Early experiences of leading worship in the village churches.

Early experiences of the charismatic movement.

Fountain Trust etc.

Russell Park YPF.

Wimber and the Vineyard.

To come in adoration of God. He is great in all His ways and far beyond our understanding. He is a wonderful God NOT just because of what He has done BUT because of who He is. TELL HIM !

To confess our need of Him. Left alone we are weak, helpless, prone to sin and to be unfaithful to Him and others. Sin brings separation, confession brings fellowship.

To come with thanksgiving. Thank Him for the things that He has done both in history and in your own life.

To come in supplication bringing our needs and the needs of others to Him, knowing that He is a gracious God who delights in giving.

Expect Him to draw near to you and to make you aware of His presence, His love for you and His concern to bless you.

Expect God to speak to you as you worship Him. He is a god who communicates. Take time to listen.

Expect God to encourage you, challenge you, lift you up and to generally help you as He draws near and speaks

Expect God to touch your emotions ---- He does love you !

All of the things that we experience when we worship alone.

An added dimension because we are worshipping Him together. The presence of God is infectious in it's application.

To experience the 1 Corinthians 14 input from the Holy Spirit i.e. tongues, interpretations, prophecies, singing in the spirit, revelations, instructions, encouragements. These should be part of the normal, regular life of the church.

To experience various manifestations of the Spirit as He touches people as He wills.

To expect changed lives either through conversion, the restoration of backsliders or the building up of the saints.

To expect and experience a growing desire to worship Him and to be like Him.

There is no New Testament pattern !!!

He/she is NOT to lead the direction in which the church is called to go. That is the responsibility of the eldership.

In the Old Testament individuals were chosen to lead the people in singing "Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was good at it ..... Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs" 1 Chronicles 15 v 22, 27;

" Uzzi was one of Asaph's descendants, who were the singers responsible for the service of the house of God" Nehemiah 11 v 22

Korah "used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and thanksgiving" Psalm 42 v 4.

Miriam led the women in dance and timbrel playing "Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and with dancing" Exodus 15 v 20.

Leading in worship is to assist the people to worship God. It involves direction, example and correction all carried out with a sensitive heart and a will that is submissive to God.

Prepare your heart before you prepare your programme. Do not neglect the vital importance of personal prayer, confession, meditation and thanksgiving.

Be a worshipper yourself - do not attempt to lead worship if you do not worship when others are leading. You must be an example.

Ask the Lord what He wants to do. If He gives you a clear indication then that will inevitably affect what you sing etc. If there is no clear indication aim to bless Him.

Always be willing to be flexible. The Holy Spirit will often make directions clear as we allow Him to draw near (remember that the "we" is not just the worship leader but the whole congregation).

Be prepared. Spontaneity is not the same as operating in a vacuum.

Do not get into ruts - they have a habit of tearing down what God is building up.

Be clear. You are there to lead the people and they need to know where they are and where they are going. If the Holy Spirit changes direction be sure that you have heard aright and then make certain that others know as well.

Do not mumble! Speak as well as you can.

Do not speak unnecessarily. Too many worship leaders push God out by their insistence on speaking when He wants to.

The worship leader is to lead the meeting under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He is not to move in every direction suggested from the body of the congregation, nor is he the pawn in the hands of the musicians. Musicians are to be attentive to the worship leader and submissive to him.

Tongues are directed towards God and require interpretation. The interpretation will also be directed towards God and will normally consist of a prayer or the yearning of a heart towards God. What happens if an interpretation is not forth-coming? Firstly, it is the responsibility of the giver of the tongue to be certain that there is some-one with the interpretation present, and therefore he/she has a responsibility to bring it if no-one else does! Secondly, if all else fails and the worship leader does not have the interpretation, he should encourage people to seek God regarding it before moving on.

(NOTE: If an interpretation is brought in the form of a word from God it is probable that either the interpreter has interpreted with a wrong understanding of the nature of tongues, or it is a prophetic word that is to be the reply to the interpreted tongue).

Prophecies are from God to man and will never be condemning even if they contain solemn words of rebuke. They must be tested by the prophets present and weighed by the elders. Many such words will be in the form of an encouragement either to individuals or to the whole church. All may prophecy under the anointing of the Spirit, although none should take this lightly. It is unlikely that anyone with an un-proved gifting or ministry will bring words of major directional change or rebuke.

The worship leader is always to be under the authority of the recognised leadership of the church and to be seen to be submissive to them.

Leading is not contradictory to being led by the Spirit. He normally leads through you if you are an appointed leader.

Manifestations of the Spirit.

Be relaxed and alert to the Spirit's promptings.

