How to Be the Ideal Worship Leader...

By Jon Nicol

Recently, Musicademy, a worship/music resource site based out of the UK, released their top 100 articles of 2012. I've guest posted there occasionally, so I was pretty happy to see that seven of my articles made it on that list.

This week, I'll be working on a couple projects that I'd like to finish before the baby #4 comes. While I do that, I thought I'd hightlight a few of my posts that made the list.

This one came in at #7:
The Ideal Worship Leader (And Other Myths You Should Stop Believing)

Let’s make a list of a great worship leader:

Strong musical ability to carry the band…
…and vocally gifted to inspire the congregation each time his/her mouth opens…
…but also the spiritual depth to truly lead a congregation in worship…
…with a mix of theological and musical training coupled with the creativity to plan and execute biblically sound, yet emotionally-charged worship experiences…
…and the interpersonal skills to develop, encourage, and exhort a team to musical excellence and relational health…
…but also has the administrative skills to coordinate schedules, services, and special events.
Oh, and I almost forgot: a gifted songwriter.

If you can’t afford to hire him or her, just recruit this person as a volunteer from your congregation. And while you’re at it, find a unicorn for this worship leader to ride in on each Sunday.

Even if we had the money to spend on a “complete package” person, we’d be hard pressed to find him (or more likely, her). When we find “rock stars” (in the good sense) they are usually only rock stars in a few areas. And what makes them rock stars at leading a congregation in worship will likely make them absolutely reek when it comes to administration.

So, should we look for a well-rounded worship leader? Absolutely not. Well-rounded is just code for average at everything...

Read all of The Ideal Worship Leader...

January 7, 2013