Planning/Preparation Responsibilities
ROLE #1: PRAYER AND WORSHIP
Above all else, make sure you are personally connecting with and worshiping God throughout your week, along with praying for your team and the upcoming service. You can’t lead others where you haven’t gone. (See also An Authentic Worshipper)
ROLE #2: SONG SELECTION
If the songs are not already provided by your church leadership, you will want to… If you don’t attend a church that does this, however, you’ll want to keep in mind your church’s vision and style when picking worship songs. (See also Choosing Songs for Your Church)
ROLE #3: PERSONAL PRACTICE AND PREP
Along with knowing your part, there are a few other responsibilities:
- Picking keys – It is your job to pick keys that work best for you and your team, as well as the congregation. (See also Selecting Song Keys)
- Ability awareness – Set your team up to succeed by having realistic expectations for how the team will play the song. Point them towards resources that will help them grow. (See also Tips for At-Home Practice)
- Song arrangement – Decide what recording you want to use as a template so that your team learns the right parts. When doing this, consider what instruments you will have. You also need to decide on a song order (Verse, Chorus, Bridge, etc.). It is usually best to keep the order close to the recording.
- Transitions – Think through how to get from one song to the next, with a goal of better connecting your worship set. (See also Transitions in Worship)
- Communicate with your team – Let your team know the songs, keys, rehearsal time/place, and any other things pertaining to the rehearsal. The easiest way to do this is either through text or email. (See also Writing a Team Email)
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Rate yourself on the areas above. Which is your strongest? Which is your weakest?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
Rehearsal Responsibilities
MAKE TIME A PRIORITY
As the leader, you want to really make sure that you lead by example in the area of timeliness. If you are consistently late or not ready to go by the time you set, then your team will follow. Set a time that you want to start and end by, and stick to it.
CHECK IN WITH YOUR TEAM
Take five to ten minutes to talk with your team, see how they are doing, and pray for and with them. Team Intentionality
SOUND CHECK
Sound check should take no more than 3 minutes, assuming that everything is working. Above all, the vocals should be heard. Tips for Sound checking
RUN THROUGH SONGS
Play through, and worship to, each song as you would lead it in the service. Give your team the song arrangement beforehand to help things be more efficient. Practice vs. Rehearsal
MUSICAL FOCUSES
After you finish rehearsing each song, you want to ask yourself these questions: Basic Music Terms
- How was the tempo and rhythm of the song? Was the song the right speed and was everyone playing and singing on the right beat?
- How were the dynamics? Was the song loud and soft in the right places? Did the song get louder or softer when it was supposed to?
- How was the intonation? Was everyone singing and playing in tune?
- How was the team blending? Was your team playing what they needed to play? Are the parts fitting together, or are they sticking out?
WORK ON TRANSITIONS
After playing through songs individually, work on any transitions between songs. A transition could be as simple as strumming a chord on acoustic guitar or holding out a chord on a keyboard, reading a Bible verse, or praying. Transitions in Worship
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Describe what it would look like to have the perfect worship rehearsal. Now, describe what it would look like to have the worst worship rehearsal. What are the key differences between the two?
- What are some traits of a good worship rehearsal?
- In your opinion, what is the most important responsibility listed above? Why?
- Do you feel equipped enough to lead others through a rehearsal? Why or why not?
- Are there any other responsibilities that you feel should be added to this list?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
Service Responsibilities
Communicate with your pastor(s) and team
Make sure you and the pastor(s) are on the same page about how the service will go. Ask if there are any service elements that you should be aware of, such as a baptism, dedication, video, or anything else that will come up in the service. Take the information you received from your pastor and pass it on to your team. Make sure they are clued into how the service will flow.
Have good stage presence
Other than the teacher during a service, you as the worship leader have the most “face time” of any other person. (See also Worship Team Conduct)
Communicate with the congregation
Keep in mind that the congregation may not know what to do. Give them some direction in how they can participate in worship. (See also Speaking from the Stage)
Minimize potential awkwardness
One of the main reasons you want to communicate with the Pastor and your team is to make sure the flow of the service goes well.
Engage in service elements
Pay attention to any announcements, videos, baptisms, dedications and so on, while you are on the stage or off stage. Be actively involved at your church.
Evaluate
After the service is over, get together with your team and talk about how it went. Celebrate things that went well and look for ways that you can improve for next time.
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
Song Leader Standards
It’s important to understand that excellence doesn’t mean perfection. No matter how good of a musician you are, you’re going to make mistakes from time to time. With that being said, it’s also important to understand this: Not everyone has the gifting to lead songs. Don’t let your emotions dictate whether or not someone has the gifting to lead vocally. Here’s a checklist with six categories (with clarifying questions to ask) that you can use to help decide if someone is ready to lead a song from the stage. While this isn’t an exhaustive list, it does hit on many of the important things that someone leading a song needs to portray. This is the ultimate goal: That God would be glorified and that we would steward-well the people we have on our worship teams. When we do this, we set everyone up for success.
VOCAL CONTROL
- Pitch
- Does this person sing very few notes out of tune?
- Can this person tell when they’re out of tune?
- Does this person know how to pick keys that work for them?
- Dynamics
- Does this person sing loud and soft when appropriate?
- Does this person sing with passion and intensity?
- Can this person vary their vocal tones?
- Phrasing
- Does this person enunciate well when singing?
- Is this person thoughtful with the emphasis of lyrics?
- Rhythm
- Does this person sing the correct melody in time?
- Does this person have the ability to sing in syncopation?
STAGE PRESENCE
- Does this person smile and portray warmth?
- Does this person display movement and energy on stage?
- Foot tap, hand raise, head bob, clapping, etc.
- Is this person’s attention on the lyrics sheet the whole time they’re singing?
- Does this person make eye contact with the congregation?
EXCELLENT, YET APPROACHABLE
- Is this person flashy or do they over-embellishing the melody?
- Are they trying to perform or trying to lead?
STYLISTICALLY RELEVANT
- Does this person’s voice match the style of the song and the way the rest of the team is playing?
PREPARED
- Does this person come prepared for the rehearsal?
- Do they know the lyrics and flow of the song?
HUMBLE AND TEACHABLE
- Is this person teachable?
- Are they open and willing to seek out and receive feedback?
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Why do you think it’s important to have clear standards for singers?
- Read Psalm 33:3. Why do you think excellence matters in worship music?
- Out of the six highlighted on this list, which one do you think is most important? Which one do you think most people struggle with?
- What would you add to this list? What would you take away?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
Leader Downloads:
Training Topics:
- Posts not found
