Worship Leaders

Heart Preparation and the People

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To my knowledge, there are no studies to prove the data, but I would venture to guess that most people who walk through the doors of our churches are doing very little to prepare their hearts for the corporate gathering of the people of God on a weekly basis.

Why is that?

I’m sure there are several reasons:

  • People are busy. We cram our lives full of activities, responsibilities, and tasks, and because of this, it is difficult for us to see any further than the very next item on our to-do lists.

  • Our church attendance feels more like a box to check rather than a body in which to participate and build up.

  • Our faith is shaping very little else in our lives. It is merely an addition to a nice, comfortable, full life.

  • We leave a small margin to slow ourselves down long enough to reflect, repent, remember, or celebrate.

  • But ultimately, I think it is that we do not understand, nor have we been taught that preparing our hearts readies us to hear and respond to the Word of God, to apply God’s Word to our lives, to serve one another, and to celebrate the person and work of Christ.

Every Sunday is a celebration where the people of God are invited to “feast on the abundance” of the house of God and “drink from the rivers of [His] delights (Psalm 36:8).” And just as we prepare our homes to host and celebrate with our friends and family, so we must prepare our hearts to celebrate with our brothers and sisters in Christ as we encounter God together every week.

Naturally, for the worship leader and worship team, there is the preparation that is required to lead and serve every week. You have to choose songs, get set up, and rehearse all before the corporate gathering. And hopefully, these opportunities become yet one more chance to ready your heart instead of just completing a task. Unless they are preparing to serve, our church members are probably not spending time outside of church getting ready for church. How do we help our people learn to value the preparation of heart for the gathering? First, we must model it in our own lives. Second, we must lead them to understand the value, and how they might begin to ready and prepare their hearts to worship. The following is how I described it to our church members in a recent email:

We prepare our hearts for worship by turning our attention to God - inviting Him to speak to us and turning our hearts and minds to Him. We prepare our hearts for worship by setting our affections on Him - learning to treasure Christ as we confess we have loved things more than God. We prepare our hearts for worship by coming with expectation - expectant that God will move in us and through us, expectant that He desires to speak to us, expectant that we will encounter Him and be changed. We prepare our hearts for worship by looking for the opportunity to serve rather than be served.

No true encounter with Jesus ever leaves us the same.

So may we encourage and equip our people to prepare their hearts for worship, and model for them the value.

Everything Is Gray

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We prefer formulas.

This plus this, equals this.

Plug in the correct information in the correct spaces, get the correct (and same) answer every time.

The truth is that people are not equations, ministry is messy, and we live in an increasingly complex world. Almost nothing is black and white, and everything is gray.

In the first half of 2022 I was slowly realizing that many of the things I had learned in twenty years of leading worship in different environments were not working in the same ways I had come to expect.

Was it cultural? Yes.

Was it learning life in a ‘post’-COVID world? Yes.

Was it the way I have learned, grown, and changed in the past 20 years? Yes.

But more than anything, I think it has been an increasing awareness of how everything is gray. I want things to be quick, easy, reliable, and efficient, but much of life - and certainly much of ministry - is about learning to adapt learning to apply wisdom rather than formulas.

If you feel the same everything is gray tension, you are not alone. Even as I write these weekly posts for worship leaders I hope that there are general principles that are helpful. But I recognize that each of us must do the work of taking what is helpful to adapt and apply to our specific and unique context and time in history, and leaving what is not helpful.

Mark Sayer’s latest book ‘A Non-Anxious Presence,’ has been helpful for me in learning to identify this gray zone, and that adaptability is what is required to navigate these spaces. Everything he writes is well worth your time, this book is no exception - you can pick it up on Amazon here.

Master Song List

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Knowing and measuring the content of the songs we lead and sing in our churches is important. But before you are able to measure each individual song, and weigh the deficiencies in your Master Song List - you have to actually have a Master Song List. At the core, a Master Song List is exactly what it sounds like - all of the songs that make up the diet of your church. But hopefully more than just titles, your Master Song List will give you a way to track, understand, and learn the rhythms of rotation for the songs you lead.

I think the first place to start is with having a tool. I use Planning Center to store my master song list, but you could just as easily use a spreadsheet.

The next step is to keep whatever tool you are using up to date. No information is helpful if it is not correct or current. This is why I ‘archive’ songs in Planning Center that are not a part of the regular rotation of songs we sing. A Master Song List should be just your current songs in rotation - not every song the church has ever sung.

