I agree with every point except for 6:45 when talking about what the lead vocalist is comfortable in. When it comes to praise, it is true that God cares more about the heart than the skill of the players. But if the worship team is not playing well, then that can hinder Worship because people focus and notice the mistakes and imperfections. I think you can have a more powerful worship if the worship leader is able to engage with the music and allow God to speak through them and into the congregation during worship and praise. If I sing a song that I’m uncomfortable in and my voice cracks because the key is too high that will immediately pull people out of Worship. We should be striving for excellence as a worship team and playing to the best of our ability. And if that means I have to change keys so that there is a better sound then I see that as a positive and not a negative.
I second this in saying that choosing a key the worship team can do their best to not create a distraction and break the flow of praise and worship is more important that a key that the congregation is comfortable with. Also, when we say "comfortable" we should factor in that the people's voices in the congregation are going to have mixed capabilities and ranges as well. Not one size fits all. Many have said to take the notes of the melody and to pick keys that stay between notes of A - D. We actually try to target that, but sometime the chorus/bridge to verse octave changes dictate gravitating away from this slightly.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. I cannot im any stretch of my imagination lead anyone in a worship song that I cannot sing myself. Not only do I sing in church as part of the worship team but my husband and I are in 2 bands together outside of church. I would never sing a secular song outside of my range for the exact same reason I wouldn't sing a church song out of my range....my emotions can't be part of the song unless I can sing it properly within my gifts. Having said that, when I do help with the worship team at my church I am acutely aware of the key I'm singing in to ensure that the congregation can join in. One the one hand it's about the limit of my giftedness, but on the other hand it's about others joining me in the song.
Wow you helped me realize so much in one video. I didn’t know I was being that selfish😩. I sing as a background singer and I would always close my eyes of nervousness and thinking that I need to just focus on GOD and things will be good. Because I am still new to the whole atmosphere of worship and singing publicly, I now know that we gather together for a reason and to not be selfish with my worship… Thanks to you❤️
As regards the issue of keys in worship i think the worsship leader has to be comfortable singing in the key he/she is leading the worship in. it has nothing to do with selfishness.
Totally agree, maybe he should ask ppl like Chris Tomlin to sing his songs in what he thinks is the congregation key. Some good points but I think this one is flawed
Hmm, I agree on the one hand that we worship as a community, but on the other hand I think it has to be balanced out, because the church (people) are not the center of worship. In the bible it says the worship goes 2 ways: Sing to each other AND to the lord in your heart. And having a time with god isn't selfish: Last week I experienced how a sister was suddenly looking up and I could see that she was feeling the lyrics. That was the moment I paid more attention to the text and it hit me right in the heart. So she did a service for me without knowing it, because god used her. I think it is the same with prayer: You can pray quietly for yourself, but when someone prays loudly the others pray with him and get refreshed in the faith.
Not an expert on worship, but I am very well practiced at selfishness. I totally agree on that point. I pray we all be more aware, and, find healing, so that our wonderful Father, the One Most High be Praised and Worshiped in the way that serves His will, and pleases Him best.
about keys:, I agree and disagree. It’s not selfish to choose a song in a comfy key. Here’s why: as a voice teacher I’d say choose a song that is comfortable in your voice (to avoid injury) AND a key that works for the congregation. If the song is too high or low for the congregation, the key must be changed
same here, how can you lead a worship if you yourself cant even sing the song properly because its too low or too high for you. One would be, female key is too low for men, while the other is too high for women, so for me, as a worship leader, it would me much better if I would do the song to the key I am most comfortable to sing and interpret,. And the dynamics of the songs set the mood of the worship. Some songs were arranged in the key that would best fit the lyrics, the message it conveys. I mean, how can you interpret a happy song , a rejoicing song if its to low to the singer to the point you cant hear or understand the lyrics, and how can you best interpret an emotion when it requires power and resonance to best conveys the message. The highs and lows play a big part on the message and emotion. For me, just choose the key where the leader could confidently and comfortably sing it. Though it may sound engaging to the congregation if all can sing the song, but the key itself was not made nor the arrangement was not generic to all.
