The Worship KenBook
The Worship KenBook
The Worship KenBook
To the many unknown worship ministers all over the world who
are faithful to their community; those who arrive early and leave
late; whose hearts are set upon Christ; those who do not look for
popularity or applause; those who run the race daily, accepting the
challenges of balancing their time between family, work and
ministry; to those who are willing to stay in the shadows and leave
the center-stage to the Lord.
Acknowledgements
My sincere gratitude to my beloved wife Irene, brother Babu
Victor, dear friends Vanessa Srinivas and Mamta Ekka.
Your support, encouragement, comprehensive review, and
candid feedback have made this a far better book than what I had
originally hoped to write.
Thank you!
Lets Pray
Dear Lord, we thank you for the marvelous, life-transforming
revelation of who you are: the Only True God. How wondrous it is
that you choose to grant us glimpses of Your magnificent glory
that is radiant in holiness, every time we worship you! We are ever
grateful that you bless our efforts to worship You with the sacred
seal of Your Presence despite our imperfections.
We rejoice in the privilege of being Your worshippers and are
immensely humbled that You called us into this ministry of
helping others to worship You.
May our worship convey that You are the undisputed supreme
priority of our lives and that You will be our God and our mission
forever.
May our passion for You and our pastoring of your people be
firmly rooted in uncompromised authenticity, demonstrating
compassion to the weak, generosity to the needy and fairness in the
treatment of people.
May the worship that we lead be a favorable avenue for You to
reveal Your awesome power, heal the sick, lift up the lowly,
restore the broken, comfort the hurting and bless Your Church.
May our worship invite your grace to move in our lives and
cultivate resilience during temptation, repentance during sin,
forgiveness during hurt, trust during disappointment, fortitude
during suffering and prayer at all times, shaping us to become
imitations of You.
May our music, songs, art and other vehicles of worship
express thanksgiving, praise, devotion, adoration, reverence,
honor, blessing, awe and everything else that is rightfully Yours in
a manner that pleases You and edifies Your Church.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
[1]
THE DNA OF THE
CHURCH
You never go away from us, yet we have
difficulty in returning to You. Come, Lord,
stir us up and call us back. Kindle and
seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness.
Let us love. Let us run.
St. Augustine of Hippo
between
knowing
about
worship
and
actually
worshipping.
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[2]
THE HEART OF A
WORSHIPPER
The great God values not the service of
men if the heart be not in it: The Lord sees
and judges the heart; He has no regard
for outward forms of worship, if there be
no inward adoration, if no devout
affection be employed therein. It is
therefore a matter of infinite importance,
to have the whole heart engaged
steadfastly for God.
Isaac Watts
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15
16
Goliath was 8-9 feet tall and big enough to wear armor
weighing 125 pounds (57 kg), and not to forget his spear,
which weighed around 33 pounds (15 kg). Thats enough to
dwarf sumo wrestlers! This proud behemoth of a man looked at
the Israelites like ants to be stepped upon and taunted them for
40 days. Considering how puny David would have appeared
when he faced Goliath, the confidence and assurance he
exhibited is beyond belief. What should have naturally gone
down as the worst mismatch in history turned out instead to be
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3. Theologian
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I am sure you can add some more Nots, but I trust you get
the point: Worship is far more than just singing songs.
To summarize, a worshiper offers worship to God alone (Luke
4:8); responds in love and faith to the Lord Jesus and the Gospel of
love is demonstrated by Him (Ephesians 3:17); understands that
worship is an act of will, a conscious decision to express ones
love for God; seeks to offer worship and encounter God - not
simply sing songs and experience worship; understands that
music/singing is not worship by itself; is sold out for Jesus,
arrested by His unbelievable love, mercy and grace (Luke 9:23);
gives cheerfully to the needytime, talents, money and other
resources
(2
Corinthians
9:7);
endures
suffering
with
[3]
ACTS AND
EXPRESSIONS OF
WORSHIP
When we lift our hands in praise and
worship, we break spiritual jars of
perfume over Jesus.