Now that you have chosen the tool, and gotten your Master Song List up to date, besides song titles what should be included and accessible?

Some of the things I have found helpful are the themes that I use for the Gospel Song Liturgy (what elements of the Gospel story does this song cover? Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration, Glorification). Standard keys - ones where I am most comfortable, but also the keys that another worship leader may use. This would also include the keys that are most comfortable for a female vocalist to lead. Additional versions - the standard version of In Christ Alone is excellent, but recently we’ve been including King’s Kaleidoscope’s version of the song with a completely different feel. Both of them have their place, so I want access to either version.

You’ve settled on a tool to use, gotten the information current, and know how to fill out your Master Song List with useful information, now what?

Besides having a 30,000 foot view of the diet of songs your church is currently singing, I think a Master Set List helps in your rhythm of building set lists, and here is how: it gives you more skill in planning multiple set lists at the same time. When you plan a set list week-to-week it can be easy to revert to whatever is most familiar, or your personal favorites without holding those things in tension with the long-range vision and direction of your area of ministry. For me personally, the rhythm that has seemed to work best is planning set lists a month at a time. I still give myself flexibility with adapting from week to week, but I aim for the bones to remain the same. Planning multiple set lists at once helps with rhythms for introducing new songs to ensure our new songs are being played with enough frequency to become familiar, but not so often to become tiring.

A few questions to consider in closing:

What is on your Master Song List?

How are you keeping track of what songs you are using?

How do you know where a song falls on the spectrum of heavy rotation, regular rotation, or cycling out of use?

Quotes [Part 2]

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As we were finding our feet in the new year, I posted a handful of quotes I hoped would help in the process. Not just a bit over the halfway point through this year, I’m sharing some more. I hope these quotes will inspire you for the next six months and beyond.

MIKE COSPER

Worship services are… ground zero for spiritual formation.

CHARLES SPURGEON

You cannot be Christ’s servant if you are not willing to follow Him, cross and all. What do you crave? A crown? Then it must be a crown of thorns if you are to be like Him. Do you want to be lifted up? So you shall, but it will be upon a cross.

BETH MOORE

Nothing on earth will put us at greater risk of divine wonders than worship.

ISAAC WATTS

The power of singing was given to us chiefly for this, that our warmest affections might break out into melody.

JOHN CALVIN

The music must not turn the church into an audience enjoying the music but into a congregation singing the Lord's praises in His presence.

Addressing Chaos

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Not long ago, one of our friends experiencing homelessness interrupted our worship gathering while our pastor was preaching. It brought the gathering to a stop, and he had to be escorted outside the building, where they received care, counsel, and prayer. We don’t plan for this kind of interruption, so it makes them all the more difficult to know how to address them in real-time. What can we do when chaos threatens to completely derail our corporate gathering?

Pray. Prayer communicates dependence and acknowledges our needs both to ourselves and to God. We need supernatural wisdom and discernment - always - but in a unique way in these moments about how to lead ourselves, and those we serve through these types of interruptions.

Ignore. Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all. If we can manage our way through without having to address distractions or interruptions head-on, we may be able to tune out some of the noise.

Engage. Our friend experiencing homelessness did just make a loud statement but was trying to engage in conversation with our pastor - while our pastor was preaching. If ignoring the interruption will not solve the issue on its own, it’s time to engage.

Enlist help. In moments of chaos, it can be hard to think clearly, it can be incredibly disorienting. Are there other people whom you can call to action to step in, and help settle a chaotic situation?

Speak to reality. People need to be shepherded, always, but especially through seasons or situations that are confusing and disorienting. How can you use words to guide people through uncertainty?

Move forward. Is it best to wrap up for the day? Or to move into a different piece of the service than planned? Don’t freeze, just move forward.

I hope that you will not experience chaotic interruptions to your corporate worship gathering that you have to determine how to manage. But the truth is because we are human, even if we do not have chaotic interruptions outwardly, inwardly, our lives are full of chaotic interruptions, even when we are leading worship. May we pray, ignore, engage, enlist help, speak to the reality, and move forward with much grace towards ourselves and others.

When Songs Don't Matter

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I know, I know. Last week I wrote about how there are songs for the season, and this week I am saying songs don’t matter.