Our worship leader PRAISES folks on team who close eyes and worships during the set. 🤷🏼♀️. I can’t do that because if I do I lose track of where I am in the music and mess up!! 😅
Good stuff. I probably disagree with the comfortability of lead vocalists as an act of selfishness. It’s not about sounding good as much as it is feeling confident and comfortable. I’m sure the problem of selfishness can exist in that act but as a general rule of thumb, you want to lead your team well by making sure they’re equipped with the resources and a plan that makes sense. If your leaders aren’t comfortable, they won’t last too long. So my follow up question to that is, how do you know the range of the congregation?
What we do in our church is we find out what the average man's lowest note they can sing comfortably is and the average woman's highest note as well. A rule of thumb for us is we limit the highest note for women somewhere at high B. We are a small church by the way, 80 people on services on average
Responding to the conversation about choosing keys. To be honest this is a topic I’ve got back and forth on, but I wanted to offer a counter thought to this. In practice right now we generally do aim for a good key for the leader of that particular song. We may adjust that key up or down a half or whole step from ideal depending on what helps the transitions go more smoothly as well. So I totally agree that we should be able to lead song sin multiple keys. We also will adjust depending on if a guy or a girl is leading. Usually girls lead the songs about a 4th higher than our guys. But what I’ve seen to be true is that room size dynamics play a role in this conversation too. The larger the room and the more people there are, the higher people will push their vocal ranges. I think what might be an ideal key to lead a song in if it was myself acoustic with 10 people would be different than with 100 people or 1000 people. I think some songs I probably would do in the same key in all of those contexts, but there are certainly songs that I would eliminate octave jumps if I were leading them in a smaller context. I know I’ve seen really strong participation even when songs are keyed high in larger spaces, with full sounding bands. Context is key
Can we just talk about how no one ever in the song key debate discusses what your voice can handle *in the morning*? I'm a vocal coach & and I warmup, BUT STILL. 😅 Also as an alto, I actually can lead in keys comfy for men, but because I'm a woman, they won't get it/know unless a male is singing it. Tone/science is crazy!
I get your points but disagree about our worship on stage. Our purpose is to lead worship, not songs. To "lead" worship we definitely should model worship. For the congregation to be led to worship they need to see us worshiping, not just singing. Sounds like you're incorrectly equating worship leading with song leading.
Singing with other is what connected me with the church. I have read a lot of text and watched a lot of video about religion but the practice of singing with other unlocked another dimension that was blocked before. So that's my compass too. If it make people sing together and share emotions together it's good.
You’ve raised some good points but not a hill to die on for as I’m concerned. I’ve lead worship on/off for years. I struggle with pitch. I do everything i can to stay safe and sing songs that are safe for me. I use a Mic Mechanic to help but sometimes i think it can pull you in a wrong direction and put you out of key slightly sometimes also. So I only pic songs i can lead well as I don’t want to be a distraction in worship. That’s not being selfish, thats being wise and considerate. You might say if you cant sing perfect pitch you shouldn’t lead worship and I have considered this but I feel called to this and I do get positive feedback all the time and have for years when I lead. So its not being selfish when picking the songs and the keys that the leader can sing well unless they are out of the range of the average singer - which to be fair is most of the contemporary worship songs put out their today from all the well known worship leaders who always sing too high. So who’s right??
If you are experiencing Christ in worship as a leader the congregation will follow. Otherwise you will appear to be performing. If you’re not leading worship by example and experiencing the anointing where are you leading them? Are you saying we should be business like?
Great! You are right brother what you say it is very true I agreed it as I found it and got it to myself, always when God want to say anything to me He never fail to speak to me through songs by the word if sings He speaks anything to me even in the midnight of deep sleep God wake me up with singing songs the meaning of the song that He want and need to speak to me about my situation. God bless you brother and fill up your heart with the Holy Spirit and guide your worship Singing.
This is the best video I've seen about leading worship. Your definition about corporate worship is so spot on. Also, your comment about the key of the song is vital too. One of the reasons often given as to why men don't sing in church is because the keys are not in their ranges. This is the problem with hymns - they are written in keys that are too high for the average male voice.
Applying my personal devotional aha moments to corporate worship is one of my faves, but this is a great idea to apply it to not just me, but how can our church body apply this as a whole. That is super helpful. Thanks.