Dennis Ignatius
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Reading,
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30
We hear God best when we close our mouths and open our
ears. So make it a habit to take a break away from ministry and
other activity every now and then and spend it in silence with
God, listening to Him. It does wonders to our walk with Him,
trust me!
4. Intercession
The Bible says first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession
and thanksgiving be made for all people - 1 Timothy 2:1. A
worship leaders role is also intercessory standing between
God and His people and praying for them to encounter Him.
I have seen many examples of ministry leaders who have
exclusive time set apart for intercession on a regular basis. Its
an important practice of worship that we should not ignore,
more so because Christ Himself offered up prayers and
supplications, with loud cries and tears (Hebrews 5:7).
Do you remember the last time your heart cried out to God for
someone elses need? Before we take the stage we ought to first
pray for the people we will be leading into worship. We are called
to be like Christ and pray for them as much possible. The goal is
that when we look out across the microphone we dont just see the
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Praise
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.
(Psalm 134:2)
Supplication
Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my
hands toward your Most Holy Place. (Psalm 28:2)
Repentance
Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and
say: We have sinned and rebelled and you have not
forgiven. (Lamentations 3:41-42)
Surrender
May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting
up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. (Psalm 141:2)
Intercession
Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift
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5. Clapping
Committing to God
They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with
shouting and with trumpets and horns. (2 Chronicles 15:14)
Expressing joy
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant
song with music (Psalm 98:4)
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7. Music
Music as a ministry is by no means a modern invention of
recent times; it has been an integral tool of worship especially from
the time a formal place of worship was built by the Israelites (1
Chronicles 25:7). Psalm 150 is of course a prominent example of
Scripture encouraging the use of a variety of musical instruments
to praise God.
While I totally understand that some people still think drums
and the electric guitar were invented in hell, my take on this is any
musical instrument used appropriately and sensitively, will add
value to worship. The first time I wanted to use live drums in a
youth retreat, I met with stiff resistance from the leadership, who
collectively believed that it was inappropriate. We discussed and
debated at length and they finally relented after I agreed to sponsor
all charges related to hiring and transportation of the drum-kit, in
case it did not work out. A couple of worship sessions later in the
retreat, their attitude totally transformed; they saw the positive
contribution of the live drums and they absolutely loved it (and
they paid for it too in the end!). So if youre a drummer or a lead
guitarist facing rejection, please dont give up. Use your
instrument with a heart for God and gradually you will overcome
traditional resistance and win the approval of your leaders.
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[4]
THE DESIGN OF
CONTEMPORARY
WORSHIP MINISTRY
"It's always better to inspire worship
rather than to demand it"
Israel Houghton
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You can imagine how many mistakes I would have made probably all of them! In addition, I tried my hand at songwriting
also, with absolutely no idea of how to do it. I so wanted to write
the next Open the Eyes of my Heart for the Church! I still write
songs today, but the motive is to magnify Christ thats where I
found my freedom and its where I believe you will find yours.
Remember, we are in the business of God-promotion not selfpromotion!
An important lesson that Ive come to realize over the years is
that leading worship is a pastoral ministry. All the musical talent in
the world cannot make anyone a worship leader or lead
worshipper as some people prefer to refer to this role. Its about
having a heart for the Lord and a heart for His Church. For He has
made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father
(Revelation 1:5-6).
Without the heart of a pastor, selfishness and insecurity could
easily creep in, and we might want to be the only ones leading
worship in the group. Such worship leaders will treat the stage as
their property and will impede the growth of other ministers.
Without a pastoral attitude, we would feel threatened by another
worship leaders ministry. A simple sign of this disorder is the
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So
was
worshiptraining.com,
worshipministry.com,
worshiper.com,
worship.com,
leadworshiper.com
and
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every day with Him. They maintain strong and consistent personal
prayer lives. They can pray without guitar and song. They are
comfortable with being still and silent before the Lord, with His
Word.
2. Depend on the Holy Spirit
Accomplished worship leaders don't bank on their own talent
and experience as much as they rely on the Holy Spirit. Whether it
is putting together a set-list or delivering a session on stage, their
ears are constantly listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit
and their hearts remain obedient to Him.
