By Catherine Howie

This list is based on experiences and conversations over the last couple of decades. I have been blessed to serve in churches that get this. For the most part.

And so… drum roll please….

#10 – Encouragement.  Worship leaders are an artistic group, often with melancholy personalities. I’ve heard that for the general population it takes seven encouraging comments to offset one negative remark. For artistically invested folks the ratio is at least double that. Besides, encouragement never gets old, and it’s free! I have a file of encouraging cards that I read when I’m discouraged. I wouldn’t mind one more.

#9 – Feedback. Kindly given constructive feedback helps me figure out how to help our congregation connect with God better. Don’t be offended if I ask, “Can you explain that a little better?” I really do want to know what you’re saying. And I definitely like constructive feedback that is sandwiched between positive comments. (See #10.)

#8 – Administrative help. Yep I’m creative. That means administrative details are difficult and draining even if I am good at them. Can you get the music ready each week? Can you handle volunteer communication? While these seem like tiny tasks, my week is full of these tiny admin pebbles in my artistic boots that can wear me down. What seems easy to you can take a tremendous weight off me.

#7 – Music gift cards. Don’t buy me music – musicians are kind of picky on their music selections; plus, if they like it they probably already own it. A gift card with suggestions of new music works better. Just be careful when suggesting a new song in hopes that we’ll sing it in church. I put a lot of thought and prayer into bringing new songs to the body. Not using your song during the service doesn’t mean that I don’t like your music. So let me know your favorites, and let’s enjoy listening together.

# 6 – Invitation to worship.  A big part of my job is to lead you in worship every Sunday. Don’t get me wrong—I love my job! I also enjoy worshiping God when someone else is stressed about whether the keyboard player will remember the intro. (I play keys, so I can say that!) This week I was invited to the senior worship project of one of our interns. What a soul-refreshing treat!!

#5 – Tickets to a production.  Artistic people soak up inspiration. In fact, we need it like our physical bodies need food and without it my soul begins to whither. A play, art show, night at the symphony, and other events outside the church music world are a necessary luxury that is usually unaffordable. Please check with me though, to make sure I have the date open before you buy tickets. A bonus would be to include a ticket for my spouse.

#4 – Time to create. Creative cross-training keeps me focused and sharp. This is similar to #5, except that I’m engaged, not just soaking it up. Make arrangements for me to take a workshop or spend all day in my studio. Again, check with me to make sure this works with my schedule, then drop off a basket of snacks or a brown bag lunch so I can create all day without stopping.

#3 – Initiate. Do you see a need and have the ability to take care of it? Even something simple would make my day! Wrapping cables, re-setting the stage, sorting music, throwing away coffee cups, stacking chairs…. What do you see me doing when you leave the church? Offer to help me do it, and let’s serve together!

#2 – Pray. All week my efforts go into arranging everything in the worship center and service so that you can have a dynamic encounter with God. I pray for you and for the service. I would love to know that you are praying for me. Drop me a note or an email. Send an encouraging Scripture. When someone sends me a verse or two it often hits the aching spot in my heart. Like preaching pastors, worship leaders are on the front lines— leading the charge into enemy territory similar to the worship leaders who led the Israelite army into battle. The age-old tactic to take out the leader is a favorite one of our enemy’s. I can’t do what I do without prayer. The stakes are too high: we need to gather together and worship God.

#1 – Worship. The best way to encourage your worship leader is to worship God. Some of you connect best with him by pulling into yourselves. Head down, hugging yourself, lips barely moving… you are deeply worshiping him. When worshiping him in community, our main purpose is still to individually worship Him from the depth of our souls – but to do it together. The dynamic is different even though the purpose remains the same. To encourage those around physically show with your posture, countenance, and voice, what is going on in your heart. Try being more overt. Throw your hands up high in adoration. Kneel and cry out to him. Sing so loud you are hoarse. When you worship alone, you have only God to consider. When we can see you are worshiping God, we worship him more deeply—and I lead you better.

Knowing others are worshiping God is the second most glorious experience for a worship leader. 

The first is worshiping him.

Catherine Howie leads the Creative Arts at Trinity Church in Indianapolis, co-directs Halcyon Arts, a department of A.C.T., International, and speaks and blogs on topics relating to creativity and faith. worshipdevo.wordpress.com.