As a worship leader/pastor, it's important to, in song selection and preparation, remove yourself from the platform and think in terms of being in the congregation during worship. The key is immaterial as long as the key is feasible for men to sing without thinking about it. You get the men to sing, you will transform your corporate worship. Also, choose songs that share a theme with the sermon(s) but also speak to the direction that a particular church is going. Stage layout is important. We have nobody center stage and it has encouraged the congregation to participate instead of watching and makes approaching the alter less intimidating. It has also opened the door for more spontaneous moments and that has ushered in the Spirit's movement even more. AND, be yourself as a team/band. Be intentional and prayerful. Be "He" focused, not "Me" focused. God bless!
In historic Christianity, the worship leader was the presbyter [Priest], and all worship was oriented toward the Altar, where Christ was present. The Gospels were read facing the altar, the prayers were said facing the altar, the hymns were sung facing the altar. Nothing was done with one's back to the altar except the homily [sermon] which was very short, because the purpose of worship is to receive life from God. This is still how worship is practiced in the present embodiment of historic christianity, which exists in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He is right, that being selfish disrupts the flow of participation between members of the group, but what worship sounds like, looks like, and is oriented toward now is very different from what worship has sounded like, looked like, and been oriented toward in Christianity throughout history.
Yeppers! If most people can’t keep up with the notes being sung then most people won’t even try. It’s very discouraging. Even choosing songs that minister to “me” won’t always be taken the same way. It ends up being a concert and not a response to our God. Many songs written now do not sing TO the Lord….but about the Lord.
I think it depends on the context you serve in and what responsibilities you have. If your church expects you to put in part-time to full-time hours (leading a team, recruiting volunteers, developing a team, etc.), you should probably be paid. If your church just expects you to show up and sing some songs on Sunday, I'm not sure you need to be paid - at that point you're just volunteering.
I disagree about open vs closed eyes. Closing my eyes helps me focus on the Lord and enter into His presence. If I’m not entering in then the group might not either.
Partly disagree with your point about keys. Your key, high Eb would be uncomfortable for me so you've not chosen well for me. Of course, many worship leaders sing extremely high or low and that's a problem, but it's well nigh impossible to ascertain the average comfort zone for a congregation on any particular Sunday.
Quick question, what if the songs is too high to reach for me? my voice tends to be in the lower range of the spectrum, how can I balance both and not find myself cracking in the middle of the set?
If the song is too high for you to reach, then it's probably too high for your church members to reach as well. First, you don't need to do the song in the original key. Second, you should be picking keys with your congregation in mind so that they're able to sing along. Check out this video I made. I think it'll be helpful: Finding The Perfect Key For Your Worship Song | The Complete Process - ua-cam.com/video/nV2wWWa7Vqc/v-deo.html
I agree with some of this but I also disagree with some points. I Believe what we are forgiving is worship isn’t about us and our needs, or even the congregations needs. I heard you several times say to focus on the congregations worship needs and not our personal worship needs. I understand what you are trying to say , but shouldn’t we give all our attention to God’s needs? I hate to say this but this is what’s wrong with the western American church. That it’s about the consumer church, pleasing man’s desires other than God. Worship isn’t about what God is saying to me or our church, it’s about what we say to God. Worship is ministering back to God. Again, I do agree with some of your points, like allowing others to step up and lead. That is training our future leader of the church.
Please what’s a simple key ? And do I have to find the congregation and rehearse with them to get a key that favors us all ? Backing vocalists have different vocal ranges so can I use them as my congregation to choose a simple?????
FYI some churches have a value that any teaching, even worship verbals, should be done by someone who would be held to the standard of elder. That is a very real reality in many churches. Not saying that as a complimentarian, and that women can’t do verbals, but as someone who is egalitarian in ministry, instead we hold all who would lead through a verbal where there’s a function of teaching grace, the scriptural “standard” of elder applies.
I'm a complementarian, but as a team leader I reject the standard that only men can lead worship for one simple reason: Singing is not teaching. I mean it is teaching but a kind of teaching everyone can do. I love the part where Miriam leads the song after they crossed the sea. It's the only time where she is called a prophet, implying that God is speaking through her in that moment.
As far as key changes, I had a mild stroke two and a half years ago. It took away my ability to sing for several months, but with work, that ability slowly came back. Even though my voice has mostly recovered, my range was kind of squashed. By that, I mean that the stroke affected my upper register and lower register, so it is necessary to adjust the keys of songs so they are comfortable for me to sing. It's not about me, it's about saving the congregation from hearing me sound like a coyote caught in a trap. If a song became uncomfortably high for me, I'd drop down an octave I can't do that anymore.
