From Valeriy serving in Lithuania
QUESTION:Not A Trained Musician?
I lead worship on Sundays in my church. Am I qualified to lead worship if I do not have any musical education, but play guitar and can sing, though my voice is not good? As I see it, my part is to be a covering and to keep healthy relationships in the band...
RICK MUCHOW:
First let me stop and ask our readers to pray for your ministry in Lithuania. It’s great to hear from our Christian family there! Be encouraged! There is so much more to leading worship than music. It is absolutely possible for someone to lead the worship team without a formal music education.
When you say that your voice is not good, how do you measure that? If when you sing, it’s distracting to the worship experience to the degree that people cover their ears, that’s certainly a reason to give up the mic and let others sing. If that’s not the case, then seek out vocal tips and techniques to help you improve. For example, ChristianMusician.com features a column called Vocal Coach’s Corner with this kind of information.
Let me focus for a moment on what I consider to be essential skills or gifts for a worship leader:
God’s Calling
First and foremost, more important than any other skill or gift, you have to have a strong sense of purpose, based on God’s Word, that serving as a worship leader is God’s direction for your life. This is confirmed for you by both an inward impression and outside confirmation from other key people in your life.
Leadership
God uses many different types of leaders. The Bible has many examples of how God uses different personalities, talents and strengths to lead his people. All of us are called to serve but not all are called to lead. A leader has vision, conviction and a willingness to make any sacrifice for the cause.
People Skills
Developing relationships and interacting with people on many levels is critical to being an effective worship leader.
A Variety of Spiritual Gifts
These might include discernment or exhortation, teaching or service, vision… the worship leader must incorporate their Spiritual Gifts in their leading.
Management
Organizational skills are needed for planning and executing worship tasks. However not all leaders are natural managers. Some great leaders surround themselves with great managers.
Talent & Creativity
You must have more than mere interest in the Creative arts, This does not mean that you have to be the best singer, the best guitar player, the best songwriter, but you should have a gift for and personal understanding of creativity and talent.
I have to say that musical ability has the least to do with being a worship leader. The #1 qualification is having God’s calling and anointing on your life. Some of our best worship leaders are not the best musicians, but they are intoxicated by God and express their faith through an overflow in worship. God is looking for leaders who are humble. Some people mistake humility as downplaying or denying your strengths, but humility is being honest about your weaknesses.
The Bible shows us this humility combined with God’s calling through David’s heart expressed in his Psalms, and through Moses. God called Moses to be the Hebrews’ leader and spokesman, but he himself confessed that he wasn’t a speaker. Moses had many gifts, and certainly had God’s calling. Moses knew he wasn’t a gifted speaker, so he had Aaron speak for him, but he was still the leader. Likewise, if the worship leader is not musically trained, he can still operate under God’s calling with the gifts God has given, but needs to find someone to handle the musical part.
God has given each of us strengths and called us to use these gifts for the edification of his church body. A wise leader makes up for his weaknesses by surrounding himself with a team of people to fill in his gaps.
I am grateful for my brothers and sisters who have the courage to trust God and serve the church.
Thank you.
