The Sacred Trust Of Songwriting

by Brent Helming

From Perspiration to Inspiration

Pastor/Songwriter/Worship Leader David Ruis once said something that pierced my heart. He shared, “The gifts of song writing and worship leading are sacred trusts. God has entrusted to us with the privilege and responsibility of crafting music and lyric together in order to reveal the depths of His truth, character and wonder to His people.” I believe that David is right. What an awesome privilege it is to partner with God in the writing of songs that convey His glory and draw His people into a deeper relationship with Him.

One of the obvious truths about music and songwriting is that they are not passive media. God created music (Gen. 4:21) and then gave it the capacity to have incredible influence upon its listeners. So much so, that it carries the power of bypassing the mind (intellect) while still engaging the heart (soul/heart). Have you ever experienced a time when the melody or arrangement of the music alone moves you tears or deep reverie? That’s intentional. God created music specifically as a tool to encourage and bring pleasure to the soul and to purposely draw His creation to Himself.  What an amazing gift.

The secular world understands this reality and attempts to harness music’s power for its own purposes in a variety of ways. Advertisers construct entire marketing campaigns around melodies and songs while sporting events use music to rally the home crowd. Try watching the motion picture “Titanic” or “Star Wars” without the music behind the story stirring your emotions and drawing you into the plot. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that music is an extremely powerful means of motivation, inspiration and communication.
As if music and melody by itself weren’t powerful enough, with the added focus of lyrical content the potential of music to stir, lift, and encourage our souls is compounded. Think of Handel’s “Messiah” and the “Hallelujah” chorus, which debuted in 1742. The melody alone is beautiful and stirring. However, when the lyrics are added to provide additional focus the entire piece becomes breathtaking!

As songwriters and musicians it is our responsibility to understand and embrace the power and beauty of music and to yield its intended influence as a precious and sacred trust from God.

Music That Points To God

As participants in the God’s sacred trust, its important for us to know that music in and of itself, without lyric, is not inherently evil. By this I mean that there is no such thing as an evil or heretical drumbeat or melody. God is the creator and giver of the gift of music. Satan has no such creative powers. He can only manipulate, taint and distort. This truth should bring Christian musicians incredible freedom to create and explore the wonders of rhythm and melody.

However, lyrics—the message that the music carries—are an entirely different matter and this is where the secular world truly falls short. In worship, lyrical content is the primary means of establishing our focus. If the lyrics point to God then on God we focus, however, if the lyrics point to something other than divine truth, we’ve missed the mark and settled for what C.S. Lewis calls, “’the inauthentic.” The song themes we choose to write about and the words or phrases we use to convey them are at the heart and soul of worshipping in “spirit and truth…” (John 4:23)

Let’s Look At Some Examples

I am standing beneath Your wings/ I am resting in Your shelter/ Your great faithfulness has been my shield/ And it makes me want to sing/ Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
(Andy Park- “Blessed Be the Name”, Vineyard/ Mercy Publishing)

The above is a good example of a lyric that is theologically sound while remaining relevant and contemporary. The words clearly focus upon who God is (faithful, our shield) and then give expression to what that means for us (makes us sing out “Blessed be the name of the Lord”).

Here’s another:

Jesus you are mercy/ Jesus you are justice / Jesus you are worthy that is what you are
You died alone to save me/ You rose so You could raise me
You did this all to make me a chosen child of God
(Brenton Brown/Don William – “Jesus You Are Worthy”, Thankyou Music Publishing)

Once again the above is a great example of theologically sound lyrics that escape the realm of being trite. Instead they are clear, focused and clearly God (Jesus) focused.

Now an example of a poor lyric:

You are the great and awesome Son/ One of the chosen
Great are you among all other Gods/ The Father’s beloved.
(This example is fictitious and not a published song)

At first glance these lyrics may seem all right, but if you look closely you’ll begin to notice that something is wrong. What does the lyric “One of the chosen” mean? If the lyric is speaking of Jesus (as the first line indicates) then He must be the ONLY Son, and not “one of the chosen”. Also what is “Great are You among the Gods” trying to say?

If you put phrase two and three together, it becomes obvious that the central Christian truth of Jesus as God’s only begotten Son (John 3:16) and the monotheistic trinitarian nature of Father, Spirit and Son is being misrepresented. What is actually being sung then becomes heretical.

The above example might seem a little contrived but I think the point is clear. Songwriters (at least those who write under the banner of worship) fall under the same scriptural accountability as those who preach and teach the Word (James 3:1).

Therefore we must give careful attention to the lyrics we write. It is not enough to come up with catchy melodies and hooky riffs. We need to be sure that what we are asking people to sing is clearly within the bonds of Scripture and articulated in a clear uncompromising manner.

How do we ensure the correctness of our lyrics?

Here are several helpful keys:

Saturate your mind with the word of God—We must yearn to know and experience God daily through His word. This includes becoming a tenacious memorizer of Scripture because there is no substitute for spending time with God. A quick survey of the top songs being used in worship today reveals that they are rooted in central Biblical themes and often borrow heavily from specific scripture references. 

In John 6:63 Jesus says, “The Spirit gives life; the words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” Here, Jesus makes it clear that worshipping in “spirit and truth” involves embracing His Word. 

Study theology—While reading and memorizing scripture is a non-negotiable, it is also good to understand how and why everything fits together. This leads us to the importance of studying theology. Most people tune out when the subject of theology comes up, assuming that it is too mystical or arduous for them to understand. However, theology is far from the mystical body of academia it may appear to be.

Pastor and Author Dr. Don Williams helped to practically define theology as, “the process of identifying the non-negotiable of our faith; thereby protecting and defending the church from infections and steeling it for persecution, heresy and idolatry.” Familiarity with theology also helps to keep us as songwriters from pulling verses out of context.

Write with a pastor’s heart—One of the main tasks of being a pastor is to clearly, accurately, and boldly proclaim what we believe so that each person in the congregation is able to understand the character of God and His love for them.