Question I've asked many times. You can be the first to answer. "What is the point of congregational singing if the congregation can't hear itself sing?"
You can still pick a key that allows you to sing with a reasonable amount of confidence - just make sure it's a key everyone else can sing in too. Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. Find a key that works for your voice. Then make sure it's singable for your congregation too.
@@LeadingWorshipWell I was also about to write this same comment about it being a distraction when the person is struggling to hit the notes ect, your response here makes 100% more sense than how it sounded in the video 😅 love your content man, keep it up!
I say this with love.....so many times I've been unable to sing along during worship because the key is too high. Sometimes at my church the whole congregation struggles to sing which i feel is more of a distraction. If it's possible, to the level you can manage.... understand the congregation and help them match up to a vocal range you can reach. However, no offense. May God bless you
I agree completely. Have you ever tried to worship when the worship leader can't hit the notes?? It is anywhere from distracting to painful. I do try to find a key that is a little more middle of the road, and I will sing in a key that might not be my first choice, but I can A- sing the notes without inflicting pain, and B-hopefully others can sing with me. I don't have a voice that allows me necessarily to sing in the original key. I have to make it work for me because if I can't sing it, I for sure can't lead it. Not so much selfishness, but necessity.
The thing you may need to sacrifice is octave jumps. This is very common in modern worship and it's the element that locks me into certain keys. At time I've had to pick a middle of the road key and not jump around vocally.
The first mistake is calling them "worship leaders." Worship comes from the Holy Spirit. We do not manufacture worship or cause people to worship. The title is an error and misleading because the average church goer believes worship is the music and emotional and preaching is thinking or boring.
Come on man you're overcomplicating it . If you are asking God and are truly in the spirit he will give you the songs that will make a difference not only in your life but the congregation's life as well and usually it'll be songs that that fall right in step with the preaching without you or the minister talking about the songs you're going to sing
Songs have been composed - and inspired - in a specific key. That should be respected because of the way the song sounds best when originally mixed in studio. Congregants know how that song sounds like and they are used to in that created key. Changing the key is a disrepect for the composer and alters the character of the the song.
Some major issues here with Modern worship:🤔Modern worship services in the style of hill song etc are more like concerts and the people are an audience. The worship singers and musicians are too loud and it looks like it’s all about them. That is not leading worship it’s performing on stage. Also worship has a completely disproportionate place in church life. For example on the night of the last supper it says “ They sang a hymn and left”. No big tearing down the strongholds with twelve minute songs and bring in the atmosphere and spirit of God, which is a nonsense doctrine. You would think that of ALL nights Jesus and his apostles would have had a major worship session. No.. they sang a hymn and left. Lastly: in these blacked out window worship settings there is no room for the people. It’s the big worship and then the notices then sermon then go. How on earth can the people come up with a prayer, a word, a prophecy etc if church is just one big concert/sermon. THAT is also how you know church today is mostly unbiblical.
I agree with every point except for 6:45 when talking about what the lead vocalist is comfortable in. When it comes to praise, it is true that God cares more about the heart than the skill of the players. But if the worship team is not playing well, then that can hinder Worship because people focus and notice the mistakes and imperfections. I think you can have a more powerful worship if the worship leader is able to engage with the music and allow God to speak through them and into the congregation during worship and praise. If I sing a song that I’m uncomfortable in and my voice cracks because the key is too high that will immediately pull people out of Worship. We should be striving for excellence as a worship team and playing to the best of our ability. And if that means I have to change keys so that there is a better sound then I see that as a positive and not a negative.
I second this in saying that choosing a key the worship team can do their best to not create a distraction and break the flow of praise and worship is more important that a key that the congregation is comfortable with. Also, when we say "comfortable" we should factor in that the people's voices in the congregation are going to have mixed capabilities and ranges as well. Not one size fits all. Many have said to take the notes of the melody and to pick keys that stay between notes of A - D. We actually try to target that, but sometime the chorus/bridge to verse octave changes dictate gravitating away from this slightly.
Agreed... I can't start a song on a high note and end on a high note.. now I have just screamed through a whole.. no one is enjoying that
I agree with this wholeheartedly. I cannot im any stretch of my imagination lead anyone in a worship song that I cannot sing myself.
