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Ten Great Questions for Worship Leaders
Dwayne Moore writes, "Forgive me if that sounds like a strange and rather unbecoming question from someone who is a major proponent of music and of praise. However, for many of us as worship leaders and pastors, it is a question that lurks in the back of our minds week in and week out. I have to admit I am very curious as to why no one ever really addresses the question of how much is too much or too little. How many songs are “just right” in one worship gathering? Exactly how long should the music portion of the service go? When do we begin to reign in an unusually “powerful” praise time and bring it to a close?" He goes on to give ten great questions that worship leaders should ask regularly...
1. Did I pray and seek God’s direction over this praise set beforehand?
2. Am I listening right now for God’s voice of direction?
3. Will my going longer with the music portion take important time away from my pastor or others?
4. What cues am I getting from my pastor (the main worship leader in the service) right now? Is he telling me to keep going or to finish up ASAP?
5. How will a change in the order affect my band and choir, my production team and the people out there in the congregation? Could this change be detrimental in some way?
6. What do I need to verbally communicate at this moment to keep down confusion and encourage cooperation?
7. Is there a specific song or service element (like asking for a testimony) that keeps coming to my mind at this moment, indicating the possible leading of the Holy Spirit?
8. Am I willing to obey whatever God tells me?
9. Am I willing to get out of the way and trust God to handle the outcome of whatever happens?
10. Ultimately, whose service is this anyway, mine or God’s?
Read more here...http://blog.worship.com/worship/2007/12/how-much-music.html
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This post has been viewed 823 times and was added on December 13, 2007 by Todd Rhoades. Filed under: Ministry-Specific Help Worship Share this post with a friend right now! View reactions to this post at other blogs... You can really help us out by subscribing to our free RSS feed with your favorite feed reader, or here at Bloglines. Also, you can add us to your favorites at Technorati.
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I'm Todd Rhoades... the MMI guy. I'm also on the team at Leadership Network (although that doesn't mean that they endorse everything I write here). In my past life, I was the founder and developer of a website named ChurchStaffing.com.
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Posted by Peter Hamm
Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 9:08 AM
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Posted by
Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 10:28 AM
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Posted by Leonard
Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 10:32 AM
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Posted by Dan Price
Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 10:38 AM
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Posted by
Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 4:25 PM
Post Your Comments:I’m gonna stir up these waters a bit. If you prayed and prepared ahead of time for the service, and you designed the service with your Senior Pastor/Preacher, then imho, questions 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and maybe 8, 9, and 10 are irrelevant. I grow a little weary of the idea that unless a service is spontaneously changed on the fly that it isn’t Spirit-led. The same Holy Spirit who planned before the beginning of time for us to be where we are is certainly capable of being part of our planning process.
The church I lead in has multiple worship services. If I’m spontaneous in the fashion that the author implies in each one, who’s to say that one service won’t be great and the other two just awful. I’d rather put my spiritual, emotional, and physical energy into preparation than trying to figure out what God wants me to “change” about the plans we’ve made with His guidance. It kinda cheapens his influence in our planning process, too. Were we not listening to God right when we planned this thing and we are now?
Now… that’s for a regular church service with hundreds in attendance. If it’s a very small intimate gathering for worship with, say, just me and a guitar (and maybe a piano)… it’s a whole different story. But for our church services, I’ve rehearsed and prepared a band, we’ve prepared dramatic and musical and speaking and video elements. When I get to the beginning of the service, the planning is done. Finished. Over.
Just my (very dissenting) .02
I tend to grow suspicious of nebulus statements such as: “am I listening right now for God’s voice?”, “am I willing to obey God’s voice?’ and similar excuses for spontaneous changes to already “prayed over” and “planned for” time of worship. Beside that what would “obeying what God is telling me to do sound like?” A voice in my head? A crying baby? The AV folks losing their place and bringing up the wrong slide? Must have been God’s leading!
We seem to use super spiritual sounding words as cover for what should be a clear plan, which was well thought out, well prepared, and then humbly presented as our own offering to Him. If the power in the whole church goes out in the middle of my songs or “set” then - well - God may be trying to tell me something!
I didn’t sense that he was saying unless the service is changed… the Holy Spirit is not at work but I do tire of those comments too. I also agree with some very prayerful and clear planning very little needs to be altered in a service.
This list in my mind is more like a check-up every once in a while rather than a regular check list for each service.
I believe a Senior Pastor.preacher and the senior worship/celebration arts leader need to be connected in a couple ways.
Personally they need to believe in each others calling, gifts and relationship with Christ.
They need to believe in in each others wisdom for programming and ministry.
They need to connect off line for fun, for dreaming, for encouragement, for prayer.
They need to know how to take criticism from each other.
Both need to recognize they are not the show but merely pointers to Christ.
They also need to remember that they are not as good or as bad as anyone says they are.
InJesusnameamen
I agree with the above commentators. We so often misuse our theological language to try an find an individual will that God reveals to us. When in reality, I think he wants us to read his word and listen to his “voice” through that.
A good book that gives a good “biblical debunking” to Mr. Moore’s thoughts on listening to the Holy Spirit is “Decision Making and the Will of God” by Garry Friesen. I think it’s a must read for American Christians. He uses the bible really well to challenge traditional views of God’s leading.
I have found that usually the Holy Spirit is telling me to cut not add
I think spontaneous adding a lot of times isn’t all that great.
The really awesome moments for me has come when I had a song prepared, decided not to do it and then the speaker gets up and wishes someone knew that song.
And yes, there I was with it prepared and ready to go.
Those kind of moments I know are definitely God planned ones.
And more commonly, the set prepared was incredibly put together for the service, without much team work, just me praying and going for it and God putting the details together.
Not saying you shouldn’t plan, but sometimes those things happen in life.
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