3. Love WORSHIP not just a way of worshipping
Fantastic worship leaders don't believe that worship happens
my-way-or-no-way. They do not cause or participate in worship
wars over which style of worship is the right one. They respect
traditional liturgy and don't consider it inferior to contemporary
worship. They appreciate "When I Survey the Wonderful Cross" as
much as they enjoy "Everlasting God".
4. Never stop learning
Outstanding worship leaders value training. They always keep
themselves open to training opportunities and continually update
themselves through books, blogs, podcasts, videos, seminars,
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appropriate
times
like
singing,
responding
to
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Work out and rehearse subtle signals and cues with the
worship leader and others in the team. This will make
communication onstage easy and non-distracting.
Work with the sound guy to arrive at a balanced soundmix and volume; a too-loud musical setup is an
unfortunate worship killjoy.
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left
hand
techniques
like
damping,
tapping,
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would do well to plan its role in the overall scheme of things and
use it sensibly in a manner that supports the worship.
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[5]
A BLUEPRINT FOR
CONSTRUCTING
INSPIRED WORSHIP
SET-LISTS
"Planning worship is a mixture of
practicing theology, musical artistry, and
understanding human dynamics."
Rob Still
What is a Set-List?
A worship set-list or set is the planned list of songs in a definite
sequence that a worship team intends to use in a worship session.
Lets think about that for a moment.
A set-list is carefully planned before the session (yes, planning
on stage is not a smart option, no matter what you think the Holy
Spirit is telling you). Based on musical and logical parameters
(more on these later), it needs to be in a specific sequence that
supports our worship. This requires us to think like an artist
bringing together different colors on a canvas to create a beautiful
picture; or a story-teller narrating a story in a manner that draws
the listener into it and brings it to life.
Once, I had to back up a worship leader with my guitar. With
no communication on what songs we were to use, I showed up
early at the venue, while she entered 5 minutes late. When I asked
her for the song list, her reply was, Why do we need a song list?
We will go as the Spirit leads, brother! While I am a reasonably
competent guitarist, I am no magician to conjure up the precise key
and chords if someone sings songs that Ive never heard before,
which is exactly what happened. I just about managed by playing
by ear, but overall, the session was a train wreck. You see,
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Developing a Song-Base
A powerful set-list doesnt materialize out of thin air just when
we sit down to plan for an upcoming worship session. It requires a
constant and continual practice of collecting usable songs
whenever we come across them, and storing them in an easy-toaccess manner. My preference is to put them into an Excel
spreadsheet cataloguing them with these fields: song title, song
theme, key, tempo and rhythm.
THEME
opening,
praise
spiritual
hunger,
intimacy
revival,
mission
KEY
TEMPO
RHYTHM
E, F, G
114
4/4
C, D
74
4/4
A, Bb
56
6/8
You could also include more fields if you wish like a related
scripture verse, name of the songwriter etc. Whenever a song
inspires me and something in my spirit tells me its a usable one, I
add it to the list. This becomes the song-base: a master list of
possible songs for congregational worship.
The hallmark of a good song-base is the variety of songs in it;
fast songs, slow songs, medium tempo songs, songs with different
time signatures and so on. Thematically also, an ideal song-base
would have something for every occasion with diverse themes like
the Cross, redemption, spiritual warfare, repentance, healing,
deliverance, evangelism, communion, fellowship, creation, mercy,
love, forgiveness, thanksgiving, power,
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If you havent done so, kick-start your song-base today, its the
first step to building effective worship set-lists. If you already
have, read on.
Begin with the theme
The first question to ask when planning a set-list is What is
the subject of the Church meeting? This is important because
without a theme, we lack direction and without direction we lack
focus. A lack of focus is well a surefire route to making a
mess of the worship. The point is that a set-list for Good Friday
should be different from a set-list for Easter.
With the theme in mind, start praying to the Holy Spirit and
find out whats in His heart. A useful question to ask here would
be, Lord, what should our Church be praying during this worship
session? Now, start writing down what you believe the Lord is
placing in your heart. Sometimes, we may come up with a few
focus words; other times, titles of songs. This is more of a
brainstorming session with the Lord, so just jot down everything
without evaluating it too much.