Not only do I sing in church as part of the worship team but my husband and I are in 2 bands together outside of church. I would never sing a secular song outside of my range for the exact same reason I wouldn't sing a church song out of my range....my emotions can't be part of the song unless I can sing it properly within my gifts. Having said that, when I do help with the worship team at my church I am acutely aware of the key I'm singing in to ensure that the congregation can join in. One the one hand it's about the limit of my giftedness, but on the other hand it's about others joining me in the song.
BOOM!! Love it!!! Always striving for excellence
Wow you helped me realize so much in one video. I didn’t know I was being that selfish😩. I sing as a background singer and I would always close my eyes of nervousness and thinking that I need to just focus on GOD and things will be good. Because I am still new to the whole atmosphere of worship and singing publicly, I now know that we gather together for a reason and to not be selfish with my worship… Thanks to you❤️
As regards the issue of keys in worship i think the worsship leader has to be comfortable singing in the key he/she is leading the worship in. it has nothing to do with selfishness.
Totally agree, maybe he should ask ppl like Chris Tomlin to sing his songs in what he thinks is the congregation key. Some good points but I think this one is flawed
I agree with this also. No one can lead anyone in something they're not confident in....there has to be some allowance for this
It's not about us as leaders. Let God in prayer and preparation prepare out hearts to choose the right songs.
Anyone here have leaders who prioritize the best singers to almost always sing? And rarely give chances for other singers to grow?
🙋🏻♀️
Or they get (to sing) and/or play) their wife, mother, daughter, sisters, son in law, brother in law.
I know very well what you mean
Wow ! May the Lord continue to use you ; this has confirmed my style of leading worship -it's never about me - praise God
Hmm, I agree on the one hand that we worship as a community, but on the other hand I think it has to be balanced out, because the church (people) are not the center of worship. In the bible it says the worship goes 2 ways: Sing to each other AND to the lord in your heart. And having a time with god isn't selfish: Last week I experienced how a sister was suddenly looking up and I could see that she was feeling the lyrics. That was the moment I paid more attention to the text and it hit me right in the heart. So she did a service for me without knowing it, because god used her.
I think it is the same with prayer: You can pray quietly for yourself, but when someone prays loudly the others pray with him and get refreshed in the faith.
Not an expert on worship, but I am very well practiced at selfishness.
I totally agree on that point. I pray we all be more aware, and, find healing, so that our wonderful Father, the One Most High be Praised and Worshiped in the way that serves His will, and pleases Him best.
about keys:, I agree and disagree. It’s not selfish to choose a song in a comfy key. Here’s why: as a voice teacher I’d say choose a song that is comfortable in your voice (to avoid injury) AND a key that works for the congregation. If the song is too high or low for the congregation, the key must be changed
same here, how can you lead a worship if you yourself cant even sing the song properly because its too low or too high for you. One would be, female key is too low for men, while the other is too high for women, so for me, as a worship leader, it would me much better if I would do the song to the key I am most comfortable to sing and interpret,. And the dynamics of the songs set the mood of the worship. Some songs were arranged in the key that would best fit the lyrics, the message it conveys. I mean, how can you interpret a happy song , a rejoicing song if its to low to the singer to the point you cant hear or understand the lyrics, and how can you best interpret an emotion when it requires power and resonance to best conveys the message. The highs and lows play a big part on the message and emotion. For me, just choose the key where the leader could confidently and comfortably sing it. Though it may sound engaging to the congregation if all can sing the song, but the key itself was not made nor the arrangement was not generic to all.
It's kinda sad but not everyone can start a dong in a comfortable key
Our worship leader PRAISES folks on team who close eyes and worships during the set. 🤷🏼♀️. I can’t do that because if I do I lose track of where I am in the music and mess up!! 😅
Good stuff. I probably disagree with the comfortability of lead vocalists as an act of selfishness. It’s not about sounding good as much as it is feeling confident and comfortable. I’m sure the problem of selfishness can exist in that act but as a general rule of thumb, you want to lead your team well by making sure they’re equipped with the resources and a plan that makes sense. If your leaders aren’t comfortable, they won’t last too long.
So my follow up question to that is, how do you know the range of the congregation?
What we do in our church is we find out what the average man's lowest note they can sing comfortably is and the average woman's highest note as well.
A rule of thumb for us is we limit the highest note for women somewhere at high B.