Our task as songwriters for worship must be the same. Worship shouldn’t be a guessing game. We should be able to grasp the concepts and truths that we are singing about and these truths should lead us to the Father.

Perspiration—Crafting lyrics that clearly state the eternal truth of God and yet doing so in a fresh and artistic way takes time and hard work. God may pour out the lyrics or melody to you in ten minutes but you need to remember, “…we only know in part… we see through a glass darkly.” (I Corinthians 13:12) Brian Doerksen once said that, “the world is full of good songs that given a little more work could have been great songs.” I agree with Brian wholeheartedly.

Sometimes we think that giving time to honor to our songwriting skills is a worldly pursuit or even unspiritual. Actually, the reverse is true. The Bible repeatedly commends the use of skillful craftsmen (I Chronicles 25). When we take time to craft a lyric that is sound and well developed, we exercise the God-given call to operate as skillful craftsmen.

Editorial humility—There is nothing like a fresh set of eyes or ears to review what you’ve written. Many times when I have asked someone else look over my song lyrics they have usually pointed out the rough edges that I hadn’t seen.

In reality, we songwriters attempt to write lyrics that speak about the wonders of God and life with Him. The catch is that this incredible task is filtered through our personal understanding and experiences. No two people see or understand the same thing in quite the same way.

Therefore, it is a good idea to have someone else (preferably someone steeped in scriptural knowledge) read what you’ve written to ensure that you’ve clearly said what you intended to say. When I’ve done this for others the most common response I hear is, “Wow, I never thought of it or saw it that way.”

Closing Thoughts

Worshipping our Lord is far too important and the stakes are too high not to give ample attention to the music and lyrics we write. Part of the frustration of “working out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12) is that we, the creation, are trying to fully comprehend our Creator. The truth is that this side of heaven we will never be able to fully grasp the depth, height and breadth of our God’s wisdom. But He has promised to teach us and lead us (John 14:26). We would do well to press in to write lyrics full of “spirit and truth.” It’s not just a good idea; it’s our part in the “sacred trust.”

A Few Helpful Resources

• Bible (several translations)
• Strong’s Concordance
• Vines Expository Dictionary
• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
• New Testament Theology by George E. Ladd
• How to read the Bible for All it’s Worth – Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart
• The Complete Word Study Old Testament
• The Complete Word Study New Testament by Zodhiates

Brent Helming has been involved in Pastoral and Worship Ministry for over 16 years. He has traveled both nationally and internationally leading worship and teaching at Churches and conferences. He has written numerous worship songs such as “Your Beloved”, Jesus Lead On” and “God of All Splendor”, along with an interactive work book titled “Hot Tips for Worship Leaders”.

© 2012, Brent Helming   ||   All rights reserved   ||   site design:  Beddome

Is God Listening?

by Brent Helming

Thoughts from Amos 5

"Is God Listening?" This question stopped me in my tracks while I was reading a short book written by Pastor/Worship Leader/Song Writer David Ruis, entitled “The Worship God is Seeking: An Exploration of Worship and the Kingdom of God”. The words absolutely jumped off the page at me. The question wasn't asked with a sarcastic or judgmental tone.

It was simply an honest question regarding the nature and activity of our modern worship practices. As I reflected on my reaction to David’s question, I realized that I've always assumed that God was listening. Why wouldn't He be listening? As I understand the scriptures, they are filled, especially the Psalms, with encouragements and commands to worship, to gather together and give praise to our God. So why wouldn't He be listening?
However, in the book of Amos 5:21-23 there is a startling revelation.  In this passage God speaks through the prophet Amos, "(21) I hate, I despise your religious feast; I cannot stand your assemblies. (22) Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. (23) Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps." This passage was written to the nation of Israel during a time when they were following what they understood to be the God ordained methods of worship (religious feasts, national assemblies, offerings, gain offerings, choice fellowship offerings) prescribed through the scriptures and the prophets. But God wasn’t listening. In fact the verses say that God and reached a place where He despised what they were doing.
Now that is a scary revelation. Our creator God can actually reach a place of despising and turning away for our activity of worshipping Him. When I read those verses I ask myself, "Did the Israelites know?" "Did they realize that their worship times were falling on deaf ears in the heavens?" Then I wonder, "Is the same thing happening today?" "Is God listening to our worship; to our offerings?  “Does He end up despising our assemblies as well? After all what is so different from what we are pursuing today in our assemblies and times of worship?
If you take the time read the entire passage in Amos 5 you will see that there were some major issues with the lack of social justice within the nation of Israel and that God was greatly displeased. To be sure, the moral decay of Israel and the absence of appropriate justice for the poor are important keys to understanding why God had finally ceased to listen. Yet, for this discussion, I want to turn our attention to what I believe is another part of the answer to the alarming revelation proclaimed in Amos 5.
Verses 21-23 of Amos chapter 5 have always reminded me of the words of King David in Psalm 51:16-17, "(16) You do not delight in sacrifice (worship) or I would bring it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. (17) The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." These verses are very similar to the verses in Amos 5. In both, God is not pleased with the physical activity of worship that is going on. However, Psalms 51:17 sheds some light on the issue of God’s displeasure. Here David points out that God is not interested primarily in the activity of sacrifice and worship in and of itself, but rather He is focused on the heart. The Word says, “… the sacrifices of God are broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart  … God… will not despise.” God doesn’t need more songs to be sung, more church services to be held, or more sacrifices brought to Him. These activities only hold value to Him in the light of where our hearts are focused and how we are postured before Him. God desires a humble, broken, yielded, contrite heart. This is type of heart he will not despise.  In other words, the worship from this type of heart God will not despise. In Amos, God says that He can reach a point of despising our religious activity. Yet in Psalm 51, He says that He will not despise the broken and contrite heart.
 As I mentioned earlier in this article, the Psalms are filled with commands for God’s people to gather together in the assembly, to praise His name, to shout His praise and worship Him with instruments and singing. Obviously, these activities are God ordained, worthwhile and desirable. However, we must remember that doing these things without the appropriate heart posture and focus can lead to the terrifying results of Amos 5.
One final thought to tie everything together. Not long ago, I wrote an article that was based out of the Gospel of John 4: 21-23, entitled, “The Worshippers God Seeks” (article available at http://BrentHelming.com). In that article I focused on the reality that God is seeking worshippers who will worship in spirit and truth.  I believe that is also what Psalms 51 is saying. The believer who worships God with a broken spirit and a contrite heart is walking in the call to worship in “spirit and truth”.  God is after our hearts; He is after us. He doesn’t need or want empty or hypocritical activity that looks religious. God desires a people who will act justly, love mercy (Amos 5) and worship humbly and authentically (Psalm 51) before their God. As we approach God in worship with this posture, we can be sure … He is listening!