Do not assume that every comment or request made by a participant is a leading of the Spirit. A wrong comment/request probably comes from human choice but it may be a red-herring from the enemy. Learn to discern and how to say "no" or "later" graciously. If you say "later" make certain that you honour your word.

Encourage participation - body ministry is the implicit NT pattern.

Ask individuals by name to participate at times, but be sensitive to their feelings and where they are spiritually.

Do not abdicate your position as leader to the over-talkative or domineering.

Do not be afraid of silence - God often speaks into the situation when we are quiet enough to hear Him!

Encourage the use of spiritual gifts. They are for everyday use and do not need to be kept for special occasions.

Praise is important, adoration is vital.

Don't jump around. When the Spirit is leading in a given direction go with Him.

There is usually a natural progression through praise into adoration.

Remember that it is relatively easy to move from boisterous praise into the quietness of adoration and worship but if the mood is taken upbeat during the stillness that God often brings with His presence it will probably be impossible to draw back to that intimacy.

Do not be afraid of quietness when the Spirit of God draws near. Give Him the opportunity to make Himself known and to speak into the meeting.

Do not become a slave to the clock, but on the other-hand do not assume that praise/worship times have to be long.

Know when to stop. If the people are ill prepared do not try to force something to happen - He draws near when we draw near to Him.

All the comments regarding the small group are true, but are magnified.

Preparation is vital. This includes public prayer made on behalf of the people. Do not be sloppy.

Be yourself but remember that you are a servant who has been charged with a task by God. Do not under-estimate your calling.

Do not be dictated to by anyone, but be submissive to the church leadership.

A leader needs respect for people, not sloppy, but having a right sense of propriety. He needs to be able to think and speak clearly and give clear instructions as to what to do next, as and where necessary, without being intimidating or overbearing. He needs to be aware of the physical conditions, heating, lighting, ventilation, noise, distractions, people standing or sitting too long, and to be able to take appropriate action. His concern that everyone be edified will be shown in such things as summarising over-quiet contributions and prompting for songs in which the words are not available to all.

A leader needs to be relaxed in God and not project his inner tensions and insecurities. He needs an ability to charge confidently so that the people feel comfortable and secure in his leadership. He needs to be well grounded in Scripture and in an understanding of the nature of public worship, having a clear expectation of God for the gathering. He needs knowledge and experience of how to handle situations and be able to bring correction.

A leader needs a sensitivity and awareness of what God is doing in the meeting. He must be able to recognise the prompting of the Spirit and be able to evaluate the significance of various contributions. He may need to discern the Lord's word in divergent contributions and be able to bring these together and so bring clarity to everyone. He needs to be flexible, imaginative and be able to lead the people God-ward, keeping the worship centred on the Lord, so we "gory in Christ Jesus".

The leader must be a man under authority and of submissive heart. He leads by humble example in praising, praying, dancing and exulting, but in such a way as to draw attention to the Lord and not to himself. He is able to keep his own contribution brief and to the point and avoids the temptation to give sermonettes. He gives others plenty of room and is able to lead without dominating and to be enthusiastic and zealous without being theatrical or causing embarrassment. His manner conveys appreciation to those who do participate and has a good rapport with the musicians and elders. He can keep his spirit in peace if one of the elders comes and takes the meeting over from him.

A worship leader should be a long distance runner, and not a sprinter. That is, he/she should be a person who is stable, committed, and who has his/her personal life in order (1 Timothy 3:1-10; Titus 1:6-9).

He/she should perceive leadership as an obligation to service and self-sacrifice, rather than position, title, power, authority, respect, privilege etc. (Mark 3:13-15)

He/she should demonstrate the fullness of the Holy Spirit, of faith, and of wisdom. (Acts 6:3,5)

The worship leader should also have personal exposure to, intimacy with, and loyalty to his/her leader. (Mark 3:13-15)

A worship leader should also exhibit trustworthiness, with the ability to resist being bribed or bought. (Exodus 18:21)

He/she must be both capable and respected, mature in the faith, and with proven ministry ability. (1 Timothy 3:2-7)

There should be a readiness to be judged by strict standards and to accept reproof. (James 3:1)

There must be a genuine love for people and for Jesus, without desire for personal benefit at the expense of the sheep. (John 21:17; Ezekial 34:1--10)

He/she must be a "team player", willing to help his/her pastoral associates succeed. (Phil. 2:3-4)

Is he/she anointed by God? When the person leads, does God come? That is, does He respond to the worship? Is the person sensitive to the direction of the Spirit during worship? Do the people follow and respond to the direction and flow of the worship? Does the person often worship when he/she is alone?