Too easily our song leading in church can become mechanical. The service leader announces the next song, the musicians play the intro, the singing starts the singing ends, and then the service moves on. Box ticked.
Here are a few principles to think about as we lead songs.
- Because we worship in song in response to God's revelation of himself in his Word, the leader should 'lead' the gathered church into the song from God's Word.
- The musical introduction should be part of the journey, setting the appropriate feel and atmosphere, as well as leading into the song musically. Think about the length, musical complexity, and instruments involved in order to do this.
- Mean the words we sing! Communicate this to the gathered church in our facial expressions and body language as we lead.
- Grasp the opportunity provided by musical interludes in songs to reflect on what you're singing, and enjoy praising God.
- Lead out of the song appropriately. Ensure that you put it down gently, and don't drop it! Note that you can even drop an uptempo rocker - you need to bring it to good end in order to move on in the flow of the service.
- After the song, leave space to breathe before moving on in the service.
- Perhaps it is appropriate to pray to God about something the song has raised.
These ideas all serve to ensure that the main thing is kept the main thing - God's people gathered to hear God speak and to worship him together. A good exercise if you are a muso or a service leader is to grab a song from your reportoire and go through these points with that song and see what you come up with. It might change the way you approach your church service!
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