Brent Helming has been involved in Pastoral and Worship Ministry for over 16 years. He has traveled both nationally and internationally leading worship and teaching at Churches and conferences. He has written numerous worship songs such as “Your Beloved”, Jesus Lead On” and “God of All Splendor”, along with an interactive work book titled “Hot Tips for Worship Leaders”.

© 2011, Brent Helming   ||   All rights reserved   ||   fonts:  Kernest   ||   site design:  Beddome

The Worshipers God Seeks

by Brent Helming

Thoughts from John 4:21-23

The 4th chapter of the Gospel of John where the Apostle John tells the story of Jesus meeting and talking with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in the town of Sychar, has always been a favorite of mine. This particular section of scripture has so many incredible “nuggets” to mine. However, I want to focus your attention primarily upon verses 21-23. The woman asks Jesus an important question regarding the “how” and “where” of worship.

She was interested in what Jesus thought was the correct form of and location for worship, but Jesus gave her so much more. Jesus answered her, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem… Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (NIV; emphasis mine).

One of the first things I want us to recognize is that Jesus does not rebuke the woman for wanting to know the truth about authentic worship.  In fact He answer’s her question right away. In verse 21 He says, “you will worship neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem…” Her primary concern was a focus on where and how worship should happen. In her day there was a social/religious conflict between the Jews and the Samaritans regarding the Samaritan’s eligibility to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. This conflict was so intense that the Samaritans’ had set up their own temple of worship on a near by mountain.  So the woman’s question was seeking to find Jesus’ answer to current controversy about the appropriate location for temple worship. Although Jesus answered this question willingly, he was not so much interested in “where?” or “how?” but rather He sought to open her eyes to the deeper truth of worship: the “whom”.

Let’s analyze Jesus’ answer more closely, “… a time is coming when you WILL worship the Father…”.  He didn’t say that she might worship. He told her straight out, “ you WILL worship the Father.” This must have been incredibly good news to the Samaritan woman. She was an outcast, a half-breed; and as a woman, looked upon by the pure Jews as one disqualified for authentic worship. Yet here is Jesus. A Jewish Rabbi (she didn’t yet know He was the Savior) telling her that she wasn’t disqualified and that she WILL be allowed to worship the Father.  What wonderful news for the Samaritan woman and for us today. Through Jesus we are fully “qualified” (able) to engage in worshiping the Father.

There is an important aspect to the reality of our being “qualified to worship” that I want us to see. We were created to be worshiping beings. Worship is at the core of our nature; completely inescapable. Whether we are consciously thinking about worship or not, in every moment of every day, we are giving something or someone our attention and/or affections and thus, a measure of our worship.  It’s how God created us. We could no more not worship than not breathe. It is what and who we are at the innermost places of our being. The real question for each and every person is, “what will we choose to worship?” In his book, “Unceasing Worship”, author Harold Best writes,

“We begin with one fundamental fact about worship: at this very moment, and for as long as this world endures, everybody inhabiting it is bowing down and serving something or someone – an artifact, a person, an institution, an idea, a spirit, or God through Christ. Everyone is being shaped thereby and is growing up toward some measure of fullness, whether of righteousness or of evil.”

This is why the Apostle Paul, in Romans 12:1, exhorts us to “offer (the verb here “to offer” is a continuous, ongoing action verb) your bodies as a living sacrifice … this is your spiritual act of worship.”  Paul understood that we were created to worship. He also understood that we must continually (relentlessly) train our devotion, our worship, in the right place.  There is a universal restlessness in mankind. You can see it everywhere you look. People, much like the Samaritan woman, are looking to find satisfaction for their deepest longing and in doing so many are giving their affections and devotion (worship) to all sorts of objects (money, power, people, things) to find the answer to the longing in their soul. Saint Augustine recognized this and wrote, “Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it rests in Thee.”

Let’s take another look at verse 24. This is probably one my favorite verses! Jesus continues to answer the woman, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks”. Not only did God create us with the longing and need to worship, but He also reveals to us that He has set His heart to seek out “true” (authentic) worshipers. Don’t miss the importance of what Jesus is saying here. God is seeking worshipers. He’s not just willing to accept us as worshipers. He is seeking us out. In other words, God is not primarily interested in just the worship itself. He’s seeking worshipers. He’s after relationship with us.

What an incredible insight Jesus gives us in these verses. He first confirms that we (as represented by the Samaritan woman) can find, and engage, in the very thing that cries from our being; to give ourselves in worship to something greater than ourselves, namely God. He then reveals that we are not left to drift in the journey toward worship but rather that He is seeking us out. He’s not hiding from us or trying to make it difficult to find the true object of our souls. He’s seeking us out!

So far we discovered two foundational truths:

• God created us with the innate drive to worship;
• And that God reveals that He is seeking (desiring to have relationship with) worshipers.

