Leading God’s People in Worship
A Men’s Training Class
Steve Kissell

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4: 23-24
 

 Introduction:

     God commands worship. But not just any worship will do. As Jesus said, worship must be done according to truth and must be done spiritually. Some of our worship will be private, such as when we pray alone. But God expects us to worship as a group at least once every week. It is important in those occasions that the group be led in such a way that everyone can worship acceptably.

      One of the privileges of being Christian men is that God has entrusted worship leadership to us (see 1 Tim. 2: 8, 11-12; 1 Cor. 14: 34). But it is not only a privilege, it is a grave responsibility. God expects those who lead in worship to be spiritual men, not just during the worship assem­bly, but in their everyday lives. Nothing will discredit our worship quicker than to have an unfaithful man leading in worship.

      The writer of Hebrews tells us to “continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15). Our worship is an offering to God and should be the best it can be. It is important, therefore, to provide the best worship leadership we can. That’s what this course is all about.

      None of what follows is original with me. Some of the things that we will say reflect clear Biblical principles. Some of the suggestions made will be the accumulated, but uninspired, wis­dom of godly men. Some of what follows will reflect the formal training I have had in this area and some is merely my opinion . It is my hope that we can all benefit from this study and that excellence in worship will become our goal.

 Leading Public Prayers
      Prayer is not a complicated concept; it is simply talking to God. It is noteworthy, however, that Jesus' disciples asked Him how to pray. The mere fact that He complied with their request and  taught them tells us that there are things to learn about prayer. Our focus here is on public prayer.

Basics about public prayer:
1) The most important thing is that a prayer be sincere, offered in faith, from the heart.

2)   When you lead a public prayer, it is not merely your prayer, it is the prayer of everyone in the assembly; you are expressing what we all want to say to God. That being true, phrases such as “We pray…” or “our prayer” should be used rather than “I pray…” or “my prayer…”

3)   There should be balance between familiarity and formality.  “Hey, Dad” is not an appropriate way to address our Father in heaven. On the other hand, it isn’t necessary to use a special “ecclesiastical” language for public prayer. Some men will use “Thee” and “Thou” in addressing God. There is nothing wrong with that but it isn’t (as some have sug­gested in times past) necessary nor better than using “You” and “Your.” Above all, always speak respectfully to God.

 4)   Don’t forget that the Person to whom you should be speaking is God the Father.  We are not talking to Jesus. Jesus taught us to pray to “Our Father in Heaven” (Matt. 6: 9) It is not, therefore, correct to speak of “your blood” or to pray in “your name,” etc.  We are speaking to the Father, not Jesus.

5)  Public prayers are definitely not the place to voice your gripes or criticisms about anything. If you disagree with something that was said in a sermon, a public prayer is not the proper way to make that known or to make corrections.

6)  We should avoid letting our prayers become mechanical; over time certain phrases tend to get used so much that they become trite. A prayer should be more than a collection of stock phrases. Each prayer should fit the occasion.

7)  Speak loudly enough so that everyone can hear you — if you’re not being heard, or if people are struggling to hear, you’re not really leading.  Even though there is a microphone, please speak slightly louder than you do normally.

8)  Give thanks for God’s blessings, especially blessings we have all shared as a church. Thank God for specific things He has done for us. Express our praise to God, acknowledge His greatness.

9)  Pray for brethren that are sick; mention them by name if you wish. However, use some judgment in this — it is not necessary to mention by name every sick person you know, especially if those names have been previously mentioned or listed in the bulletin.

10)  Pray for the preaching of the gospel both here and elsewhere; pray for those who labor in preaching (especially those we help support). Pray for the lost.

11)  Pray for specific things we are doing — personal evangelism efforts, care groups, classes, etc.

 12)  It is always appropriate to give our requests to God (Phil. 4:6).  We are not giving God orders, we are asking for favors.

13)   A long prayer is not necessarily better than a short one. Jesus’ model prayer was quite short.

14)  Some things are better left unsaid in public prayers. Matters that are private or delicate should be reserved for private prayer.

15)  Generally when we close a prayer we say something like “in Jesus name we pray…” Although this is a useful way to end a prayer (better than "talk to ya later" or “roger wilko, over and out”) it isn’t absolutely necessary, any more than it is necessary to end a song by saying “in Jesus name we sing.” The fact is we are doing both in Jesus name (by His authority, Col. 3: 17). We do many things in Jesus name without actually stating so; it is understood.

16)  Remember that there are usually visitors among us. Our public prayers will be part of the  impression we leave on them.

17)  If leading the closing prayer, don’t wait until the final song or announcement is completed to make your way to the front; be there and be ready.

 Reading Scripture

1)  Avoid thinking that this is unimportant. This is God speaking to us. When we talk to God in public prayer we “shush” the children and bow our heads in reverence.  That’s good.  But  shouldn’t we place at least as much importance on God speaking to us? Don't begin read­ing until the assembly is quiet.