By Matthew Anderson

For the past ten years as a worship leader mostly in mainline (Lutheran) churches, I have received much life from the well of modern worship on behalf of my church.  Now I feel compelled to give something back from the depths of my own tradition. 

Have you ever been a part of a worship service where you suddenly found yourself wondering, “where is this service going?”  In the last 30 years or so, many of our churches have departed from liturgical formats and embraced a more open and free “music and a message (and sometimes communion)” model.  This has allowed our worship time to be more flexible and creative, unencumbered by elements that often seemed to interrupt flow. 

The struggle in that transition has been to find an adequate framework to guide the development of a worship set.  Many of us began with the rudimentary “fast songs to slow songs” model, or the similar “high-energy to preparation for the Word” structure.  Other suggestions have included a format based on Old Testament temple architecture, and one that starts with communal “we” songs and moves to songs more focused on the individual’s relationship with God.  

None of these approaches are wrong in and of themselves.  However each of them is incomplete, because they are missing an intentional encounter with the gospel itself.  They are often based in our own emotional experience, which can make for a very fickle foundation.  Not that emotion in worship is a bad thing – it is an important aspect of the whole self that has often been neglected over the course of the history of Christian worship.  But that expression needs to have some context; namely, the experience of God’s saving acts in history and in our lives. 

I want to suggest that the most meaningful and biblical way to shape a worship set exists right under our noses.  It’s in the liturgy we somewhat hastily departed from at the beginning of the modern worship movement.  The more I examine traditional liturgies from across the denominational spectrum, the more I see a two-part movement: (1) We acknowledge our need for God, and (2) we celebrate Christ as the fulfillment of that need.  

It happens in the traditional rite of Confession and Absolution (or forgiveness).  It occurs in the traditional cry of kyrie eleison (“Lord, have mercy”), followed by the gloria, or hymn of praise, which glorifies Christ.  It happens again as we sing “Alleluia” before hearing the Gospel reading.  And the movement is inherent in the act of coming to the Lord’s Table as a community. 

I believe the intention of historical Christian liturgies was to give worshippers an experience of the gospel, before they ever hear a sermon.  When our worship includes this same, simple two-part rhythm, we give worshippers an experience of God that becomes the basis for an emotional response.  Then there is no need for artificial constructs to “prepare our hearts” to hear God’s word.  We are ready to receive because we have already experienced the very gospel itself!  

So how do you incorporate this two-part movement in your own worship?  That’s where creativity comes in.  It might happen over the course of a worship set.  It could include two songs intentionally placed together.  Perhaps it will involve a few spoken words between songs to make the implicit movement more explicit.  What’s great is that it can fit into other models quite easily. 

In my own planning, I usually try to include three elements in the worship that happens before the message: an intentional “gathering” song or call to worship, an acknowledgement of our need for God, and clear worship of Jesus as the fulfillment of that need.  When this is done effectively, I can be confident my community is worshipping in spirit and truth, because they are experiencing the very heart of God’s message to us.  

Matthew is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Victorville, CA.  He maintains and writes for worshipindepth.com
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By Leslie Jordan

I once heard a poignant definition for worship, and it has never left my heart or mind: “worship is extravagant love and extreme submission.” It is hard to think that we sometimes place this word in a box, defining it only as “church music.” My heart sinks when I realize the creative state of the church has been reduced to choral arrangements and chord charts on Sunday mornings. This is definitely not extravagant or extreme. It has simply become our routine.

I have been on staff at The Journey Church in Franklin, TN since January 2008. We have experienced major changes in the past four years causing us to dig deeper into the meaning of worship—to move beyond our natural inclination to call it “music.” We believe each person is designed uniquely in the image of God, and, in our uniqueness, we have come to anticipate everyone’s response in worship to be just as original. Our stories beg us to love extravagantly and submit to the awesome authority of the Lord. The Bible calls us to come humbly before him, offering him our best, our finest, our worship. And sometimes, this means offering him more than a song.

Expansive Worship
In the fall of 2010, we formed a creative team comprised of a corporate graphic designer, a producer, a visual worship designer, musicians, painters, and pastors. We called it “Cartography” because, simply put, we were mapping the creative path of worship for our community at Journey.  It became our goal to move beyond music and prose and dive into other expressions of worship: painting, prayer, communion, writing, giving, silence, and Scripture. We found ourselves asking the question; “Would people experience a greater freedom in worship if they were given more ways in which to express their worship?”