There is one more important aspect to this incredible revelation that we need to look at; in verse 23, Jesus said, “…true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth”.  We have already established that the Father is looking for worshipers. However, He’s not seeking just any worshiper. He’s specifically seeking those who worship Him in “spirit and truth.”  So the question we must ask ourselves is, “What does it mean to worship in spirit and truth?”

There has been much written on the meaning of the phrase, “spirit and truth.” I will leave the deeper theological discussion and debate to those better who are much better suited than I.  However, I believe that when Jesus referrers to the “spirit” in these verses, He is referring to our spirit aided by the Holy Spirit. This idea comes from John 3:6 where Jesus says, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit (God’s Spirit; Holy Spirit) gives birth to spirit.”  In other words, when we receive Christ and are born again, it is the Holy Spirit that brings life to our spirit and we become a new creation. Thus, once our spirit (the core of our being) and our soul are made alive in Christ (by the Holy Spirit working in us) we are able to engage in the authentic worship that the Father seeks. It is this Spirit to spirit connection that allows us to be able to worship beyond mere external actions or rituals.

I believe that the “truth “ Jesus mentions here is simply a right way of thinking about and understanding who God is as revealed through His word. In John 17:17, Jesus is praying to the Father for His disciples, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” God and His word are the ultimate truth. They are source of knowledge by which we are to live. In fact one of the specific activities of the Holy Spirit is to teach and remind us of God and His word so that we might have abundant life (John 14:26; John 6:63).

When we step back and look at the meaning of “spirit and truth” in its full view, a clearer picture emerges: an image of the Father who seeks worshipers who will worship Him with the fullness of their whole hearts; while simultaneously embracing a deep commitment to His word and right thinking about Him. This is what it means to worship in spirit and truth. For authentic worship to take place, there must be both. Without the heart we run the risk of falling victim to what God warned us about in Isaiah 29:13 when He said, “These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.”  Yet without deeply rooted right thinking guided by the Holy Spirit, we are left with frenzied emotionalism anchored in shallow soil; easily blown around by the winds of fads and/or heresy and in danger of going off course.

Let’s recap what we’ve discovered while unpacking our initial text, John 4: 21-23. First, there is an innate and deeply rooted desire within each of us to worship and further, this core desire of ours was placed there by God’s design. Second, God recognizes our desire to worship Him and moves toward us by seeking out worshipers who are not blindly focused on rituals or emotionalism but who have been made alive in their spirits by God’s Spirit and who have opened their minds to embrace His word and truth.

The final piece of this incredible discovery in John chapter 4 is that these truths are held together in Jesus and His work on the cross. Notice in verse 21 when Jesus first answers the Samaritan woman. He says, “… a time is coming…”, then in verse 23, Jesus says, “… a time is coming and has now come…”. Jesus was pointing the woman toward the truth that through himself, these truths have now come together.  It is through the work of the Cross that our spirits can be made alive by His Spirit. It is through the work of the Cross that the Holy Spirit is released to those who believe and can now work in their lives to guide them in all truth. It is through Jesus and the work of the Cross that we are able to fully become the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

So here’s the beautiful truth of God’s heart for us as shown in John 4:21-23:

• He created us with an innate drive and purpose to worship;
• He sent His Son to provide the way for us to be able to enter into authentic worship (in spirit and truth) of Him;
• He repeatedly shows us in the scriptures, and specifically through the cross, that His heart is seeking those who authentically worship and seek Him.

God created us with the capacity to be the very thing that He seeks: worshipers who will worship Him authentically in spirit and in truth. When you stop and meditate on this fact, its depth and reality will free you. It will encourage you, and more importantly, it will align your heart, attention and affections to the One who created You for relationship with Himself.

Brent Helming has been involved in Pastoral and Worship Ministry for over 16 years. He has traveled both nationally and internationally leading worship and teaching at Churches and conferences. He has written numerous worship songs such as “Your Beloved”, Jesus Lead On” and “God of All Splendor”, along with an interactive work book titled “Hot Tips for Worship Leaders”.

© 2011, Brent Helming   ||   All rights reserved   ||   fonts:  Kernest   ||   site design:  Beddome

Why Sing?

by Brent Helming

Why sing? I’m not asking, “Why do we worship?” Its probably safe to assume that if you are perusing this web site and reading this article, you already understand that we were created to be testimonies of God’s glory (Is. 43:6-7). In other words, we worship because God created us to worship.

No, my question is not “Why worship?” I’m posing the question, “Why sing?” Why do we, as the church, engage in singing as one of our primary forms of worship? It’s true that worship is far more than music and singing. Worship includes every activity of life (Romans 12:1). Yet, it is also true that the church, especially the contemporary church, spends a large portion of time singing together during our corporate worship. 

Why do we do this?

First, let me “tip my hand” right up front. I am very much in favor of singing as a form of worship. As a worship leader and song writer, I am glad that singing is a large part of the dynamic of corporate and personal worship. So my question is not a negative one. I’m asking more from the point of view, “do we know and understand the biblical/theological reasons behind the validity of singing songs as worship?”

I believe that singing is a special gift from God. I’m not talking about the quality of singing, as of course, an incredible singing voice is certainly a heavenly gift. I mean that the actual act of singing is one of the most effective and divinely inspired ways to help us deepen our understanding of God and to grow spiritually.

Singing and God’s Word

An important verse on topic of singing is Colossians 3:16 (NIV);

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another, with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

This verse explicitly links the word of Christ as it richly dwells within us with the activity of singing. Thus, singing is shown here as a God given way to connect with His word and His truth.
Consider also what the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5: 17-20(NIV);

“Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In these verses, the connection is shown between being filled with the Holy Spirit and singing songs, hymns and spiritual songs. This connection is more clearly seen in the King James where translators more accurately place a semi-colon between verses 18 and 19 making them one continuous thought. Also, the first word of verse 19, “Speak” is more accurately translated with the present tense continuous verb “speaking”. In other words, Ephesians is telling us that our singing (speaking) is the result and/or overflow of the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Some of you may be asking, “Where is the connection between singing and the Word of God in Ephesians 5?” To see this connection more clearly, we need to look in the Gospel of John for some helpful commentary on the role of Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.  John 6:63 and John 16:13-14 speak of the Holy Spirit as being one who gives life and makes known to us the life and words of Jesus. These verses show that one of the main roles of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the work and words of God to us and in us. Do you see the connection? When the word of God richly dwells within us one of the results is singing and just as when (as Ephesians notes) the Holy Spirit fills us (with revelation of Jesus and His words) we are inspired to sing.