Lets assume the theme is the Passion of the Lord. While
praying, the Holy Spirit may inspire us with specific themes, which
will guide us to pick certain songs. If we get a focus-word like
Adoration
POSSIBLE SONG
Oh to See the Dawn (Power of
the Cross)
Here I am to Worship
AUTHOR
Keith Getty, Stuart
Townend
Tim Hughes
Gods love
Phil Wickham
Power
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76
Song
Key
Tempo
Rhythm
Above all
62
4/4
60
4/4
108
4/4
Hallelujah to my King
85
4/4
70
4/4
64
4/4
I Stand Amazed
72
4/4
Bb
74
4/4
55
3/4
80
4/4
Once Again
74
4/4
Gethsemane Hymn
Bm
76
4/4
Here I am to Worship
74
4/4
Matt Redman
Stuart
Townend,
Keith Getty
Tim Hughes
103
4/4
Paul Baloche
70
4/4
Billy Foote
77
4/4
Darlene
Zschech
Isaac Watts
Stuart K. Hine
(Paul Baloche
arrangement)
Paul Baloche
Kathryn Scott
Keith Getty,
Stuart
Townend
Charles H.
Gabriel
Matt Redman,
Jonas Myrin
Stuart
Townend
Phil Wickham
Worship Progressions
A progression can be defined as the sequence or order of songs
in a worship set list based on their tempo.
Knowing progressions is the key to decide which songs can be
used at the beginning, middle or at the end of a worship session.
In his wonderful book To Know You More, veteran
Vineyard worship leader, Andy Park illustrates progressions or
curves using line charts. I am going to do something similar here.
Bear in mind that the Y-Axis (vertical side) measures tempo and
the X-Axis (horizontal side) measures time in minutes.
1. The Standard Progression
Well continue with the theme the passion of the Lord and
plot sample set-lists using the standard progression. In this
progression, we start with up-tempo songs, move to mediumtempo songs and then close with slower, more intimate songs. This
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20
0
The Same
Love
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80
Variation-1
20
0
The Same
Love
Hallelujah to
my King
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
You Alone Can The Same
Rescue
Love
81
82
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
You Alone
Can Rescue
The Same
Love
90
80
70
60
50
40
Oh to See the Here I am to You Alone Can Because of
Dawn
Worship
Rescue
Your Love
Hallelujah to
my King
83
84
150
120
90
60
30
0
Here I am to You Alone Can Because of Amazing Love Thank You for
worship
Rescue
Your Love (You Are My
the Cross
King)
Serene
Progression:
Slow/Medium
Slow/Medium
Slow/Medium
1. Here I am to Worship
2. You Alone Can Rescue
3. Because of Your Love
4. Amazing Love (You Are My King)
5. Thank You for the Cross
The Serene progression is also known as the Intimacy or StillWater progression.
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fewer songs about us and more songs about and to Him are
better.
3. Prioritize familiar songs above new songs
Worship leaders/musicians get tired of songs faster than others.
While I totally get that, 99% of the times, known songs lead to
better participation than new songs. So a few new songs
coupled with more familiar songs would be the way to go.
4. Dont ignore new songs
It is one thing to take known songs to keep the congregation
comfortable, but we shouldnt stop there! While putting
together a set-list, we also need to keep an open ear to discover
those fresh prayers in song, and challenge people to move out
of their comfort zones. Introducing one or two new songs in a
month helps.
5. Look at the song, not the songwriter
No matter how brilliant a songwriter is, not every song written
by him/her will be a winner in congregational worship. It is
necessary to assess a song based on the strength of its lyrics,
melody, singability etc. and not just by the name/reputation
of its songwriter.
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[6]
THE ART OF
ESTABLISHING
FLUIDITY IN WORSHIP
Our worship of God is not a part of our
lives; worship is our lives.
