Lead Worship

Welcome to part 11 of an 11 part series called How To Plan A Worship Service from Start to Finish.

Wow – if you watched all 11 videos – I want to say thank you.

It is my prayer that these videos will help you plan excellent and Christ honoring worship experiences.

If you missed any of the other videos, I encourage you to go back and watch them on our Youtube Channel or at fwbworship.com.

In this last video we will look at some final preparations we can do to ensure the worship service we’ve planned, is the best it can be.

Let’s do this.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to download “Top 5 Resources To Use When Planning Worship” a free download produced by the Free Will Baptist Music Commission.

We’ve put a link in the description.

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The eleventh step to take when planning a worship service is simply: Lead Worship.

If you’ve followed the steps in this series,

You’ve prayed,

met with your pastor,

considered the audience,

considered your musicians,

got all the pieces on the table,

added songs,

considered tempo and key relationship,

planned your transitions,

communicated with your team

and led an effective rehearsal.

Now there’s one thing left to do. Lead your church in Worship.

Worshiping almighty God is one of the most important things we can do as believers.

We were created to worship. And something miraculous happens when we gather for corporate worship.

During worship we get to experience the presence of God. And in His presence there is comfort, conviction, encouragement, forgiveness, redemption and healing.

Isn’t it incredible that God has called us to lead others into His presence?

But before you step on to the stage to lead your church there are a few things you must do.

1. First of all, prepare spiritually.

Worship should never be entered into lightly or without first looking inward.

I’m reminded of what the Psalmist said in Psalm 24:3-6

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place? 

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.

He will receive blessing from the Lord

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

I want to receive blessing from the Lord during worship. We are promised his blessings if we go before Him with clean hands and pure hearts.

Take a few minutes before the musicians arrive and before you start getting everything turned on, to take inventory of your heart.

Is there anything that is keeping you from experiencing God?

Surrender it to the Lord right then, ask for forgiveness of your sins, and ask Jesus to give you pure motives before you lead.

2. The second thing to do before you lead worship is to prepare mentally.

You’ve spent time throughout the week practicing and rehearsing – maybe even memorizing scripture or a verbal transition.

Take a few minutes before rehearsal begins to refresh your memory about what you’ve practiced.

Take a look at the order of service.

Double check your personnel.

Walk through each element in your mind and if there is anything that still needs to be addressed, make a note of it so you can fix it before rehearsal starts.

If you have someone on your team that helps you lead, it would be helpful to briefly walk through the service with them, so you can gain their perspective.

3. The third thing you must do before leading worship is to prepare technically.

In the same way you should have everything ready for your team before mid-week rehearsal, you should also make sure everything is ready before the Sunday morning run-through begins.

Turn on the lights and air conditioning.
Turn on the sound system.
Make sure the screens are working properly.
Make sure the stage is set and ready to go.
Double check the music folders.

You may have someone that helps with these tasks – that’s great! You don’t have to do them, but someone does.

The goal is to have everything ready for your team so that you can begin the run through rehearsal on time each week.

You probably have figured out that you will have to arrive early to make sure you have completed your preparation before the musicians arrive.

I would recommend arriving an hour ahead of time – which should give you plenty of time to prepare spiritually and mentally and to troubleshoot any issues that may arise.

Once the preparation is done and you’ve completed the run-through rehearsal, now it’s time to lead your church in worship.

Some of you may be a bit apprehensive about leading on stage. You might feel inadequate or under prepared.

You might be nervous or afraid that you’ll do something embarrassing or make a mistake.

I’ve been there.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to lead worship for a large gathering. Our team spent months working on the service. We rehearsed several times. I wrote out everything I felt like the Lord wanted me to say and did my best to have it memorized.

I made sure my heart was in the right place and we earnestly wanted the Lord to use us to help everyone in the room experience His presence.

Just before I was about to go on stage I felt overwhelmed with the responsibility I had of leading this group in worship.

I got on my knees and begged the Lord for his strength – and the Holy Spirit brought to my mind this verse.

Romans 8:11: If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he … will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

The same Power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me! – I thought!

In that moment, I stepped out of my own strength and into the strength of the Lord.

I walked on stage and that evening we experienced one of the most memorable times of worship I have ever had the privilege to be a part of.

I tell you that story to encourage you. When you feel inadequate, or anxious about leading worship – step out of your own strength and into the same Power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead!

You’ve done the work and the Lord will honor your efforts.

Now it’s time to worship.

Thanks everyone for watching this series: How To Plan A Worship Service From Start To Finish. If you missed any of the videos, I hope you’ll go back and watch them. And If you found this video series helpful, let us know in the comments.

It really is my prayer that these videos will help you plan and lead excellent and Christ honoring worship experiences for your church.