Being a worship leader is an awesome responsibility. You can succeed and lead those you stand before into a worship experience with God, into His very presence, where they can receive life.

1. Worship Leaders
Guiding Principles
A Practical Approach

2. What Does the Bible Say?
• Over and over we are told to sing a new song
(Psa 33:3, Psa 96:1, Psa 98:1, Psa 149:1, Rev 5:9, …)
• Shout for joy
(Job 38:7, Ezra 3:11, Psa 59:16, Psa 81:1, Psa 95:1, Isa 44:23,
Isa 52:9, Isa 54:1, …) – make your praise joyful
• So sing joyful new songs!
• Lead people into His presence! (Psa 147:1, Isa
35:10, …)

3. Which songs?
• New Songs – Sing new songs, but use only one
(1) brand new song, at most, each week. Songs
should also be considered “new” songs to a
congregation if they have not been presented in
the last year or two. What is an “old” song to you
is often a “new” song to a congregation, so
please keep this in mind.
• Don’t dig too far back in your song lists though,
or you have lost the purpose of singing new
songs.

4. Which Songs? (cont)
• Simple is sometimes better - Please choose
songs that you can control musically. Also, please
make sure you can teach the melody, the
harmony (if any), the rhythm, the tempo, the
syncopation, and the message. You don’t have to
sound exactly like a professionally produced CD.
You can always simplify some of the professional
arrangements to fit your own needs.
• Complicated or “cool” doesn’t always help a
congregation to worship.

5. Which Songs? (cont)
• Pray - Please prayerfully consider your songs
before choosing which ones to use with the
congregation. Your favorite song isn’t always
suitable for congregational singing. God gives
us, as leaders, many songs, but not all of them
are for public use. Some songs are meant to
minister to you alone. The Lord will help you
to learn the difference in this if you ask Him.
• Listen to the Lord’s leading before YOU lead!

6. Which Songs? (cont)
• Listen - Let the word of the Lord, through song,
get into your spirit, to touch, transform and
inspire you. There is a TON of worship music out
there and great resources to choose from. Let
His word (through song) continually be in your
heart and mind and soul. Continually listen to
worship – especially new songs.
• Listen to the Lord if He gives you a new song to
write of your own.

7. Preparation
• Choosing songs - As a worship leader, you
have the awesome opportunity to choose
which songs will be used during Sunday
morning’s service. Please prepare by way of
prayer and practice a few weeks before your
scheduled week to lead.
• Consider the needs of your support team as
well – IT team, projection team, etc., and get
all relevant information to them asap as well.

8. Preparation (cont)
• Chord charts or music - Please make sure all
your chord charts are in order and correct,
with chords in the proper places and in the
right key. Musicians need correct, easy to read
musical notation. Rehearsal time is limited
and it needs to be used efficiently.
• Respect the members of your team by being
prepared this way.

9. Preparation (cont)
• Know your music - It’s a good idea to know how
you want to begin a song, how you want to end
it, what tempo (how fast or slow) you want it,
how any musical turnarounds go, and anything
special you want to do with the song (ie.,
harmonies, acapella sections, key changes,
rounds, instrumentals, mash-ups, etc.) Also,
remember that you are the one who sets the
tempo with the drummer and musicians.
• Don’t waste time with indecision.

10. Preparation (cont)
• Song keys - Choosing song keys can be tricky.
Many newer songs are pitched for male worship
leaders, and if you are a female leader, this makes
it difficult. To help you decide, you can sing
through the song first. If it’s too high or too low
for you, the key probably needs to be changed.
• Keep in mind the average range of the
congregation is neither very high nor very low.
You are not a soloist, so keep the needs of the
congregation your priority.

11. Preparation (cont)
• Song progression (from one song to the next) -
Please choose your song progression carefully as
well. The human ear likes to hear songs that go
from lower keys to higher keys. For example, if
your first song is in the key of E, your next song
shouldn’t be in the key of D. It’s very musically
jarring for the congregation. It makes people feel
uncomfortable.
• Keep in mind the circle of 5ths! (A song in the
key of C can easily be followed by a song in the
key of G, etc.)

