. Let’s sing to him and about him…

  • GOODNESS OF GOD

  • BE THOU MY VISION

    Benediction

Scheduling a Team

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If you are leading in a context where you have enough musicians to serve on a rotation, then considering how to schedule a team will become an increasingly more regular part of your weekly responsibilities gearing up for a weekend.

Of course, you need to think through the practicalities of how you communicate with a team. What kinds of rhythms and expectations to set with the team, you will also need to think through some of the intangibles.

Intangibles like:

What voices sound the best together?

What team members can complement one another’s style of playing?

How can I balance stronger musicians with less experienced musicians?

What are the rhythms for serving that work best in the lives of our team?

How will these songs work with the specific team that will be tasked with leading the setlist in a weekend?

As my team has grown, my month has a similar outline:

  • Two weeks before a new month, I send my whole team an email letting them know to enter any blockout dates for weekends they will not be available to serve.

  • I start listing out songs that I think will work with the sermon text, determine any new songs, and begin to get a 30,000-foot view of the services a month at a time. This helps me keep an eye out for things like Baptism, Communion, or special announcements that need to be included in our gathering and will shift the time, or amount of songs in a service.

  • The week before a month begins I schedule my team via Planning Center. As people confirm or decline, I know there will be specific spots to fill, and as this happens I have a better sense of how to tailor the set list to fit the team.

  • Every Tuesday I email the team who is serving to confirm for them the set list and song keys.

This pattern has taken time to develop, and in every place I have served as found a unique rhythm. Consistency is key in your scheduling and communication. But because people are not widgets, you have to invest time into being a student of your team, to serve them well in your scheduling.

If you’re looking for other resources for your team, you may find these posts helpful as well:

How to build a team without musicians.

A team of worship leaders.

Identifying and developing new leaders.

Making space for new leaders here and here.

13 August: Liturgy + Set List

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  • BEFORE THE THRONE

    Call to Worship: Psalm 96

    This is why we gather - not to respond to songs or sermons, but to respond to the God who has revealed Himself. Revealed Himself in His Word, in His creation, and through His Son, Jesus. We are here to respond to the wonderful works and majesty of God - let’s sing together:

  • THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD

  • HOLY FOREVER

    Sermon: Titus 1:5-9

    Elder Ordination

  • CHRIST BE MAGNIFIED

    Benediction

Head and Heart

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When it comes to life, I tend to lean heart. When it comes to song choice, I tend to lean head. Something I learned from worship leader, Charlie Hall, is that our congregations will always be best served when we can balance head and heart in our worship songs.

Our congregation must have their minds informed, and filled with the truths of Scripture, and the weight of God’s character, but if all we do is give them knowledge, we so easily become brains on sticks. If all we do is sing rich theology, every corporate gathering will feel more like an intellectual exercise, heavy and dense, rather than an opportunity to respond to God’s revelation of Himself through those truths. Likewise, our congregations must have their affections stirred for the person and work of Christ. We must give people the opportunity, space, and language to express the full scope of their lives and response to God. Simple songs of devotion, honest prayers of confession, joyful celebration, and raw lament have to find their place within the life of our congregations.

Ideally, these two things would live to together - songs that are deep and true, while yet simple and emotive. Maybe you have a few of those songs in your rotation now. What I have often seen is that songs - like me - tend to lean one way or the other. So as you are building your master song list, taking an inventory of your songs, and building set lists that reflect the Gospel story, one of the rhythms you can incorporate is building set lists where songs that lean head, are next to songs that lean heart. And songs that lean heart, are next to songs that lean head.

8 January: Liturgy + Set List

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  • ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK

Call to Worship: Psalm 119:17-20

My hope and prayer for this morning and the year ahead is that we will be people who have souls that are consumed with the things of the Lord, not just the things of the world. Let’s sing to that end:

  • CHRIST BE MAGNIFIED

  • THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD

Sermon: Mark 1:1-14

Brothers and sisters, hear the good news - Christ has come and will come again. Let’s join in the ancient praise of all God’s people proclaiming that good news.

  • RAISE UP THE CROWN (ALL HAIL THE POWER)

  • GOD SO LOVED

Benediction: Hebrews 4:14-16

Finding Your Weekly Rhythms

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As worship leaders every week we must prepare the music, our hearts, and our teams to serve God’s people in corporate worship. Although these are things that I believe every worship leader should be prepared for each week regardless of their context, there are certain unique things that need to be addressed and prepare depending on the size of your team and church, where you serve, and whether you are full-time, part-time, a volunteer, or are responsible for other areas of ministry as well.

Ministry, like life, moves in seasons. There are times when you will be required to run hard for a season. But ministry, like life, is a marathon, not a sprint. So finding a healthy weekly rhythm that can be tweaked in a busy season, is better than no rhythm which has to constantly adapt in every season.

When it comes to finding a weekly rhythm, perhaps the first question we need to ask is, how much time do you need to budget to accomplish everything for which we are responsible in a weekly service?

Here are a few other questions to consider when establishing a weekly rhythm:

What are the things that only you can do?

What are the things you need to train someone else to do?

What things do you need to add to your weekly rhythm?

What things do you need to let go of for a season, or forever?

Life is chaotic, ministry is hectic. Finding a rhythm to your week will allow you to respond rather than react to every new challenge. Over the course of time, I believe that rhythms help us know how and what to prioritize, as well as find a life that is sustainable, strengthened, and balanced.