Easy Basic Steps on How to Be a Good Worship Leader Step 1: The Importance of Prayer

Prayer is the key for any type of ministry that you work in. Without prayer, we can become accustomed to doing things in our own strength. It is through the power of God, that we must strive to do all things. Without Gods strength, we are helpless and will fail. Why do we need to pray? 1. Foremost, we need Gods Holy Spirit and presence in our services. 2. We need holy power in doing our ministry, and that is in Him alone. 3. We must practice His presence in our own personal lives to hear what He has to speak with us. 4. We must wait quietly before him, and He will reveal to us the direction to take in our selections of music. 5. Before we begin selecting music and arrangements, we need to stop and ask Him to make the job easier for us by directing us. When things come together easy for us, that is God working in our behalf in answer to our prayers. It is amazing how things will go much better when began in prayer. 6. Taking time to have prayer with all those involved in the music department prior to the service is important. Minds and hearts must be quieted to enter His presence and worship in front of a congregation.

7. We must clear the air of any bad attitudes or hasty spoken words with each other and in prayer. The Spirit is easily offended but such behavior, and the service will be mere motions without His presence. 8. Prayer is the key to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our services. Taking time to invite Him into worship with us is essential. 9. We must pray for all those involved in worship congregation, singers, pastors, instrument players, and ourselves. 10. We must pray for topics we will consider selecting, singers we will be scheduling and recruiting, Gods direction on what type of music to put together in consideration of the elderly and younger generation both. 11.Pray that God will give you a love for the people I have prayed this prayer twice in my life regarding two different congregations, and God did that very thing for me. I knew it! He filled me with his love for the people. 12. Pray that God will give you respect in the eyes of the people. That they will love and respect you. I feel that this is a good prayer, that God desires to answer. You will begin to sense it in the response of the people towards you. 13. Pray that God will you the wisdom. Proverbs 19:2 says it is not good to be hasty. 14. Pray that God will give you patience as you work with people who are not likeminded as times. It will not always be easy, but God will give you words if you wait on Him. Or He will soften your words towards others that they be received in the manner that you meant. I have prayed this prayer at times when I have been hasty or foolish and asked God to help them forget what I had said. I do believe He honors those types of prayers. 15. Ask God to help all who work in the music ministry to get along with each other and to melt away any ill feelings anyone may have towards another on the team. Rev. Jeanne McIntosh April 28, 2011