12. Rehearsal
• Bring what is needed - Please bring all music,
chord charts, and lyric sheets to the night of
rehearsal. Have enough copies of chord
charts or music for the musicians and singers.
• Don’t show up empty handed!

13. Rehearsal
• Be mindful of time - You are in charge of
rehearsal. This means keeping people on task
and using the time wisely. So please be prepared,
and keep the rehearsal moving and on target.
Also, remember that you are part of a team -
musicians and singers - and you are the link
between the two that keeps things running
smoothly. Please listen carefully to both.
• But do start with prayer!

14. Rehearsal (cont)
• Be on time - Try to get to rehearsal early, if at
all possible. If you have work-related issues
with getting to practice on time, please let
someone know so he/she can cover for you
until you can arrive. Please do not be late on
Sunday morning if you are leading. Rehearsal
time is very limited on a Sunday morning, if at
all.
• Be respectful of volunteers’ time!

15. Sunday Morning Service
• Set Up – If there is any set up required for
your church, please leave time for this.
• Get to church early if this is required!
• Pray with your team when you start.

16. Sunday Morning Service
• Watch the clock – If you do any kind of
rehearsal on Sunday morning, watch the clock
and make sure you are ready to go before
service actually starts.
• There’s nothing worse than a worship team
causing a service to start late!

17. Sunday Morning Service
• Time allotted for worship - In general, most churches
have 20-25 minutes for the worship portion of the
service. What this translates to is about 4 songs, with
5-6 minutes spent on each song. This can be stretched
to include 5 songs, or even limited to only 3. But
ideally, a 4-song set seems to work best.
• Keep in mind that repeating sections of a song over
and over and over again loses the congregation. You
might be getting blessed, but they are bored. Watch
for their reactions and move on if they are not
responding!
• Don’t go over your time limit! God is a God of order, so
be mindful of the time your pastor has given you.

18. Be Inspirational
• Rejoice - Please be mindful that you are the first
impression people get of the church. What impression
are you making? We all have different personalities,
but we all have the same job – to motivate people to
want to worship our God. As the Bible says, “Rejoice in
the Lord always! And, again, I say Rejoice!” Ask the
Lord to give you boldness, even if you don’t “feel” bold.
Be willing to step outside your comfort zone, and let
passion for the Lord and His house fill you.
• Don’t depress everyone with a downcast countenance.

19. Be Inspirational
• Prayer - After your time spent in His presence,
it’s a good idea to lead the congregation in a
short prayer so that our sweet time with the
Lord does not end abruptly.
• But don’t spend the whole allotted worship
time forcing the congregation to listen to your
prayers! That’s not why you are in the
position you are in!
• Lead in worship, not just in prayer.

20. Be Inspirational
• Emotions - This can be difficult to define, but please do
allow God to touch and effect your emotions. Our God
is an emotional God (really), and loves when we
express our love for Him in an emotional way. And the
congregation will see this in you, respond, and follow
you there, into His very throne room. But try to be
mindful to keep a balance. Too much emotion, as in
continual and uncontrollable crying, is uncomfortable
for the congregation and will make you ineffective as a
leader.
• Be real and transparent – let your love for the Lord
shine through!

21. Be Inspirational (cont)
• Connect with the congregation – There is
nothing worse than being ignored by the worship
leader. You are not in front to just sing. You have
been chosen to LEAD! So talk to the people (but
not for too long!). Let them get to know and
trust you. Share with them your experiences in
the Lord – help to motivate them to worship Him.
• Don’t get up, sing your songs, and leave.
• I have been ignored by WAY too many worship
leaders!! Don’t be one of them!

22. Be Inspirational
• Sharing - Ask the Lord if there is something
personal you should share about one of the songs
you have chosen to use. If He gives you
something, then share it – however, keep it brief.
Your time together is limited. But do try to make
your time together real and personal, touching
people in a very real way so that when they leave
and go their separate ways, they take something
that has touched their hearts with them.
• Be real and open!

23. Conclusion
You have been given an awesome responsibility.
Treat this responsibility seriously and with respect.
Lead the Lord’s people into His very throne room.
When we see Him, we shall be like Him!
God bless your calling!