Dillon Burroughs
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Grouping Songs
Grouping songs is the first concept to consider when thinking
about fluidity. We saw how songs are sequenced based on tempo
and a chosen progression in the previous chapter. The next step is
to consider the key of each song to plan how to move from one
song to the next.
The key is the first chord of a song a definition that would
work for 99% of worship songs. For the remaining 1%, its the
chord that provides a feeling of rest or completion when played
after the other chords of a song. If you need a better understanding,
take out your guitar or keyboard and play these chords: C, then
F and then G. Keep playing F and G, F and G repeatedly;
now stay on G for a few moments and then play C. Notice how
you get a comforting sensation like you resolved something? The
chord that gives you that feeling is the key of a chord progression.
You can determine the key by knowing chord families or
related chords of the key. Check out these examples:
KEY
Chords in the key of C
I
C
II
Dm
III
Em
IV
F
V
G
VI
Am
Em
F#m
Bm
F#m
G#m
C#m
Am
Bm
Em
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Musical Transitions
Transition in simple terms means whatever we do between
songs to make the move from one song to the next, feel fluid,
unlike an obstacle course. Musically, related keys lend themselves
to effective transitions, unrelated keys dont; its as simple as that.
So here are some possibilities when using related keys to move
from one song to the next:
1. Same keys
This is of course the easiest transition! We also saw an
example of this with How Great is our God (A) played after
How Great Thou Art (A). Another example could be Because
of Your Love (Phil Wickham) (Bb) played with You Alone Can
Rescue (Bb). Same keys transition is even better when both songs
have the same rhythm and tempo. Needless to say, this is the same
principle behind playing medleys.
2. Moving to a higher key
Most of the time, transitioning to a higher key is better than
transitioning to a lower key. Because moving to a higher key gives
us a subconscious feeling of the climb or being lifted up
musically and supports the atmosphere of worship.
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II
III
IV
VI
Bm
C#m
F#m
C#m
D#m
F#
G#m
Note that the 5th chord in the key of A is E and the 5th chord
in the key of B is F#. So we can end You Alone Can Rescue
with the E chord, play an F# and then B, which is the opening
chord for Because of Your Love.
3. Moving to a lower key
While moving up a key is highly recommended, it doesnt
mean we should never move down to a lower key. The good news
is this is quite possible without compromising too much on the
climbing feeling.
The best way to move down a key is to end the current song on
its 4th chord and simply play the 1st chord of the next song. For
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II
III
IV
VI
F#m
G#m
C#m
Em
F#m
Bm
Key
B
Tempo
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Rhythm
4/4
Bb
74
4/4
64
4/4
Once Again
74
4/4
70
4/4
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102
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Non-Musical Transitions
If each song is a dot, then musical transitions help to connect
the dots in a pleasant manner. But if we stop with these musical
ideas alone, we go back to ending up like CD-players! So many
worship leaders that I know struggle with the question of what do
I do between songs? Here are some ideas that have worked well
for me especially when done on top of the musical transitions:
Free praise
We can sing a key line of a song (usually the last line of the
chorus) or an extemporaneous line around the theme of the song
repeatedly and encourage the congregation to sing spontaneously
and praise God with their own words. Be prepared to be patient as
it takes time for most people to become comfortable with this. It
also helps to practice this way of singing with your band by
incorporating it into your rehearsals and band worship times. A
recorded example of this would be Paul Baloches Your Name
from his album, The Greater Song. If you havent noticed it
before, just playback the last section of the song now and give it a
listen to understand how this works.
If your congregation is not open to singing free praise, you can
simply encourage them to proclaim/declare their praises as an
alternative - that works fine too!
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Silence
responsibility
to
help
the
congregation
become
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Managing Distractions
One of the main jobs of a worship leader is to identify and
eliminate as many distractions as possible and then through the
vehicle of music, create an environment that makes it easy for
people to connect with the Lord. Paul Baloche
When planning for fluidity in worship, its necessary to
consider what can possibly distract people from worshipping the
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acceptable to alter the key to bring a song within the singing range
of the congregation. Else, people will tire themselves out straining
to scream songs in keys that are simply too high for them. We need
to be sensible and sensitive when fixing song keys. Experiment
with different keys with your team until you find a key, which is
comfortable for both male and female singers, which should take
care of it.
