Questions you ask worship leaders.

I’ve just recently stepped down from leading worship on Sunday nights at a church plant in Houston.
I really loved helping a new body get off the ground, leading with my wife acoustically and worshipping God in a blatantly public place.
It was glorious :-)
So on our last night, as we had pizza and celebrated what God had done, I was honored when the lead pastor asked me to send him some questions to ask a potential worship leader/replacement… It took me a little longer to respond than I thought. Obviously I could have sent the “greatest weakness - strength” question, but I believe He was looking for something a little more “soul-exposing”
I hope these questions serve to make pastors think just as much as prospective worship leaders.
In fact, I believe I need to ask these questions to myself and see where I’m at. Self-evaluation is a good thing.

So today, as I pick blogging back up, I’m just gonna list the questions that I sent to ask and why I concluded to ask it...
Then, in the coming days, I’m going to ask these questions to you guys and see what your response is.
Hopefully, I’ll get some good responses that will challenge me and cause me to re-evaluate where I’m coming from…
Iron sharpens iron!


QUESTIONS YOU ASK WORSHIP LEADERS:

(1) Why do you worship?
        This is designed to put the focus where it should be… Not on music but on Him. It should be one of the first questions we ask ourselves.
It is good to remind ourselves of why we worship. It should be ready at the front of our lips to respond to that

(2) What steps do you take to connect with the Spirit during your week?
        This should also not take us long to answer. We need to have a lifestyle of worship to truly be effective.
All we should be doing is listing what we do to worship Him during our week...

(3) How do you connect with the church body? What do you do outside of Sunday Morning service to make worship service more effective?
        A worship leader - at a local church - has to be relational. If we are to lead effectively, we have to know the church body.
What do we do specially to engage and know the church body?

(4) What is the most important thing you do on a Sunday morning?
        Everyone one of us have a unique way we prepare for Sunday morning worship. Preparation is essential.
What steps is we take to enter worship on Sundays so we can effectively usher in a spirit of worship?

(5) Name me a worship leader who has changed your perspective on Worship? How?
        Worship is relational and it is a journey. What relationships/individuals have challenged you to grow?
Who has caused your fire to burn a little brighter for the kingdom?

(6) What social media/blogs/community/websites/books/CDs/magazines feed you during your week? Tell me your worship diet…
        Check the diet. What you put in is what you get out… ‘Nuff said.

(7) What subject(s) do you hear emerging in the church today? What themes do you hear the church singing about?
        As a worshipper, are you listening to the heartbeat of the church? Do you realize there is a heartbeat of the church? 
I believe it is important to listen to the cries of the church. Are you listening?

(8) Who are the fathers of your faith? Who helped build the foundation of your faith?
         Everyone needs elders to help us grow. Iron sharpens iron. Who continually sharpens you? What theologians challenge you?
What members of your church are your elders? Who has helped shape you?

(9) Where do you run in the bible to renew your faith? What are the scriptures that ignite your worship?
        Are you in the word? Do you know the Word?

(10) If you didn’t have music, how would you worship God?
        Worship is a lifestyle. Music is a part, but how are you worshipping outside of musically?

Hope this helps : As you can see there is very little about music proficiency. It is about a lifestyle of worship.
Prayer is essential. We should have a passion for the word and a passion for people to respond to the cries of God.
Worship pastors should be heavily involved in prayer ministry.
Spirit and truth. That’s what He’s looking for and you should be too…

Other questions that are essential? Love to hear them….

Sunday Set List #170 : 10-23-2011

#170 @ TheWorshipCommunity.com

Links

This week’s carnival: http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-170/

Weekly Planning Center Online link: http://www.planningcenteronline.com/plans/3183185/public

Set List

Worship

You Are Good - Bethel (Brian & Jenn Johnson)

Beautiful One - Tim Hughes

Run - Hillsong

Message

John 4: Worship in Spirit and in Truth

Altar Call

All I Need is You - Hillsong

Confessional

This week was so sweet. We just had our Encounter service for October the night before. You can access that list of songs here: http://www.planningcenteronline.com/plans/3226198/public. The Holy Spirit remained from the amazing things that occurred the night before. He called us to dance. He called us to shout aloud! He called us to move out of our chairs and call upon the Holy name of Jesus! I am so thankful for the praise team here. Thank you for being faithful and for responding. God is so good.

Our pastor spoke on worship and it was completely in sync with what happened the night before at Encounter. God was clearly speaking.