Let me explain.

Building a song master song list takes a lot of time, energy, and intention. It must be tailored to the congregation, conscious of the skill and ability of the worship leader and team, and be made up of songs for the season, as well as songs with staying power. Your master song list should include songs that are scripturally sound, theologically rich, artistically and musically compelling, and emotively engaging. Or more simply, as one worship leader described to me: thinking songs and feeling songs. Needless to say, this is a task that requires more thought than merely choosing your favorite song each week.

Several years ago, two interns were working with me to plan set lists for the Summer weeks that I would be away. We were reading the passage of Scripture that would be preached, and trying to list a smaller group of songs from our master song list that they could choose each weekend to lead. About halfway through this process one of the interns said, ‘We could sing any of these songs! They all fit, because we are always singing about Jesus, and always preaching the Gospel.’

If we do the hard work upfront of building, refining, adding, and trimming our master song list we lessen the pressure to make our songs fit the sermon week to week, because the reality is that they all fit! And when they all fit, we can refine even more as we look for through line concepts, same text inspiration, and repeated refrains in songs and sermons alike.

Do songs matter? Of course. But they matter less when you do the hard work upfront.

Songs For The Season

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They say, “Write what you know.” And for the most part, everything I share on my website is things that I have learned and feel that I can grasp with enough familiarity to share. Today, I want to share something I am learning in real-time.

Songs are important. I care deeply about the new songs we choose, as well as the way we introduce those songs to the congregation. I care deeply about the canon of songs that make up our master song list, as well as the way those songs shape our theology of God and the Gospel. I care deeply about whether our songs are purposed for personal devotion, or corporate worship because all songs are prayers. I even believe there are guiding principles that can help us determine what is a good song.

But what I am learning in realtime, is that there are songs for seasons.

I read an article in Worship Leader Magazine last month titled, “Worship At The Speed of Sound.” In it, WLM published the findings of a team of researchers who had studied the lifespan of corporate worship songs registered with CCLI from 1988 to 2019. The researchers had a hunch that the creation, distribution, ascent, and decline of a corporate worship song has increased rapidly over that time period. And understandably, they were correct. Social media, online distribution, ‘worship artists,’ conferences, touring, and radio, were all contributing factors both in the number of songs available, as well as their availability.

Some songs have staying power - think of many of the hymns that have been passed down through the ages or songs like Chris Tomlin’s “How Great Is Our God.” Some songs cut through the noise for a season, and all but disappear - one such song cited in the research is Jesus Culture’s “Fierce.”

I truly believe that the bulk of our diet when it comes to song choice should be songs that have staying power. Songs that ring with resonance in different seasons and stages of our lives. Songs that are sung in the hospital room, at the altar, and during the midnight hour as a parent rocks a child to sleep. But what I am learning is that there are songs for seasons. Songs that are still good, beautiful, and true. Songs that capture a moment in the life of our churches - both locally, and globally. These are the songs that we will look back with sheepish affection, and fondness as we are reminded of the Spirit’s movement in our lives and histories. These are the songs for the season.

What have been songs for the season in your life?

Surviving The Summer

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You have survived the Advent season.

You have managed through Easter celebrations.

You are almost home free - until Summer.

If your experience is anything like mine - whether your team is made up of a handful of volunteers, or many - Summer is hard. School is out, people travel, the pace of life slows, and most people want to chance to take a break from responsibilities, and recharge. But Sunday happens whether we are ready or not. And that means, we still need to be prepared to lead sung worship each week. So how do you navigate this season so that you can get a little rest, remain tender-hearted towards those with whom you serve, and execute a weekly corporate gathering? Here are a few thoughts:

Try something different. Smaller gatherings and teams create a safer environment to try things that may seem riskier in the normal rhythms of our serving. A new, or less experienced team member? Have them serve for the first time. Give a new worship leader you have been developing the opportunity to build a set list, lead a rehearsal, and lead the congregation in sung worship. Or perhaps you want to try incorporating some more liturgical rhythms in your gathering - corporate confessions, or readings, you can begin to formulate the why behind these choices as you incorporate these new means of worship in your gathering.

Think through song choice. With attendance - even for church members - being mostly inconsistent through the Summer, this is probably not the time to entirely revamp your master song list. Introduce songs sparingly, if at all. You would not want your regular attendees and members returning in the fall to a completely new set of songs they have yet to learn. Stick to a smaller pool of songs, and maybe try different arrangements to add more variety in the midst of the familiarity.

