THE EFFECTIVE WORSHIP LEADER
EFFECTIVE PRAISE/WORSHIP LEADING
QUALITIES OF AN EFFECTIVE PRAISE/WORSHIP LEADER
Praise/worship is a spiritual activity before it is an artistic one. If the focus of a worship leader is to bring to an awareness of God, then the Bible is the ruler by which we should measure our effectiveness as worship leaders.
Here are some important qualities of a worship leader who is effective in the biblical paradigm of worship. Listed in order of importance, they will help any worship minister excel in leading spiritual worship.
=Knowledge of God=
A writter once wrote in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, “the low view of God ….. With our loss of the sense of majesty has become the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine presence. We have lost our spirit of worship.” It is imperative that a praise/worship leader have a large view of God. when we lead people in worship we are leading them to the lord, to whom and what He is. Praise/Worship leading is a journey upward. A worship leader should know the theology of God and be able to convey in song, prayer and exhortation the attributes of the divine.
=A WORSHIPFUL HEART=
Praise/Worship begins in the heart of the believer, not on the platform or a guitar. Only then can it be expressed outwardly. A praise/worship leader should have a worship lifestyle, since praise/worship is private before it is public. It is impossible for us to lead others in worship if we are not ourselves worshipers. If don’t experience God’s presence in our daily lives, we become less effective in leading others to experience such manifest presence.
Let spiritual songs not depart from the mouth a worship leader because from it comes a manifest presence experience.
=A PASTORIAL HEART=
The worship leader is a priest before God and the people. He must have the concern of those he leads at heart. He does not primarily lead songs but people, people who may be dysfunctional, hurt, discouraged, faithless and lethargic. A performer cannot lead them to the presence of God as well as someone who has a pastoral heart.
It is important to be relational, friendly, caring and concerned about the spiritual welfare and growth of others.
=MUSICALITY=
Though we come into His presence with singing (Psalms 100:2), we worship in spirit, not music (John 4:23).
Yet music is a powerful tool in expressing our worship. It colors, flavors and gives language to the worship that takes place in the heart. Musical skill helps facilitate the worship expressions of others and minimize distractions.
These qualities will make a worship leader a catalyst for touching the Lord – a valuable resource to any local church family.