Now it is up to us to respond…

Sunday Set List #110 : 8-29-2010

#110@ TheWorshipCommunity.com

Links

Here is the link to this week’s carnival: http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-110/

If you’d like to view Our PlanningCenterOnline link: http://www.planningcenteronline.com/plans/1634143/public

Set List

Walk In Song

Happy Day - Tim Hughes

Worship

The More I Seek You - re:Verb style

Nothing But The Blood - Matt Boswell

Your Grace Is Enough - Matt Maher

Message

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Altar Call

Show Me Your Glory - Jesus Culture

Confessional

I am so in love with what God is doing in worship. He is just taking me to different places - and the church for that matter. Pastor Dan came up before service and started playing “I Exalt Thee” on piano and I just followed him. When he stepped down, I picked up where he left off and the band joined in... just a great moment of worship.

Now - while i will readily admit I messed up the intro to “Happy Day”, the praise band just settled in during the first verse and then we just took off in praising our King. Tiffani does a fantastic job with “The More I Seek You”. We do not play that song slow. Its more bottled up passion. I love it! Julia sang “I Love You Lord” twice and just brought us into a deeper place. I have to thank fellow blogger Jim Drake for introducing me to Matt Boswell. I loved throwing in a rocked out version of this classic hymn (we turned up the volume on Matt’s version) and just ran headlong right into “Your Grace is Enough”. The body just attached itself to to the Hymn and then they own the Matt Maher song... so I could just feel the spirit moving. Now some will say - look out into the body... can’t you see people just standing. Of course I can. But I can also see people jumping... but that isn’t the point... I can feel His Spirit moving! It is so evident if we just take a step back and feel with our spirit and not our eyes. He is present and He is ALIVE!

I can’t wait for next Sunday cause I’m already ready now!

Sunday Set List #108 : 8-15-2010

#108@ TheWorshipCommunity.com

Links

Here is the link to this week’s carnival: http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-108/

If you’d like to view Our PlanningCenterOnline link: http://www.planningcenteronline.com/plans/1608106/public

Set List

Walk In Song

Today is the Day - Brewester/Baloche

Worship

Beautiful One - Tim Hughes

Open The Eyes of My Heart- Baloche

Just to Be With You- Baloche

Message

Weapons of Watchmen Part 2

Altar Call

In Your Freedom - Hillsong

Rescue - Gungor

Confessional

We blessed our children and our students this week. Wonderful time of authoritative prayer and proclamation over our children’s lives and their learning.

I didn’t even realize I planned a Baloche-penned service until I looked at it today :-)

This service was very fluid as everything was in D. We went from Beautiful One to Open The Eyes and back to Beautiful...

The altar call we stayed in In Your Freedom for a while and then we went to Rescue and back to Just to Be With You...

I say all of that to say... I’m learning the songs don’t matter as much.

We still have to plan. We still have to study. We still have to practice. But its Jesus that matters.

It was His day this week. Very free and spirit filled.

Sunday Set List #107 : 8-08-2010

#107@ TheWorshipCommunity.com

Links

Here is the link to this week’s carnival: http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlist-107/

If you’d like to view Our PlanningCenterOnline link: http://www.planningcenteronline.com/plans/1595930/public

Set List

Walk In Song

No Greater Love - Matt Maher

Worship

Bless His Name - Jeremy Riddle

All Because if Jesus - Fee

Our God - Tomlin/Redman

Communion

Remembrance (The Communion Song) - Maher/Redman

Message

Weapons of Watchmen Part 1

Altar Call

The Stand - Hillsong

Confessional

This week I had a chance to go to the Deluge Festival in Katy, TX and see Deluge praise. I have to be honest - I didn’t go to hear their music. It isn’t that I don’t like them... I do. But I have talked to so many who say the stuff that comes out of Bethany Prayer Center in Louisiana is anointed.

So I expected to go and meet God there. In the middle of the first set, I heard God speak loudly and clearly to me. As Deluge played “Open Up The Sky” He said, “Why did you come tonight? Did you come for the music or did you come for me?” Now I knew why I came... but maybe God was re-questioning me... Prophet Damon Thompson (who is on FIRE - and if you don’t know check out The Ramp) came up and said the exact same thing. He asked us all why did we come? Did we come to hear music with our friends or did we come to meet the God of the universe?

So - why did you come to worship on Sunday? Is it because you like the music? Is it because you wanted to see your friends? or is it because you wanted to tell The Creator, the Master, the Holy One that He is all you need? I am learning that there is no compromise. So often we confuse grace with compromise - and that isn’t true. God does not compromise - if we are lukewarm we can expect to receive what Revelation tells us will happen at judgement. Grace covers a multitude of sins but we’d better be careful about what we’re counting on and what we’re comfortable with.