We are a small church by the way, 80 people on services on average
Responding to the conversation about choosing keys. To be honest this is a topic I’ve got back and forth on, but I wanted to offer a counter thought to this. In practice right now we generally do aim for a good key for the leader of that particular song. We may adjust that key up or down a half or whole step from ideal depending on what helps the transitions go more smoothly as well. So I totally agree that we should be able to lead song sin multiple keys. We also will adjust depending on if a guy or a girl is leading. Usually girls lead the songs about a 4th higher than our guys. But what I’ve seen to be true is that room size dynamics play a role in this conversation too. The larger the room and the more people there are, the higher people will push their vocal ranges. I think what might be an ideal key to lead a song in if it was myself acoustic with 10 people would be different than with 100 people or 1000 people. I think some songs I probably would do in the same key in all of those contexts, but there are certainly songs that I would eliminate octave jumps if I were leading them in a smaller context. I know I’ve seen really strong participation even when songs are keyed high in larger spaces, with full sounding bands. Context is key
Thanks for the thoughts! Very true about context. I appreciate you Dalton! 👊
Can we just talk about how no one ever in the song key debate discusses what your voice can handle *in the morning*? I'm a vocal coach & and I warmup, BUT STILL. 😅
Also as an alto, I actually can lead in keys comfy for men, but because I'm a woman, they won't get it/know unless a male is singing it. Tone/science is crazy!
I get your points but disagree about our worship on stage. Our purpose is to lead worship, not songs. To "lead" worship we definitely should model worship. For the congregation to be led to worship they need to see us worshiping, not just singing. Sounds like you're incorrectly equating worship leading with song leading.
Your point at 9:33 is SO IMPORTANT!! Thank you!
Singing with other is what connected me with the church. I have read a lot of text and watched a lot of video about religion but the practice of singing with other unlocked another dimension that was blocked before.
So that's my compass too. If it make people sing together and share emotions together it's good.
You’ve raised some good points but not a hill to die on for as I’m concerned. I’ve lead worship on/off for years. I struggle with pitch. I do everything i can to stay safe and sing songs that are safe for me. I use a Mic Mechanic to help but sometimes i think it can pull you in a wrong direction and put you out of key slightly sometimes also. So I only pic songs i can lead well as I don’t want to be a distraction in worship. That’s not being selfish, thats being wise and considerate. You might say if you cant sing perfect pitch you shouldn’t lead worship and I have considered this but I feel called to this and I do get positive feedback all the time and have for years when I lead. So its not being selfish when picking the songs and the keys that the leader can sing well unless they are out of the range of the average singer - which to be fair is most of the contemporary worship songs put out their today from all the well known worship leaders who always sing too high. So who’s right??
Hi from Indonesia.... so happy to find you on UA-cam.... thanks for sharing these ... GOD bless your ministry
Finally I found this channel and it really helps a lot! thank you 🙏
Spencer rocks! Real helpful and honest no matter what.
If you are experiencing Christ in worship as a leader the congregation will follow. Otherwise you will appear to be performing. If you’re not leading worship by example and experiencing the anointing where are you leading them? Are you saying we should be business like?
Great! You are right brother what you say it is very true I agreed it as I found it and got it to myself, always when God want to say anything to me He never fail to speak to me through songs by the word if sings He speaks anything to me even in the midnight of deep sleep God wake me up with singing songs the meaning of the song that He want and need to speak to me about my situation. God bless you brother and fill up your heart with the Holy Spirit and guide your worship Singing.
This is the best video I've seen about leading worship. Your definition about corporate worship is so spot on. Also, your comment about the key of the song is vital too. One of the reasons often given as to why men don't sing in church is because the keys are not in their ranges. This is the problem with hymns - they are written in keys that are too high for the average male voice.
Wonderful message.
God bless you and guide you , thanks for sharing
Applying my personal devotional aha moments to corporate worship is one of my faves, but this is a great idea to apply it to not just me, but how can our church body apply this as a whole. That is super helpful. Thanks.
Thank you brother for this video it is very useful in my life as a workship leader
Wow😮 you hit on a lot of great points; things that I have been pondering myself.
this guy is so correct.