Our infinitely wise creator God has made it so that there is a direct connection between Himself, His Word, the Holy Spirit and singing. I have counted over 200 references to Praising God through out the Psalms and many of those include singing. There are also quite a few of these verses where the language is structured as a command for us to sing (Psalm 47:6; 81:1; 96:1, 2; 98:1). The question then that begs to be asked is, “why?” “What is so special or unique about the act of singing?” 

There are probably dozens of reasons why singing is such a powerful gift when it comes to worshiping God. However, I want to just touch on a few.

The Act of Remembrance

One of the most obvious strengths of hearing melodies and singing songs is their ability to be remembered. Have you noticed that the right words set to the right melody are almost impossible to get out of your head? We remember even the simplest “ditties” from years ago. How about this one? “Oh.. I wish I were an Oscar Myer ……”  Now be honest. You could finish that song without even thinking about it! Or how about, “Jesus loves me this I ….” Can you finish that Sunday school favorite? Of course you can! However, how many of you can remember the main sermon points to your pastor’s sermon from two weeks ago?

The point here is not to “bash” sermons or make a case that they are subservient to the act of singing. The point is to show the incredible ability of “remembrance” inherent in the singing of songs. There are technical reasons for how and why lyrics set to melodies interact with our conscience and sub-conscience. Similarly, there are specific reasons why the act of singing these melodies triggers the synapses of our brain to fire in unique ways so as to connect with specific pathways for remembrance. But guess what? We don’t need to understand all the physiology. It’s just the way that God created us and he created us this way on purpose. God placed in us an incredible ability to absorb music and lyrics into the very fiber of our beings. I believe that one of the specific purposes for this was so that we could more fully engage in relationship with our creator and with His word.

Look at this interesting text in Deuteronomy 31:21 through chapter 32:47. God instructs Moses to write down a specific song and teach it to the nation of Israel. The reason for this instruction was so that the specific message (Word of God) of the song would not be forgotten by the future generations. Specifically, Deuteronomy says that the words of the song (as they remember and sing) will be life giving for their children. This text is an example of how God has intends for our singing to be a vehicle by which we remember his Words, His deeds, and the very nature of who He is. 

Another example of singing as a vehicle for the remembrance of God and his deeds is Exodus 15 where Moses and Miriam lead a song of worship declaring God’s mighty act of deliverance from Pharaoh. 

Declaring the Glory and Truth of God

Intricately tied to the reality that singing helps to facilitate a greater remembrance of who God is and what He’s done, is the further realization that singing is a powerful way to extol the glory and truth of God. In his writings on the glory of God, Pastor and Author, John Piper describes the reason for singing as, “…we sing because there are depths and heights and intensities and kinds of emotions that will not be satisfactorily expressed by mere prosaic forms, or even poetic readings. There are realities that demand to break out of prose into poetry and some demand that poetry be stretched into song.” Have you felt what Piper is describing? He is describing the times when we reach those places where spoken words seem to fall short and the reality that we are experiencing or trying to describe demands more… demands… singing. Sometimes the realities of beauty (namely God for our discussion) require the fullness and depth of human expression that comes with abandonment in singing.

Understanding this aspect of singing as a functional avenue of expressing God’s glory and truth will go a long way in opening up the richness of many of the Psalms; such as Psalm 66:1-2; Psalm 98 and Psalm 113. These Psalms encourage us (actually command) to sing about the glory and truth of God.

To further tie together these threads of thought concerning singing and God’s truth, look again at an aspect of Ephesians 5:18-19 that I touched on earlier. Ephesians 5 shows that singing can result from the filling of the Spirit. Keeping this in mind, look at what John 16:13-14 (NIV) says:

“But when he, the Spirit of truth (Holy Spirit), comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me (Jesus) by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”

The Holy Spirit brings glory to Jesus by making known God’s truth to those He fills.  Put this understanding together with Eph. 5:18-19 and we can see that when we are filled by the Holy Spirit, he reveals to us the life and truth of Jesus. The result of this filling often spills over in signing songs, hymn and spiritual songs, the type of which will be full of truth and knowledge about God. Worship Leader and Author, Bob Kauflin has commented that one reason why we often sense God’s presence in a more pronounced way when we gather to sing God’s praises is that the Holy Spirit is in our midst inspiring our songs. I whole heartedly agree.

More Fully Connected through Singing

I want to leave you with a final thought on why we should view singing as a viable expression for worship. God created music and the act of singing in such a way that it engages our emotions and intellect simultaneously. When this occurs, I am convinced that we are able to connect with God more fully than if we only used intellect or emotions apart from the other. 

Through the years the church, as a whole, has moved away from encouraging emotional expressions or connections to God, choosing instead to value the intellect as more valid. However, this was not the understanding of one of the greatest Theologians in recent history. In his book, “The End for which God created the World”, Jonathan Edwards writes, “God Glorifies himself toward his creature in two ways: 1.) by appearing to their understanding, 2.) by communicating himself to their hearts and in their rejoicing and delighting in and enjoying the manifestations that He makes of himself. God is glorified not only by His glory being seen but also by His glory being rejoiced in. When those that see it, delight in it; then God is more glorified then if they only see it. His glory is then received by the whole soul both by understanding and by the heart.”