I don’t want Sundays to be comfortable. Sundays need to be an eruption of praise toward the One who is more than worthy of worship. Not should be... need to be!

I loved singing this week...not because of what we sang but because of who we sang to...

I can’t say that every week - but I hope this is the new normal.

All praises to Jesus!

Sunday Set List #106 : 8-01-2010

#106@ TheWorshipCommunity.com

Links

Here is the link to this week’s carnival: http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-106/

If you’d like to view Our PlanningCenterOnline link: http://www.planningcenteronline.com/plans/1570449/public

Set List

Walk In Song(s)

Come Now is the Time to Worship

Beautiful One

Worship

Christ Is Risen - Matt Maher

Healer - Mike Guglielmucci

Overcome - New Life Worship

Message:

Watchmen Part 2

Altar Call

Mighty To Save - Reuben Morgan

Confessional

I am getting to be more consistent :-)

You know - So often, we used unplanned to cover up our lack of preparedness. This was not the case this week - but unplanned is the accurate word for what happened. It was not an upbeat week of release but a week of being submissive to the Spirit.

I did something different as we prepared for service. During the morning practice, I sang “Dance With Me” - a song that was reintroduced on the latest Jesus Culture LP Consumed - to the Praise Team. We just invited the Holy Spirit into the sanctuary and loved on Him for a few minutes before class. It was a sweet fragrant time. I was really blessed by it. I think I’ll do that more often.

During service, there was not the jubilant release of the previous weeks but a wonderful declaration of the power of Jesus’ victory. Some mornings we just have to re-declare that Jesus has won.

When I plan services, there are some songs that you just know need to be in service and some that you are unsure about. This week I was sure about “Overcome” and uncertain about “Mighty To Save” - a song that we haven’t done much recently. I truly believe that God made His presence known during “Healer” and Overcome was just the extension of that. However, after a powerful message from Pastor, “Mighty To Save” was exactly what was needed. Sometimes one song - one moment just shines and this weeks Altar Call was a powerful declaration of Jesus’ power in our lives.

I didn’t plan it - as a matter of fact - I was unsure of it until 10 min before we got up to praise. Its amazing to me when God does these things. Unplanned by me - uncovered by God.

It has been a crazy, mixed-up, topsy-turvy, transforming summer. Its hard to believe its almost over...

Sunday Set List #105 : 7-25-2010

Links

This is part of “Sunday Set Lists” at TheWorshipCommunity.com

Here is the link to this week’s carnival: http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-105/

If you’d like to view Our PlanningCenterOnline link: http://www.planningcenteronline.com/plans/1550745/public

Set List

Walk In Song

Our God - Tomlin

Worship

Hosanna (Praise is Rising) - Baloche

The Lord Reigns - Klaus/Gateway

The Stand - Hillsong

Message:

Way Rivera : Missionary to Vietnam

Confessional

Wow what a week of praise. So last week I fell out in the spirit for the first time after service... well this week it happened in mid-service. You know, I’m not sure what God is doing. As I am new to this, it is a little confusing... but I really think its because I told God if I was every going to fall out in the spirit He was going to have to knock me over... well He’s knocking me over. I actually prayed for God to not knock me over because I could feel it starting and I didn’t want to disrupt worship... but the crazy thing is worship just took off after He took me out.... God knew what He was doing (imagine that...) So even though falling was a big deal to me, in the grand scheme of things, God just used it to start a time of authoritative prayer and spiritual warfare - the real event. Way Rivera - our missionary to Vietnam - was at church this week. She is a real warrior on the front lines. God has raised up over 20 churches through her efforts in Vietnam. Lift her up when you hit your knees this week.

You know, this is a worship confessional. Sometimes all I do is talk about the songs.

This week all the songs were great.

Really - they were all fantastic.

I could go on about how the body is connecting to “Our God”.

I could talk about how fantastic of a job the worship team did musically.

I could puff up my chest about what I knew or felt...

Worship - however - is not about the songs or how I thought they went.

It is about the Holy Spirit connecting us to God the Father through Jesus Christ.

This week God told me to stay up Saturday and worship a little with Him late at night.

So I did. He took the little bit of worship that I did and blew it up Sunday morning.

He proved to me again that He is everything and I am not.

Worship leading is not a place of reverence but a place of humility.

I’ve done music on every level and I have excelled.

However, God continually shows me - each week - how inadequate I am to lead worship.

If the Holy Spirit doesn’t show up, then we’re just singing songs.

I’m not doing this just to sing songs but to honor the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

I want to worship in Spirit and in Truth - He is the only way that happens. Not me.

The only way worship truly happens is if the Holy Spirit leads.

Let go and let God next week and see what He does...