I love worship! I love leading worship! I love my church and I love my Jesus! I love getting to be a part of something greater than myself and making a difference where I’m planted. One of those areas where God has planted me, and that I have been given the amazing honor and privilege of being a part of for over 30 years now, is leading worship. However, I have learned through the years there are some must-haves to be able to lead well and sustain ministry for the long haul.
First off, what is worship? I love Darlene Zschech’s definition that I came across many years ago. She said worship is when your spirit adores and connects with God. It’s a supernatural, divine connection between us and God.
Worship is a beautiful exchange we can encounter when we worship our creator in the good and bad times, and with our life!
John 4:23-24 (MSG) says, “But the time is coming, it has in fact come, when what you’re called will not matter, and where you go to worship will not matter. It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is looking for—those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship Him must do it out of their being, their spirits, their true selves in adoration.” Amen and Amen!!
So let’s look at some must-have for worship leaders!
1. We MUST make it all about Jesus!
Many years ago, I had a “precious” lady in the church who would find me right after leading worship and would critique our worship portion of the service. Usually, it was never “up to par” in her opinion and she would proceed to tell me how it could be better and which songs I should sing. Of course, this became very agonizing for me every week and I would find myself working on a set list thinking would “Ms. So & So” approve? Needless to say, I was younger and still learning, but God finally got through to me that I didn’t need to please this lady, but Him only! It must be all about Jesus not us!! We will never please everyone, nor should we try.
Our goal is to point people to Jesus and provide an environment where people can connect with God.
2. We MUST be trustworthy!
This is a quality that I think has been put on the back shelf, but should be on the front shelf. Are you trustworthy? Can you be trusted? It is so important that your leaders and pastor know they can trust you to lead.
Your pastor should feel confident that you are a son or daughter of the house and will reflect that on and off the stage.
We should never use the stage to show off our talent or preach a message during worship, but honor our church and pastor to lead in a way that reflects this. We must be trustworthy worship leaders in our churches— it’s a must-have!
3. We MUST never forget it’s an honor and a privilege!
There’s a great sign here at every campus at Church of the Highlands, that’s located side stage that reads, “It is a privilege to be on this stage. Thank you God for choosing me.” Wow! This is what it’s all about and something we must never forget or lose sight of. I just love this reminder and I read it every time before I step out on stage to lead in worship.
We must ever be thankful and humble that God chose us, but also never forget we are all replaceable!
We must never forget the complete honor and privilege it is to lead people into God’s presence and help them connect with God. This is a responsibility we can never take lightly or casually because it is a holy thing! Remember God didn’t have to choose us, but He did! It’s up to us to do it RIGHT, with a holy fear and humility.
Worship leaders live, love, and lead like it’s your last time every time! Make your life a life of worship that honors God, your church, and your pastor. Your best days are ahead of you! Never stop, never quit, and never give up!! We are all in this together!