And that question led us to more: What if the communion table was always available? What if we created a space in the room where people could go and pray? What if we made offering “baskets” a part of the response time so that the worshiper could give at the moment he/she felt God compelling them to give? What if worship was actually left up to the worshiper and not the worship leader? Would we finally experience true freedom in worship? The answer to this final question is a resounding, “Yes!”

Music as Piece
Over the last year and a half, we have seen our community grow out of a place of discomfort and into a space of freedom. Music has become only one of the ways we worship at Journey. During our response time, people scatter around the room. They stand in lines to take the Lord’s Supper. They bring their families forward and give offering. They kneel on pillows to pray, surrounded by friends and family. They journal and cry together. And some stand and sing.

In stating all of these things, I understand this may not be the solution for every church struggling to define worship. But as a church leader, I believe it is important to at least begin asking the questions. Mark Pierson talks about this in his book, The Art of Curating Worship. He says in order to be most effective in facilitating and planning a worship gathering, we must first answer two questions based on the mission and people of our church:
1. What is church?
2. What is worship?

If you can answer these two questions honestly and specifically for your community, I believe you will begin to see the unique ways in which God is calling you to worship. We have a community full of creative people; therefore our collective worship is creative. If your community is full of investment bankers and corporate CEOs, your collective worship expression will most likely look different. And the beautiful truth is that “the Lord takes delight in His people” (Ps 149:4). He finds joy in our expression. He receives our worship. And he deserves it with our greatest extravagance and humility.

How can you help facilitate a greater freedom in worship at your church? To join the conversation, go to allsonsanddaughters.com/blog

Leslie Jordan is a worship leader at Journey Church in Franklin, TN and one half of the worship duo, All Sons & Daughters. Their new live album and DVD, Live, will be available April 23.

By Jeremy Armstrong

Since there is a bit of baggage and even confusion on the term “social justice,” we at Worship Leader tend to prefer the term “worship integrity.” Basically having our lives match what we know to be true of God. It is a matter of spirit and truth worship, if we are worshiping a God of justice, and our actions don’t match up, then our worship integrity is at risk. As well in an evangelistic sense, it is hard to argue with Christian compassion and acts of mercy. In fact it is almost universally an attractive quality. So here are 10 ways you can keep justice on the lips of worshipers so that they will also remember to maintain worship integrity throughout the week.

1. Sing justice and redemption songs: 
Examples (feel free to add your suggestions to this list in the comments below):
“God of Justice,” Tim Hughes
“Days of Elijah,” Robin Mark
“If We Are the Body,” Casting Crowns
“Fade With Our Voices,” Jason Gray
“All Who Are Thirsty,” Brenton Brown
“God of This City,” Bluetree
“My Soul Longs,” The Neverclaim
“We Are,” Kari Jobe
“From the Inside Out,” Hillsong United
“In the Ruins” Daniel Bashta
“The Church” Elevation Worship

2. Don’t sing justice songs: Sometimes our songs can be about God’s victory and love for the poor, or a lament for the state of the world, without being literal. Use visuals to help bring this deeper reality about. For example this weekend a lament song such as All Sons and Daughters’ “All the Poor and Powerless” will take on new meaning with tasteful pictures of the Boston marathon tragedy on the screen. Even the word “hallelujah” will display a deeper nuance and beauty and connect your congregation with those affected. 

3. Change the lyrics: Throughput the history of the Church, hymns have been adapted to fit circumstances. At the National Worship Leader Conference a couple of years back, Matt Redman led with “Everlasting God.” After singing the chorus of “You’re the defender of the weak / You comfort those in need / You lift us up on wings like eagles” he led us all to sing “And so we must defend the weak / And comfort those in need / And lift them up on wings like eagles.”

 4. Invite the “least” in your church to be on the platform. People with disabilities, children, minorities, the elderly—think of those who may feel marginalized in your church’s culture, and tell them that they are precious in the sight of God in a very concrete way.

5. Pray for God’s justice: In your prayers remember that you are praying to a God who is on the side of the oppressed. He raises the humble, he cares for the widow, he heals the leper, is the friend of sinners, hears the cry of the orphan, he is good news to the poor.

6.  Incorporate global music and a global understanding in your services. Let it be a reminder that At least 80% of humanity lives in poverty. 