Thank you for sharing, I think I learned on the part of personal thought/worship etc
As a worship leader/pastor, it's important to, in song selection and preparation, remove yourself from the platform and think in terms of being in the congregation during worship. The key is immaterial as long as the key is feasible for men to sing without thinking about it. You get the men to sing, you will transform your corporate worship. Also, choose songs that share a theme with the sermon(s) but also speak to the direction that a particular church is going. Stage layout is important. We have nobody center stage and it has encouraged the congregation to participate instead of watching and makes approaching the alter less intimidating. It has also opened the door for more spontaneous moments and that has ushered in the Spirit's movement even more. AND, be yourself as a team/band. Be intentional and prayerful. Be "He" focused, not "Me" focused. God bless!
Very good insights!
In historic Christianity, the worship leader was the presbyter [Priest], and all worship was oriented toward the Altar, where Christ was present. The Gospels were read facing the altar, the prayers were said facing the altar, the hymns were sung facing the altar. Nothing was done with one's back to the altar except the homily [sermon] which was very short, because the purpose of worship is to receive life from God.
This is still how worship is practiced in the present embodiment of historic christianity, which exists in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
He is right, that being selfish disrupts the flow of participation between members of the group, but what worship sounds like, looks like, and is oriented toward now is very different from what worship has sounded like, looked like, and been oriented toward in Christianity throughout history.
Thx for this information God bless you
Yeppers! If most people can’t keep up with the notes being sung then most people won’t even try. It’s very discouraging.
Even choosing songs that minister to “me” won’t always be taken the same way. It ends up being a concert and not a response to our God.
Many songs written now do not sing TO the Lord….but about the Lord.
Excellent reminders!
This is deep. Thank you for this video. I have a question, do you think song leaders should be paid?
I think it depends on the context you serve in and what responsibilities you have. If your church expects you to put in part-time to full-time hours (leading a team, recruiting volunteers, developing a team, etc.), you should probably be paid. If your church just expects you to show up and sing some songs on Sunday, I'm not sure you need to be paid - at that point you're just volunteering.
@@LeadingWorshipWell thank you
I disagree about open vs closed eyes. Closing my eyes helps me focus on the Lord and enter into His presence. If I’m not entering in then the group might not either.
How does one teach others to speak in between transitions?
Partly disagree with your point about keys. Your key, high Eb would be uncomfortable for me so you've not chosen well for me. Of course, many worship leaders sing extremely high or low and that's a problem, but it's well nigh impossible to ascertain the average comfort zone for a congregation on any particular Sunday.
If the song is in Eb I’m usually going to lower it to D or C (probably C).
So raising your hands to our Father is selfish? A worship leader leads by example.
Has anyone had a leader that doesn’t have rehearsal and won’t tell you what is being sang until Sunday morning? 😢
Quick question, what if the songs is too high to reach for me? my voice tends to be in the lower range of the spectrum, how can I balance both and not find myself cracking in the middle of the set?
If the song is too high for you to reach, then it's probably too high for your church members to reach as well. First, you don't need to do the song in the original key. Second, you should be picking keys with your congregation in mind so that they're able to sing along.
Check out this video I made. I think it'll be helpful:
Finding The Perfect Key For Your Worship Song | The Complete Process - ua-cam.com/video/nV2wWWa7Vqc/v-deo.html
Change the key, it’s what I do👆🏾
I agree with some of this but I also disagree with some points. I Believe what we are forgiving is worship isn’t about us and our needs, or even the congregations needs. I heard you several times say to focus on the congregations worship needs and not our personal worship needs. I understand what you are trying to say , but shouldn’t we give all our attention to God’s needs? I hate to say this but this is what’s wrong with the western American church. That it’s about the consumer church, pleasing man’s desires other than God. Worship isn’t about what God is saying to me or our church, it’s about what we say to God. Worship is ministering back to God. Again, I do agree with some of your points, like allowing others to step up and lead. That is training our future leader of the church.
I find this very helpful.
Please what’s a simple key ?
And do I have to find the congregation and rehearse with them to get a key that favors us all ?
Backing vocalists have different vocal ranges so can I use them as my congregation to choose a simple?????
The simplest key is C. Next is G.
FYI some churches have a value that any teaching, even worship verbals, should be done by someone who would be held to the standard of elder. That is a very real reality in many churches. Not saying that as a complimentarian, and that women can’t do verbals, but as someone who is egalitarian in ministry, instead we hold all who would lead through a verbal where there’s a function of teaching grace, the scriptural “standard” of elder applies.