Too many unfamiliar songs
As musicians and worship leaders, we probably sing worship
songs more number of times than the average person in the
congregation, which means we get tired of songs faster than most
people. While I totally get that, loading a set-list with too many
new songs turns the worship session into a song-learning session.
Its distracting, discomforting and kills involvement. So use more
familiar songs than unknown songs. Rule of thumb: unknown
songs should not be more than 10% of a set-list.
Long instrumental breaks/solos
When an instrument solo is exceedingly long, people get
confused as they are not sure what they are expected to do; should
they just listen passively? Admire the musician? Stare at the screen
awkwardly? Wait for their next cue to sing? Its essential,
therefore, for us to discern if a solo/interlude is required at all. If it
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Inappropriate clothes
Once when I went to buy a guitar, the helpful store manager
wouldnt let me near one particular model because he knew I was a
Church musician. Why? Because this guitar had an enormous skull
printed all over its body. Imagine leading worship with that!
The point is that the concept of worship visuals doesnt stop
with the stage backdrop or formatting of projection slides. We
ourselves are also visuals, our clothes and musical instruments
included. Care is required, therefore, to ensure our clothes are not
attention-grabbing or too flashy or too revealing. Simple principles
to follow in this regard are:
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Singing off-pitch
[7]
THE NUTS AND
BOLTS OF EFFECTIVE
REHEARSAL &
DELIVERY
But I, by your great love, can come into
your house; in reverence I bow down
toward your holy temple.
Psalm 5:7
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Inculcating Spontaneity
As much as we plan our worship sessions, we should also leave
room for the Holy Spirit to inspire us with something new.
Practicing spontaneity during personal worship and rehearsals is
not a weird thing to do at all. It actually helps us to be open to the
Holy Spirit when He sometimes chooses to move differently from
what we have planned. Some of the ways in which Ive
experienced spontaneity are:
1. Singing extemporaneous lines enhancing the theme of the song,
usually done at the end of the song or during instrumental breaks
during the song.
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2. Depend
Understand that worship works because of the move of the
Holy Spirit, not because of what we do or dont. This
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6. Breathe
Take slow and deep rhythmic breaths; it will help bring our
heart rates closer to normalcy and achieve a sense of calm.
7. Get Through the Beginning
The beginning of the worship session or the first few minutes is
the most terrifying part. Get through the first song and the
temporary paralysis will begin to withdraw.
8. Lose Yourself
Adore the Lord, immerse yourself in worship and give the
limelight to Him. Consciously focusing the attention on Him
and not on ourselves makes the worship a lot more authentic,
apart from helping us handle our apprehensions. Remember,
the people are there to encounter God and not us. So it doesnt
matter too much even if we make a few musical/vocal mistakes
on stage.
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2. Pray
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[8]
THE ESSENTIALS OF
MANAGING VISUALS
And there before me was the glory of the
God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen
in the plain.
- Ezekiel 8:4
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Font
There are fonts which are glitzy and look hip and then there are
fonts, which are clear and easy to read. Basically, there are two
categories of fonts: serif fonts and sans serif fonts.
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Background
When creating visuals for song lyrics, readability is priority
number 1, everything else is secondary. Contrasting the colors
between font and background image works better any day. Plain
single color worship backgrounds are the safest. If you still want to
experiment with lyric related pictures as worship backgrounds,
thats okay too as long as they dont draw too much attention away
from the lyrics. The same goes for video backgrounds too; choose
minimalistic content that doesnt clutter the screen and distract the
readers.
Formatting
People read from left to right unless your congregation
worships in Arabic! See these two examples it takes time to get
used to the placement of the lines before actually starting to read
the lyrics:
Also, people need to read the song, more than its title, which is
usually placed at the top with a font size bigger than the song
lyrics. These I think are carry-over habits from using PowerPoint
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Line Breaks
The lyrics should also match the singing and break at logical
phrases or song section. Heres an example of incorrect line
breaks:
Ideal Formatting
Have a look at these two examples, which I believe are ideal
slides for worship:
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[9]
THE FUNDAMENTALS
OF FORMING A TEAM
AND MENTORING
PEOPLE
As it is, there are many parts, but one
body.