Edward’s thesis here is that we were created to worship God with both our intellect and our emotions. When this happens God is most glorified. This point of view also happens to be the scriptural view as well. Let’s look, yet again, at Ephesians 5. However, this time we need to back up and start at verse 17, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Right up front, Paul stirs us with the intellect; “…do not be foolish… understand what the Lord’s will is.” He’s stirring our intellect; engaging us to think. Paul then explains that the Lord’s will involves being filled with the Holy Spirit in such a way that that the result is “… speaking (singing) to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs… singing and making music in your heart (not just your head) to the Lord,…”. To top it off the suggested attitude with which to sing is by “…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything…”  Obviously, Paul had in mind the total person, intellect and emotions.

This thread of the intellect plus emotion is also echoed in Colossians 3:17-18. In these verses we are to “Let the word of Christ richly dwell…” with in us as we teach and admonish one another in wisdom. This is clearly a call to sober and diligent intellectual pursuits. Then Paul adds, “… as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your heats to God.” It is the marriage of intellect (teaching, meditating, admonishing) combined with emotion (singing with gratitude) that captures the whole of Paul’s instruction to us.
Let me be clear that I am not trying to draw an line of division that would say that the intellect is devoid of emotion or that signing is only emotional and devoid of intellect. This is clearly not the case. My aim is to show that we are clearly encouraged to pursue and connect with God while using both.
However, I also think that it is fair to say that our emotions find an easier expression through the medium of singing. This is why James 5:13 asks. “… Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” There are also many Psalms (Psalm 31:7; 68:3-4; 100:1-2;
107:22 just to name a few) that connect singing and/or praising with expressing joy to God. Clearly, singing is intertwined to the deep emotional resources of our being.

So Why Sing?

So the question remains; “why sing?” Why spend upwards of half of our congregational meeting time signing together? Why sing songs of praise in the shower or as you drive to work? Why teach and sing songs about God to your children during the day or before the fall asleep at night?
We sing because God loves it. It’s hard to read any portion of the Book of Revelations and not notice the numerous verses that hi-light the amazing singing that we’ll being doing around God’s throne for all of eternity. God loves signing and has ordained us to join with Angles for all of eternity in song to the King. Also, did you know that God sings over you? (Zephaniah 3:17)

We sing because God commands it. (Psalm 47:6)

We sing because singing songs of worship connect us to God and to His word through the aide of the Holy Spirit and help us to remember all of His incredible attributes and achievements. (Ephesians 5:18-19; Col. 3:16-17) 

We sing as a way to worship God with our whole person as fully as we possibly can through both our intellect and our emotions.

Hopefully, the next time you step onto the platform to lead worship or enter into the sanctuary to join in worship, you’ll understand that singing (especially congregational singing) is more than just a time worn tradition handed down through the ages. It is the gift of God for our nourishment and edification unto His glorification.

Brent Helming has been involved in Pastoral and Worship Ministry for over 16 years. He has traveled both nationally and internationally leading worship and teaching at Churches and conferences. He has written numerous worship songs such as “Your Beloved”, Jesus Lead On” and “God of All Splendor”, along with an interactive work book titled “Hot Tips for Worship Leaders”.

© 2011, Brent Helming   ||   All rights reserved   ||   fonts:  Kernest   ||   site design:  Beddome

Find The Reprise

by Brent Helming

You have probably noticed that when preparing a worship song set, there is usually one song that stands out as the “key” song for that specific set. It could be an upbeat opening song that highlights God’s greatness and/or glory, or a more subdued and intimate song in the middle of the set that focuses on our need for His mercy.  Regardless of what type of song that the key song happens to be, it’s almost always the center point or theme for that time of worship. And one way to increase the impact of the desired theme in worship is to create a reprise or tag of the key song somewhere in the worship set. The word “reprise” is simply defined as, “a repetition of a phrase, or a return to an earlier theme.”

The first step is to identify the specific phrase or section of the key song (quite possibly the chorus) that best captures the essence of the theme you want to reprise. Second, review the entire song set and look for the best place to insert the reprise. This could happen at the end of the worship set or possibly after one of the songs in the middle of the set. Theoretically, the reprise could even happen in several places within the worship song set. However, more often than not, it should occur just once, in a strategic location.

Here’s an example of how I’ve utilized a reprise to emphasize a specific theme in worship. Recently, I used Kathryn Scott’s song “Hungry” in a Sunday morning worship set.  I positioned it near the end of the worship time to be a more reflective song that would elicit a response from the congregation. As we were singing, it really became obvious that the four lines of the chorus connected firmly with the congregation and that God was using those words significantly for a good number of worshippers that morning. Even as we moved on into the next song, I felt as if God was continuing to highlight the lines of the chorus in my heart.  So as we neared the end of the current song we were singing, I began to sing the chorus of “Hungry” again. I just simply tagged it on to the end of the last song of the set.

In the example above the impetus to reprise the chorus happened spontaneously in the midst of worship. Sometimes this is case. The Spirit speaks to you in the midst of worship and guides you into the very heart of God for that moment. Other times, I’ve planned out a reprise ahead of time. Either way, the key is to find the right lyrics that capture the essence of the theme (God’s heart) for that time of worship and then to reprise it. When used appropriately, the reprise can be quite powerful and help to take the worship experience to a deeper level.

Brent Helming has been involved in Pastoral and Worship Ministry for over 16 years. He has traveled both nationally and internationally leading worship and teaching at Churches and conferences. He has written numerous worship songs such as “Your Beloved”, Jesus Lead On” and “God of All Splendor”, along with an interactive work book titled “Hot Tips for Worship Leaders”.

© 2011, Brent Helming   ||   All rights reserved   ||   fonts:  Kernest   ||   site design:  Beddome

Rediscovering the Pleasure of Leading Worship

by Brent Helming

With a hearty “Amen” another worship set was complete. Yet, as I put my guitar on it’s stand and walked off stage, I was disturbed by an empty feeling in my heart. For the last thirty minutes I hadn’t really led worship. It felt more like I just sang a bunch of songs. Where was the passion? Where had the joy gone? As I’ve had the opportunity to speak with a number of worship leaders, I’ve come to realize that I’m not the only one who has wrestled with joyless, passionless feelings concerning worship. But how is it that worship leaders lose their joy and passion?