2)  Read the passage at least once in advance. If possible (it should usually be possible) read the passage aloud. There may be a word or name that you don’t know how to pronounce. Ask someone.

3)  Announce the passage to be read, wait a moment and repeat it.

4)  Speak clearly and loudly. Not too slow or too fast.

5)  Try not to speak in a monotone.  Read it with some feeling with sensitivity to its context, but don’t “ham it up” or attempt a “dramatic reading.”

6)  I strongly suggest using a modern English translation (I recommend the New King James Version).  The word of God is relevant to modern man but it can seem archaic and irrelevant to the unchurched visitor when they hear "thee and thou" or terms such as "sore vexations" and "superfluidy of naughtiness," etc.

Leading at the Lord's Supper

1)  Be prepared.  Whether you have remarks to make or a Scripture passage to read, know what you intend to say before you get up.

2)  If you intend to make some remarks, make them brief.  Two or three minutes is plenty of time.  Keep personal anecdotes to a minimum. Remarks regarding a passage of Scripture are much more appropriate. Make sure your passage or remarks are pertinent.

3)      Make some attempt to help our visitors understand what is going on, and that this is an important part of our worship every Lord's day.

4)      When giving thanks for the emblems, give thanks for the emblems! Too often prayers refer to anything and everything except the bread and fruit of the vine. This is not the time to pray for the sick, etc.

 5)      Avoid expressing thanks for the “wine.”  The New Testament never refers to it as wine, always as “fruit of the vine.” They are not necessarily the same thing.

6)      Some insist that to refer to Christ’s “broken body” is incorrect. I disagree. It is true that Jesus’ bones were not broken, but his flesh was. A body is more than bones.

 7)      Don't forget to whom you are praying: God the Father. It is incorrect to speak of “your body…”  The Father never had a physical body, and even if He had, it was never hung on a cross.

8)      Serve the bread first, then the fruit of the vine.  If a mistake is made here don’t attempt to correct it after the serving has began.  Any error (dropped tray, etc.) should be handled as smoothly and quietly as possible. Don’t make a joke about it or publicly refer to it in any way.

 Worship Leader/ Making Announcements

       Some question whether announcements should be made at all.  Announce­ments are not worship, it is reasoned.  I believe that although announcements are not technically worship, they generally do provide opportunities for service (visit or pray for the sick, etc.), and that worship, although the primary purpose of our assembling, need not be the only reason (Heb. 10: 25).

 Tips:

 1)  Stand up straight. Don't lean on the pulpit. Be upbeat. You may be the one who sets the tone for what follows.

 2)  Strike a balance between being too formal and too casual.  Asking questions such as, "How's everybody doin' today?" is perhaps too casual.

 3)  Always welcome our visitors. Let them know that we are glad they are here. Sound like it's true.

 4)  Look over the announcements before you address the assembly. Try to be prepared.

5)  Make the announcements as brief as possible.

 The Collection

1) The giving of our money is an act of worship. Don't give the impression that it is unimportant.

2)  A clear distinction should be made between the Lord's Supper and the collection. We normally do that by separating the two.

 3)  Giving is not expected of non-members. That should be mentioned occasionally.

4)  Although saying a prayer "for the offering" is traditionally done here, and in my opinion is a good idea, it is not Scripturally mandated.

 Song Leading

       Song leading is the most technical area of worship leading. A good song leader will understand at least some of the technical aspects of music. We will not attempt here to delve too deeply into this.  What follows are some general suggestions:

 1)  The Lord's Day worship assembly is not the time to train new song leaders or to learn new songs. Save that for other times.

 2)  Be a song leader, not just a song starter. Song leading requires boldness. The congregation will follow what they can hear (more than they will follow your hand motions).

3)  Only lead songs you are sure you know. You are, after all, the leader; the congregation should not be expected to lead you, and they will not follow where you cannot go.

4)  Don't start too slow. Although the correct tempo is generally a matter of opinion, I believe it is safe to say that songs are sung too slow much more often than they are sung too fast.

5)  Maintain the tempo; although difficult sometimes, this is your job. If the songleader fails to lead, the tempo will invariably slow down. If they are not following you in tempo, it is most likely because they cannot hear you. The song leader needs to sing loudly enough to be a leader.

6)  If you plan to lead singing on Sunday morning, get a pitch pipe and learn to use it. For the inexperienced, consistently starting on the right pitch is very difficult without one. Typically, less experienced song leaders will pitch too low.

7)  If the congregation begins to sing a verse other than the one you intended, don't insist on correcting them. Go along, and lead better next time.

8)  If you don't understand the words of the song, don't lead it. Chances are most others will not understand them either. Singing songs we don't understand the meaning of is, by definition, meaningless. On rare occasions you may want to briefly explain the meaning.

 Conclusion: Let's never forget that worship is directed toward God. He is watching. Let's strive to make our worship something that He is glad to receive.