Corinthians 12:20
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Managing Conflict
Each of us is a uniquely created individual. So differences in
musical tastes, opinions, ideas, and work ethic are bound to arise in
any group. In fact, the absence of differences is a more worrying
sign than their presence. If people are simply agreeing with the
worship leader all the time, it means the leadership has repeatedly
indicated that differences are not welcome.
The mark of a good leader is in establishing an open culture, in
which people feel free and comfortable to express themselves,
especially their disagreements. For, its by discussing differing
viewpoints that new lessons are learnt and better decisions taken.
The worst leaders are those who impose their opinion all the time
on the group with an I know better than you attitude. Even when
we think we know better, the right practice is to encourage
dialogue and discuss things before reaching a consensus.
Having said that, the trick is to ensure that discussing differing
perspectives doesnt get too emotional, or lead to prolonged
arguments or mudslinging. Working through a conflict is easier
when we follow these six practices:
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4. Lead
Mentoring
I am not good enough I am not talented... I dont have a
great voice I am not a cool musician ever had such thoughts? I
certainly have, so many times! In fact, even when I thought about
writing this book, one of my first notions was I am nobody, who
will read a book that I write?!
Well, guess what, an important truth Ive realized over the
years is that its the work of the enemy to fill our minds with
doubt, fear, anxiety, negativity and more. If God wants Paul
Baloche or Israel Houghton to mentor your worship team, God
wouldve placed Paul Baloche or Israel Houghton in your Church.
But He didnt, right? He placed you! So its up to us my friend, to
teach and mentor those whom God has placed within our reach.
We may not be qualified or worthy, but the Lord who called us
most certainly is! And when we trust Him and let Him work
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through us, His work will be done. If God has placed us, it means
He thinks we can do it, and thats all the assurance we need.
Its not about the number either; Jesus himself started with only
twelve people. The maximum number of people in a batch that Ive
trained for worship till now is less than fifty. Whether its 5 or
5000, we joyfully accept what the Lord gives us and give it our
best trusting Him to do the rest.
Mentoring is an ongoing process and is not achieved overnight.
It needs us to invest time and effort apart from having an unselfish
heart that delights in building up others. Here are seven right
practices that work towards successful mentoring:
1. Passion
Passion compels us to own our responsibilities and not shirk
them. It keeps our hearts fresh and ready. It enables us to show up
for our ministry without giving up, especially when things dont go
our way. It drives our creativity and also helps to keep burnout at
bay.
More importantly, genuine passion tends to rub off on others
like nothing else can; its moving, undeniable and contagious! So
be joyfully passionate about the Lord and worship Him with
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hesitate
to
challenge
your
mentees.
Fire
up
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them to go deeper in their walk with Him. Dont ever let things
become too comfortable; inspire them to cry out to God with
confidence and longing.
5. Share
Share your stage with your mentees often, and while you are at
it, stop ministering alone altogether. Take a backseat every now
and then and let them minister to help build their confidence and
experience. Share all the best tips and practices that work for you,
because we are not in the Secret Service to keep things to
ourselves. Sow the seeds of your knowledge and experience in
them and take pleasure in watching another grow as a person and
as a worship minister!
6. Care
People trust a caring pastor more than instructive leaders.
Those you mentor will look up to you more when they know you
have a heart for them. Take efforts to build people individually;
equip them with what they need. Connect with them on a personal
level, not just functionally. Be a shepherd who pastors; not a
control-freak who wants everything done your way.
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Fulfilling a Vision
"The glory of God is the living man, but the life of man is the
vision of God." St. Irenaeus of Lyons
When I began to lead worship, the culture of worship in my
home town was literally begging for change. The songs that were
widely in use at that time could be compared to nursery rhymes at
the most; they were songs more appropriate when worshiping with
little children. It seemed somewhat okay at the beginning; but after
attending way too many sessions consisting of the same juvenile
songs over and over again, it was more disillusioning than
edifying. Imagine a gathering of adults singing God told Noah to
build an arky, arky and youll understand what I am conveying
here. Somewhere along this road, I remember praying, Lord, you
deserve better than this, help me to do something about it.