As I’ve examined my own situation, one thing is clear. The problem isn’t with God or with the activity of worship. The pathway to restoring pleasure (life & joy) in worship rests in the degree to which God is pursued as the delight of the soul.

Pleasure is not found in technique.

There are hundreds of articles and numerous seminars/workshops that focus on “How to create, deliver and prepare worship sets.” Much of the information within these resources is excellent and quite helpful. However, there is absolutely no technique in and of itself that can create and sustain true satisfaction and joy with regard to worshiping our heavenly Father.

Much like a painter who must first master the craft of applying the right kinds of paint and color to the canvas, so a worship leader must learn the art and technique of leading worship. However, before the painter can apply the colors, there must first be an object that has captured his heart and imagination. He must be captivated by a vision that drives him to paint.

We worship leaders are no different. Focusing too narrowly on the “how to” of worship will always lead to frustration and disillusionment unless we have embraced our beautiful Lord and Savior as our driving passion. This may not seem like an earth shattering revelation. But oh, how easy it is to drift over into the maze of the technical while losing sight of the object of our worship.

To combat this we need to nurture within us the same all consuming passion for God that the psalmist displayed when he wrote, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for thee, O God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1-2). “My soul thirsts for thee, my flesh yearns for thee, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).

Worship is the overflow of our joy in knowing God.

In his work, “Reflections on the Psalms,” C.S. Lewis wrote, “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.”
John Piper writes, “Worship is basically adoration, and we adore only what delights us.”

From these two striking statements it follows that if we long to experience lasting authentic joy and fulfillment in the leading of worship, then our worship must flow from a place of absolute delight in King Jesus. We need to come to a place where our joy and satisfaction in God overflows into the praise and worship we’re leading.

The only way to ensure that we experience this joy and satisfaction is to spend time in His presence away from the worship platform.

I want to make sure that I’m not being misunderstood. Not all worship must flow from an emotional state of happiness and joy. Jesus said that we must “…worship the Father in spirit and truth…” which by definition means that our worship needs to be authentic.

So if you are like me, feeling happy is not a constant. In fact I am sometimes downright despondent and in great need when I come to worship. I am saying, however, that for worship to be the overflow of our “delighting” in God, then we must become well grounded in who God is, what He’s done for us and what He continues to do through us.

Only then can we respond in confidence and grace-assured worship to our king, even though we may be feeling physically and emotionally drained or saddened. Whenever I begin to feel that I’m drifting into that place of feeling empty or joyless concerning worship (the place where worship becomes a duty instead of a joy), I check the barometer of my delight in God. Nine times out of ten, I find that I’ve been spending too much time trying to lead worship out of head knowledge instead of spending time soaking my heart in Jesus’ refreshing streams of living water.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” The desire of my heart is to first, be the most devoted worshiper that I can be and second, to be the most effective and anointed worship leader that I can be. In each of these two things I want to feel the pleasure of the Lord and the satisfaction that comes from knowing and serving Him.

The pathway to achieving the desires of my heart is to follow the command of Psalm 37:4 and “delight myself in the Lord…” so that when my heart’s desires are not being met, I know the answer isn’t to create a more seamlessly flowing worship set. The answer is to immerse myself in “delighting” in the Lord. This is the unquenchable source of pleasure and passion for leading worship. “In thy presence is fullness of joy; in thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11).

Brent Helming has been involved in Pastoral and Worship Ministry for over 16 years. He has traveled both nationally and internationally leading worship and teaching at Churches and conferences. He has written numerous worship songs such as “Your Beloved”, Jesus Lead On” and “God of All Splendor”, along with an interactive work book titled “Hot Tips for Worship Leaders”.

© 2011, Brent Helming   ||   All rights reserved   ||   fonts:  Kernest   ||   site design:  Beddome

Consumer Worship

by Brent Helming

Several months ago a friend and I engaged in a conversation about worship. Specifically, we talked about the recent “contemporary worship” explosion occurring worldwide. It seems that just about every church now offers some form of “contemporary or modern worship” in their weekend services. Even mainstream bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Borders carry a selection of Contemporary Worship. In fact, in recent years, the demand for contemporary worship music, worldwide, has grown at such an exponential rate that the Time-Life Warner Worship Series (sold through TV ads) has become their number one selling series of all time; surpassing Elvis and the Beatles.

The Church’s active embracing of “Contemporary Worship” has brought a great amount of new found spiritual life into many congregations and fueled resurgence in the Arts as an acceptable and desirable form of worship. However, this new found acceptance of contemporary/modern worship has not come without its dangers and distractions. 

One of the most prevalent dangers within modern/contemporary worship is a growing attitude of what I call “consumer worship” among church attendees. Simply stated, “Consumer Worship” occurs when members of the congregation get caught up in the “show” of the worship band and begin to view the worship time as an event. Much the same way music fans view a concert of their favorite artist or band. When this happens, the congregation steps away from actively participating in connecting with God and instead moves toward a spectating and evaluating mindset. 

The obvious question is how does a “Consumer Worship” mindset develop and how can we as the worship leading community guard against it?

It is important to state right up front that there is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with “contemporary/modern worship”. Quite the opposite! The ability to play, create and enjoy music (all types of music – even modern styles) is an incredible gift that God has given to mankind (Gen 4:21). This gift of music is so precious that at the end of time, when the Lord returns, we will sing, play and enjoy music (worship) for all of eternity. However, there will be no music in Hell (Rev 18:22). Incredibly, part of the curse of eternal separation from God will include the absence of music.

