Preparation

I've always been a firm believer in preparation.

When I first decided I wanted to become a worship leader, I immediately planned my first worship set and the songs I was going to use. I also practiced all those songs on the guitar, since I wanted to use the guitar, rather than the keyboards for leading worship.

How long did I spend practising my first worship set? If I remember correctly, it was for months. I learned more songs as I learned more chords. Then I started playing guitar for worship in cell group. Even though I felt I was ready to lead worship, the cell group kept putting up other people to lead worship, people who didn't really know what they were doing either musically or spiritually. So that just went on for months while I just continued preparing, planning and practicing my worship sets. I did that even though I was not leading worship for my own cell group.

How many people would continue preparing to lead worship if that happened to them?

It was really funny, in the end I finally got to lead worship for a prayer meeting at another church. For 6 months, I led worship for their prayer meeting every week. Suddenly ALL my preparation became useful. Everything I prepared came in useful during those 6 months.

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I had other people telling me that they wanted to become worship leaders. And I always tell them the same thing: prepare one set of worship songs and we'll discuss that. And God knows, many times they would tell me "But I don't know when I will be leading worship!"

I tell them "It does not matter. Prepare first!"

And they never do…

Especially amongst charismatics, some people believe that preparation goes against the leading of the Holy Spirit in worship. It's sad, because it shows that they don't believe that the Holy Spirit will guide them in their preparations. They seem to think that the Holy Spirit is just waiting for the chance to throw some surprises on them to catch them off guard, and if they do not manage to follow the Holy Spirit 100% they will miss whatever blessing the Spirit of God has planned for them for that meeting.

There are two types of preparation that came to mind as I think about worship leaders.

1) Levitical Preparation -

The Levites were set apart for the service of the LORD, to serve at the Ark of the Tabernacle (Num 18:6). They initially started serving from 30 years old onwards (1 Chr 23:3) and that was later changed to 20 years of age onwards (1 Chr 23:24). But one thing remained constant – to be born into the tribe of Levi meant that you were chosen for serving God.

And that also applies to us, as New Testament believers. We are set apart as royal priests onto God (1 Peter 2:9). And just as a Levite knew from birth that he was meant to serve God, and his parents were to raise him up accordingly, so are we meant to serve God. And from the moment of our spiritual birth into the Kingdom of Heaven we should prepare ourselves with that same seriousness and dedication.

2) Prophetic Preparation -

Jewish tradition claims that Samuel set up schools of prophets. They trained people in prophecy and music (1 Sam 10:5-6). By the time of Elijah, these schools were so established that even after Jezebel had killed off many of the prophets, Obadiah could still find 100 prophets to protect (1 Kings 18:4).

For us that refers to specific training we receive for a particular ministry. Is it possible to be effective in serving in worship ministry, for example, without having gone through formal training for it? Yes. But some form of preparation IS necessary.

If even prophets, who learned to speak as they were moved by the Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:21), could benefit from being trained and mentored, how much more us worship ministers?

And the preparation never stops. Even as we step up serve with what we have, God is still continually at work within us. He wants us to get ready for further service.

• Are you serving God on just one music instrument? God may be nudging you to learn another.
  
• Are you leading worship with only a few familiar songs? I am certain God is nudging you to learn more. Why am I certain? Because the Bible doesn't talk about worshiping God with new styles of music or new instruments. But the Scripture DOES tall about singing a new song to the LORD (Psa 33:3, 96:1, 144:9). And if we want to emphasize what the Bible emphasizes, we need to pay more attention to learning and using new songs in worship as well.
  
• Are you limited in your music instrument skill? God may be nudging you to get out of familiar ground, to learn something new on your instrument or just patch up the weaknesses you have.
  
  Quite a lot of keyboardists I know can't play comfortably in all the keys often used for a worship set. If they are using a keyboard that can transpose they may think they are doing OK. Don't be lazy! Just put in the practice and you will get the skills. And you'll make it easier for your worship leader to flow with the Spirit of God and the dynamics of the people during the worship set.

Conclusion:

Get started! If you have not started serving yet, keep preparing. As I learned from my early worship leading experience, your preparation is something God can use. If you are already serving, I hope this post will stir up within you the desire to prepare yourself for the next step in your ministry as well, to keep pressing on to fulfil the work God has planned for you to accomplish in Christ Jesus.

Be blessed!