Soon after this, almost everything about my worship ministry
(song selection, musical style etc.) gradually became different from
others. I grabbed any and every training opportunity that came my
way and kept myself as updated as possible and focused
on
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[10]
PERSONAL AND
MINISTERIAL PITFALLS
TO AVOID AND
OVERCOME
We were never designed to receive glory,
only to give glory that is why when
people wrongly try to take it for
themselves, it will eventually end up
blowing them up
Darlene Zschech
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[11]
THE WORSHIP
SERVANTS LIST OF
LIFELONG
UNFORGETTABLES
The Christian does not go to the temple
to worship. The Christian takes the temple
with him or her.
Ravi Zacharias
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closed before this. And today His mediation at the right hand of the
Father continues to open Heaven for all of us.
Before His incarnation, Christ was with the Father all the time
communing with Him with the greatest of love and unity. But in
the flesh, amidst the noise and buzz of earthly life, it must have
been immensely challenging for Jesus to be away from that kind of
closeness with the Father. I am convinced He missed Him like
crazy! Imagine being in Heaven all your life and then having to
come down to earth. This may have also been a reason why Jesus
prayed alone so often, a trend we see all over the GospelsHe so
wanted to be with the Father!
The sacrifice of Christ was not only the Cross that He bore; it
was His whole life on earth. We should never ever forget the
weight of the price paid by Jesus for our sake! While we can learn
so much from Jesus, I want to stress on five key aspects of His
worship:
Holiness
Jesus worshiped by living a holy life. His friends (John 6:6869) and even His enemies (Luke 4:34, Mark 1:24) acknowledged
His holiness. People like Mary Magdalene or Zachaeus were
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Authenticity in Imitation
In the context of worship, authenticity can mean practicing
what we preach; or singing what we mean; or something to do with
the content of the worship service; or life outside the church
matching the lyrics we sing inside it; or lifting hands only when we
(Romans
5:1);
Righteous
(Romans
3:22);
Holy
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The Unforgettables
When we talk about unforgettables for a worship leader, we
usually refer to things like songs in the set list, transition plan,
chords, song sequence and so on. Lets go a little deeper than that.
Sometimes it's easy to bank upon experience and deliver a good
enough worship session. Been there, done that, right?!
That's why regular time-outs to introspect are beneficial. For
its not about what I can do or how experienced I am. It's not even
about us in the first place! As worship servants, we need to be sure
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[12]
THE CENTER AND
FOCUS OF CHRISTIAN
WORSHIP
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be
enough for us. Jesus answered: "Don't you know me,
Philip, even after I have been among you such a long
time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you
believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in
me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own
authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is
doing his work."
John 14:8-10
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Trinitarian Worship
Trinitarian worship therefore is best achieved by obeying the
Lords words to the Apostle Philip - beholding Christ as the center
and focus of our worship (Hebrews 12:1-2). Because, the Son is
the very reflection of the Father (Hebrews 1:3). In fact, it is in the
Son and in His mighty works that the Father has chosen to be
glorified (John12:27-28 & John 13:31). Whether it is euphoric
praise, intimate adoration or silent contemplation, the heart of
worship is in fixing our eyes upon the Son of God.
When we look at the Son, we are in effect beholding the Father
(John 12:45) and the Holy Spirit for the Three Persons in One God
remain in each other. And, it is the Holy Spirit who opens the eyes
of our hearts (Ephesians 1:18) to gaze at the Son. No wonder St.
Paul prayed that the Father may give us the Spirit of wisdom and
revelation so that we may know him better. (Ephesians 1:17). It is
with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that we are also able to
acknowledge Christ as our Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3). Yes it is an
awesome and profound mystery! Thats why worship leading is a
lot about inviting our congregation to join with us and gaze at the
glory of the Lord Jesus Christ that my friend, is the essence of
Trinitarian worship.
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