Leading Praise and Worship in Church For the First Time

Leading praise and worship in your home church for the first time is a challenge for many reasons. As you look out across the congregation and see so many faces of people you know so well, you realize that leading praise and worship at home may be a combination of satisfaction and terror, all rolled into one!

The satisfaction is because these are people you love and care about. They are people that you want to be happy with your leading praise and worship in the church, and in most cases the congregation are not only happy for you, but desire your success just as much as you do. If you could only leading praise and worship in an exciting and effective way then you know that you will feel an immense sense of satisfaction.

However, on the other hand, terror or a feeling of failure can almost paralyse you as you step up to start leading worship for the first time. They know you and for that reason you do not carry any mystique when you start leading praise and worship. The Bible says a prophet is not accepted in his home town, and the same can be said of a worship leader! You are not a super star, or even a visiting ministry, you are the guy or girl that they know so well, that grew up in the church. Even the ones that are happy for you may not be expecting too much!

Many of them will recognize that leading praise and worship is far more than song leading, but you will feel that you want to do so much more than be a song leader anyway. You do not want to underwhelm them, you want to see the Lord move powerfully and incredibly through your ministry, so if you are new to leading worship you are probably looking for a way of learning the art of worship leading quickly!

So, from one who has been leading praise and worship for over 20 years, here are a few pieces of advice that can help you when you step up to lead for the very first time:

1. Prepare as well as you can, drill the team as best you can, be as inspirational as you can, but you must recognize that the Lord and the Lord alone gives success in this ministry. Staying close to Him is the most important key in leading praise and worship!

2. Your audience is for you, not against you, so relax and realize that you are among friends who will cut you some slack as you begin leading praise and worship in the church.

3. Everybody makes mistakes, even the experienced leaders! The only difference is that we know how to cover them up so no one knows! You will make mistakes, probably in several areas, so do not become too harsh with yourself but relax, laugh off any failures and do not let them affect you. If you let them get under your skin then you have little chance of redeeming the worship that morning.

4. Do not assume that you know everything about leading praise and worship. Seek advice from experience worship leaders in the church, and most importantly get some serious training. I am not talking about going to a worship conference or listening to a few inspired CDs. You need practical and effective training, such as that found with us, so that when you stand before the congregation you know that you have new found abilities which will not only impress the congregation, but will blow them out of the water when you are leading praise and worship.

So, if you are leading praise and worship in your home church for the first time, prepare, train and go forth with the power of the Holy Spirit. The church is for you, not against you, so even if you make mistakes (even big ones), remember, we all started somewhere and that is part of the great journey of leading praise and worship in your local church.

Darin Browne is an internationally known Praise and Worship leader who has been leading worship for over 20 years in a variety of churches across most denominations in many countries around the world. He is the worship director for Bill Newman International Evangelistic Ministries, and he is passionate about training young praise and worship leaders. Darin has produced an incredible online training package, guaranteed to teach you how to lead powerful and effective worship in your church. Featuring a free online eCourse, this is the ultimate praise and worship leading training package. Check it out for free at Praise and Worship Leader

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