7. Read the Psalms that are focused on justice, so that your worshiping community knows God’s heart on the matter. Examples: 11:7, 35:10, 140:12

“You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.” Psalm 10:17-18

8. Read the Beatitudes from Luke and/or Jesus’ declaration from Luke 4 to know the heart of Christ on the matter:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

9. Lead living worship in the streets: It’s easy to get heavy handed with justice issues, as well it is not always helpful to overwhelm people with stats and even worse to not offer a concrete way to make a difference. So lead worship that extends beyond music. Ideas: start an after school music program for local kids, serve breakfast once a week to anyone hungry, set up a mission trip, find people who are homebound and bring them to church.

10. Pray for God’s kingdom to come. Worship integrity and acts of compassion are acts of longing. They are acts of celebrating Advent—the second Advent when Christ will return and restore all broken things.

 Jeremy Armstrong is managing editor of Worship Leader magazine. 

By Michael A. Lee

Q: My church is all contemporary worship, but I’ve been asked to fill in at another church down the street that is purely traditional. What are some things I should know about the tech side of leading in a traditional service?

A: When I was 21, a local church hired me to lead worship at their mid-week service. The pastor explained that they wanted modern rock, “lights and big drums” worship, and it was my job to make it happen. What I didn’t know was that the service I was being handed was a battlefield in the church’s ongoing worship war. It was clear from the start that people weren’t happy with the new music, and so the elder board asked me to make some changes. Within four months, the service morphed from guitars, drums, vocal team, and lasers to me, at a piano, with a hymnal. It was the start of my ongoing love affair with traditional worship music.

I could not have been more out of my element. For a young keyboardist more at home with face-melting rock anthems than four-part harmony, it was a huge adjustment. Not only did I need to learn new musical styles and a new repertoire, I had to learn to think differently about the technology we were using in the service.

If you’re a contemporary worship leader stepping in to lead congregational worship in a traditional setting, let me share four things I learned along the way. 

1. Turn down the lead vocal mic.
In a contemporary service, we often mix audio at a level where the sound envelops the listener, so that there’s a kinetic reaction to the experience even if they aren’t singing along. When we’re leading, we get nervous if our mic isn’t loud enough to sing out over the congregation. In a traditional service, the congregation doesn’t need that kind of leadership. As I’m often reminded by some of our church members, they know these songs better than I do! Traditional congregations love to sing, they love to hear themselves singing, and cranking up the lead vocal mic can get in the way. That sense of overwhelming power and sonic envelopment? That’s the job of the organ.

2. The organ is a sovereign nation.
In many sanctuaries, the organ isn’t routed through the sound system. Even if it’s an electric organ with no pipes, it’s likely to have its own set of speakers that are independent from the house system.  That means there are some limitations to what we can do, like bringing the overall level up or down at the soundboard, or sending the organ to your vocal monitor. Speaking of monitors …

3. You may not get (or need) a monitor.
The first and second points together add up to the fact that you may not need a monitor. In a contemporary setting, it’s hard to do your job unless the full radio mix is screaming back up at you from a wedge or your in-ears. However, the lower volume of the leading voice together with the independence of the organ often makes a vocal monitor unnecessary. This can be intimidating at first, but it can also be great practice in helping you trust your own voice.

4. Your congregation will have their own monitors.
How hip is the traditional service? So hip that some folks in the congregation have their own in-ear monitors! Many traditional services use wireless assisted listening devices, similar to wireless in-ear monitors, to amplify the service for people with hearing loss. In some sanctuaries, these assisted listening devices are fed by a dedicated aux mix from the main board. In others, they only have a feed from the pastor’s mic. It’s a good idea to talk with the sound tech about what’s going to the assisted listening devices, and how it might affect the worship experience of those people using them.

In my current position, I live in both the contemporary and traditional worlds. I lead a small early morning chapel service with an organist and a hymnal, as well as rotating through to lead the large contemporary service with full throttle production. I’m finding that my experience leading in a traditional setting is making me more thoughtful about how we employ technology in the contemporary services. The same question stays at the forefront in both settings: are these tools serving the worship experience, or hindering it?

Michael A. Lee is a professional keyboardist, composer, and a professor at Azusa Pacific University. He leads worship at Crossline Church. michaelleemusic.com