THE WORSHIP PROCESS

Planning worship

Planning worship is such an interplay of songs, truths and the personality of the worship leader that I hesitate to generalize as if all worship leaders plan the way I do, or that they should. I think of the models as basic guidance from the Holy Spirit. When I begin to plan the worship I will sometimes sense a desire to crown Jesus King among us, so I put together a set of songs that take us to the Throne Room. At other times I will sense that we should really celebrate the Lord's presence so I put together a musical ascent of Mt. Zion to worship at David's tabernacle. At still other times, I will sense the Lord's desire to dwell with His people in the healing fullness of His holiness, and I will let thoughts of the Holy of Holies guide my selection of music. I think of what I am planning as the Living Sacrifice of Praise for the Holy-Royal Priesthood. On and on we can go through all the models. They serve this dual function: to help us understand worship and to guide our thinking as we plan worship.

Many times the Lord impresses me first with how He wants the praise and worship time to end and I work toward that specific goal. At other times a certain chorus or hymn will be the definite starting point and I start connecting last lines to first lines, keys to keys, and styles to styles until I joyfully discover, song by song, where the Holy Spirit wants to take us. However God leads the worship leader, the worship plan is not something that is just thrown together at the last minute. The worship leader seeks and prepares it as a pastor would a Word from the Lord! It is a product of the worship leader's devotional life, his sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, and his musicianship.

Communicate the plan.

A simple sheet of paper for each service should be provided to each singer, player, and technician who will help in the service. The number of things the leader can communicate with a one page outline of the service is amazing: keys, modulations, introductions, interludes, differing orchestrations on hymn stanzas, solos, anticipated transitions and repeats, anything that can be thought out ahead of time.

Execute the plan.

Leading in worship only begins with the plan. During the time of praise and worship in the service, the worship leader has to exercise sensitive leadership as the plan unfolds. It is at this point that he must walk a tightrope: he must worship God with all his might, but still be thinking ahead in the plan; he must give himself completely to the praise and worship of his God, but still gauge how the people are responding to the plan he is giving them; and, he must take charge of the musical aspects of the sequence (tempo, transitions, etc.) but never feel like he is making something happen. (Leading worship is a process of letting something happen, not making something happen.)

STEPS TO WORSHIP LEADING

1. Prepare the heart
2. Prepare the leaders
3. Prepare the people
4. Prepare the songs(old and new)
5. Communicate the plan
6. Execute the plan

These things need to be in place for this to come about: the plan must be available to all who need it, and signals must be used and the words must be provided. Use simple signals during the service. There are some things that cannot be planned ahead of time. The worship leader needs a set of signals. Again, let me share the ones I use as these are the only ones I can vouch for. Make eye contact with the pianist just before the next modulation in the plan. Because all the musicians have the plan, they are all looking for my signal as to the moment when we will do the modulation. The pianist makes sure the organist and the rhythm section know that the time is coming---and it happens! All from a written plan and a glance! I walk around quite a bit as I lead worship, so it is easy for me to give the signal without the congregation noticing. (I have had to work with the piano in all possible locations, behind me and to either side, but I have never had to abandon "the look" as a signal for the next modulation.)
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