I'm a complementarian, but as a team leader I reject the standard that only men can lead worship for one simple reason: Singing is not teaching. I mean it is teaching but a kind of teaching everyone can do. I love the part where Miriam leads the song after they crossed the sea. It's the only time where she is called a prophet, implying that God is speaking through her in that moment.
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Do you have these typed out that you can share?
As far as key changes, I had a mild stroke two and a half years ago. It took away my ability to sing for several months, but with work, that ability slowly came back. Even though my voice has mostly recovered, my range was kind of squashed. By that, I mean that the stroke affected my upper register and lower register, so it is necessary to adjust the keys of songs so they are comfortable for me to sing.
It's not about me, it's about saving the congregation from hearing me sound like a coyote caught in a trap. If a song became uncomfortably high for me, I'd drop down an octave I can't do that anymore.
Question I've asked many times. You can be the first to answer.
"What is the point of congregational singing if the congregation can't hear itself sing?"
Amazing!! I think this all the time too. I can hardly even hear myself sing in the congregation because the music is turned up so loud.! Why??
Are we pleasing people or God? I disagreed.
We serve God through people
Mathew 25
Now it's of knowledge to consider people as well.
Coze with out people, you can't lead empty space.
Horepah M - My question too. I left churches that worship this way because I felt it was man centred and therefore un-Biblical.
Good
God's church
💯
Yea I disagree. If I’m not able to sing the song with a reasonable amount of confidence then me and the whole congregations will be distracted.
You can still pick a key that allows you to sing with a reasonable amount of confidence - just make sure it's a key everyone else can sing in too. Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. Find a key that works for your voice. Then make sure it's singable for your congregation too.
@@LeadingWorshipWell I was also about to write this same comment about it being a distraction when the person is struggling to hit the notes ect, your response here makes 100% more sense than how it sounded in the video 😅 love your content man, keep it up!
I say this with love.....so many times I've been unable to sing along during worship because the key is too high. Sometimes at my church the whole congregation struggles to sing which i feel is more of a distraction. If it's possible, to the level you can manage.... understand the congregation and help them match up to a vocal range you can reach. However, no offense. May God bless you
I agree completely. Have you ever tried to worship when the worship leader can't hit the notes?? It is anywhere from distracting to painful. I do try to find a key that is a little more middle of the road, and I will sing in a key that might not be my first choice, but I can A- sing the notes without inflicting pain, and B-hopefully others can sing with me. I don't have a voice that allows me necessarily to sing in the original key. I have to make it work for me because if I can't sing it, I for sure can't lead it. Not so much selfishness, but necessity.
The thing you may need to sacrifice is octave jumps. This is very common in modern worship and it's the element that locks me into certain keys. At time I've had to pick a middle of the road key and not jump around vocally.
The first mistake is calling them "worship leaders." Worship comes from the Holy Spirit. We do not manufacture worship or cause people to worship. The title is an error and misleading because the average church goer believes worship is the music and emotional and preaching is thinking or boring.
Totally Agreed!
Come on man you're overcomplicating it . If you are asking God and are truly in the spirit he will give you the songs that will make a difference not only in your life but the congregation's life as well and usually it'll be songs that that fall right in step with the preaching without you or the minister talking about the songs you're going to sing
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Songs have been composed - and inspired - in a specific key. That should be respected because of the way the song sounds best when originally mixed in studio. Congregants know how that song sounds like and they are used to in that created key. Changing the key is a disrepect for the composer and alters the character of the the song.
Determining your congregation type is key: Are they sheep or are they goats lol
Some major issues here with Modern worship:🤔Modern worship services in the style of hill song etc are more like concerts and the people are an audience. The worship singers and musicians are too loud and it looks like it’s all about them. That is not leading worship it’s performing on stage. Also worship has a completely disproportionate place in church life. For example on the night of the last supper it says “ They sang a hymn and left”. No big tearing down the strongholds with twelve minute songs and bring in the atmosphere and spirit of God, which is a nonsense doctrine. You would think that of ALL nights Jesus and his apostles would have had a major worship session. No.. they sang a hymn and left.
Lastly: in these blacked out window worship settings there is no room for the people. It’s the big worship and then the notices then sermon then go. How on earth can the people come up with a prayer, a word, a prophecy etc if church is just one big concert/sermon. THAT is also how you know church today is mostly unbiblical.