Simplify. The team, as well as the responsibilities. Maybe you go unplugged or build smaller, acoustic teams for the weeks of the Summer. How can you pare down the moving pieces of your order of service, including the number of songs.

Create space for vision and long-term planning. Where might God be leading you, the team, the congregation in the next months and years? What have you been putting off that you can accomplish now? For me this Summer, that will look like creating a comprehensive inventory of our gear. What we have, the model number, where it was purchased, and where we can buy replacement parts. As well as clarifying our onboarding process for new team members, and ongoing training for the team.

I find, when I acknowledge that something will be different than normal (e.g., Summer and the amount of people I am able to schedule to serve), I am much less likely to be frustrated and discouraged. Summer can be life-giving rather than soul-sucking if you embrace, rather than fight against reality.

Fine Art Of Worship

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Worship is a fine art. As in any art, love is involved, and so is discipline. - Father Thomas Pinkel

More than songs.

More than music.

This fine art of worship is a reflection of Romans 12 - responding to the mercies of God in sacrifice to Him, and in-service toward others.

Love toward God comes from first experiencing God’s love toward us. Experiencing the love of God frees us to give love to even our enemies.

Discipline is the result of deep discipleship. As we offer ourselves in obedient, spiritual worship to God, our lives are given away for the glory of God and the good of people.

More than songs.

More than music.

May our leading in worship look like love and discipline in action.

Learning to Listen

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I read somewhere that singing in-tune and on pitch has less to do with your ability to vocally hit a note, and more to do with your ear’s ability to hear a note. If it wasn’t obvious, playing music involves listening. In my experience, musicians are often so concerned about playing the right thing at the right time, that they have not created the space for listening to one another. Thus making it difficult to pay attention to what we are trying to create at the moment.

Communication is key in any relationship. And communication is as much about listening, understanding, and interpreting the other as it is about speaking and responding. Musicians who are leading worship together need to learn to listen to one another, but also listen individually and collectively to the voice of the Holy Spirit. In fact, I believe that learning to listen to the Holy Spirit is the first step toward being a team that can listen well to one another. As we grow in attentiveness to the voice of the Holy Spirit, we naturally grow in attentiveness to the voices - or instruments - around us.

You will know your team is struggling to listen to one another when there is no awareness of what other people are playing or singing. There will be multiple points of contrasting melodies and harmonies, as well as dynamics. One practical step is speaking to dynamics before you begin a song. Describe where certain instruments, tones, and voices should layer into the song. Be more specific than vague and general - especially at first. If you are using in-ear monitors, rather than have each musician have only what they want in their ears - there should be a little bit of everything. Same with floor monitors, there should be a little bit of everything so that those who are serving can become aware and conscious of what the other team members are playing and singing.

Ultimately as leaders, we must model what we would like to see. We need to listen to our team on and off the platform. We need to listen and obey the voice of the Spirit in His leading. We need to listen to our team as they play and sing and give specific feedback and encouragement in humility and love that is able to be executed with the team we have, not the team we wish we had.

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger…” James 1:19

Technology In The Gathering

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Last week I wrote about what makes a good song.

Production is important in our corporate gatherings but it cannot be paramount. Technology is a beautiful tool, but a terrible master.

I love that we can project lyrics and see the faces of our brothers and sisters as we sing together. I love that we can use sound to amplify a room, instead of having to shout over one another. I love that lighting can illumine and focus our attention as we worship. I love that we can meet indoors at temperatures that are comfortable in the heat of Summer as well as the cold of Winter. Yes, technology is an incredible resource and tool. But technology can also have a mind of it’s own. Malfunctioning or breaking without warning in a moment. Does this mean we should avoid technology all together? Of course not. We receive and use technology in the corporate gathering as a gift of God.

In a similar way to what makes a good song - stripped down to all it’s simplicity - I think we should consider what makes the best use of technology in the corporate gathering. If our corporate worship is completely hindered or halted by a technology failure, is it worship that we are leading, or an experience?

Matt Redman shares the inspiration behind his song ‘Heart of Worship’ in this video. Maybe we do not need to remove the entire sound system from our church for a season, but perhaps it is always worth evaluating our use and reliance of technology as gift or god.