I think that a case is easily made that God’s gift of music, has an incredible and powerful ability to touch us at the deepest level of our being. Music stirs the heart and emotions like nothing else. It also embodies the ability to motivate the behavior of those listening. This is not by accident. God intended for music to have the ability to touch us deeply.  However, in our brokenness and humanness, we can easily misplace the deep affections and emotions that music (even worship music) stirs in us. When this occurs during worship, we often end up focused on objects other than God; namely the worship leader, the worship band, and/or the engaging melodies of our favorite songs. It is this type of misdirected attention that nurtures a “consumeristic worship” mindset by creating the impression that the time of worship is simply an enjoyable music event (the “show”) instead of a life giving interaction with Creator God.

Can you see the awesome responsibility that God has given to those of us who create, play and lead others with music? We have an incredibly powerful tool at our disposal. One that is capable of deeply affecting those who hear it. Worship Leader/Songwriter David Ruis, has termed this responsibility the “Sacred Trust” of leading worship. We as worship leaders and musicians have been entrusted with the precious gift of music and it is our commission to wield this gift responsibly.

Practically, this means that the worship team must endeavor to play skillfully (I Chron. 25:7) without pulling the attention of the worshipper away from the main focus of the worship itself… namely God. I do not know how this directly relates to you and your worship band while leading the congregation, but I do know that it requires musicians who are humble and grounded in who they are in Christ. It also requires that the Worship Leader and Team be committed to serving the heart of God, for his people, in the midst of each and every worship set. Again, this does not mean that we shouldn’t strive to be excellent musicians or utilize specific “tools of the trade” such lights, stage risers, backdrops, candles, stage decorations and like as, part of the worship environment. These types of enhancers, and others like them, can be useful tools that help to create the appropriate atmosphere for authentic worship. However, every time a worship team steps onto the platform they must be aware that part of their mission and role in leading worship is to avoid actively participating in the cultivation of “consumerism” by allowing worship to become a “show”.  We need to be clear that the object of our affections and worship is Jesus.

Another proactive way to counteract the growth of “consumer worship” within a congregation is by providing clear, biblical teaching on what Worship really is. Hopefully, we already understand that worship and music are not always synonymous. As Pastor/Worship Leader Bob Kauflin has written, “When Christians worship, sometimes music is being played or sung (especially on Sundays). But often it isn’t. And when music is being played or sung by Christians, sometimes worship is taking place. But often it isn’t (even on Sundays).” What Kauflin is getting at is that worship is far more than our Sunday morning time of music. Our use of music and song to worship God is only a small part of the reality of what it means to worship. 

In the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John, during Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman, He gives us a snap shot of the breadth of the “what” and “how” of worship. Jesus tells the woman that we (true worshippers) will worship “… neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” With this statement Jesus takes aim at breaking down a popular belief that worship must occur in a certain way or in a specific location. His intention is to open us up to the reality that those who truly worship the Father “…will worship in spirit and truth…” John 4:23). Worship is not tied to a specific the location or specific outward activities; although specific times or locations and certain activities can certainly help to deepen a worship experience. Worship is primarily about the heart and right relationship with God. Jesus said that true worship is “in Spirit”, meaning that the internal activity of our spirits is guided by the Holy Spirit residing within each believer. He also said that worship is “in Truth” in that we focus on the objective truths about God and how our responses to those truths are guided by God’s word. These simple statements by Jesus quickly open the door to the obvious reality that worship encompasses all areas of our living, thinking and feeling. In other words, Worship involves a lifestyle. 

The purpose of this article is not to lay out a detailed teaching about worship. However, exposing the congregation to simple truths, such as I’ve stated above, and teaching them about how the worship of God engages all that we are and all that we do (Rom. 12:1; I Cor. 10:31), will go a long way in curbing our tendency to drift toward a “consumeristic” mentality in regard to the Sunday morning worship experience.
However, the responsibility to avoid a “consumeristic worship” mentality does not rest solely with the worship team or church leadership. Each individual worshipper has a definite role to play in guarding their heart against “consumerism”. Simply showing up on Sundays, singing (Ps 63:3), dancing (Ps 149:3), closing our eyes, shouting for joy (Ps 66:1-2), lifting up our hands (Ps 134:2) and listening to biblical teaching will not ensure authentic worship. Each of us must consciously and purposefully meditate on the words we are singing and/or the Word of God being taught. 

This is not always as simple as it may sound. We can be easily districted by the many things demanding our attention (even on Sunday morning). Luckily God did not leave us without help. He sent the Holy Spirit to help guide and direct us. This is what Jesus was communicating to the Samaritan woman in John 4:14 when he said, “…whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” This living water or spring of water that Jesus was talking about is the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-38) and one of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to remind us of the work of Jesus (John 14:26) and “…to guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13-14)

To help combat our fleshly tendencies to gravitate towards a consumeristic attitude in worship, we need to specifically ask the Holy Spirit to open our ears, hearts and minds and help us to fully engage in the wonder of Worship. I would even suggest that the Worship Leader periodically begin the worship time by specifically leading the congregation in praying for the Holy Spirit’s help and guidance during the corporate worship time. 

If a worship team endeavors to faithfully execute the “sacred trust” of leading worship, week in and week out, and the church leadership purposes to cultivate a full, biblically based understanding of worship, then the roots of consumeristic worship will have a hard time taking hold. I’m not sure that we’ll be able to fully eradicate consumerism from our churches, but a deeper, more fully enriched relationship with God through the vehicle of worship awaits those who say yes to pursuing authentic worship.  

Brent Helming has been involved in Pastoral and Worship Ministry for over 16 years. He has traveled both nationally and internationally leading worship and teaching at Churches and conferences. He has written numerous worship songs such as “Your Beloved”, Jesus Lead On” and “God of All Splendor”, along with an interactive work book titled “Hot Tips for Worship Leaders”.

© 2011, Brent Helming   ||   All rights reserved   ||   fonts:  Kernest   ||   site design:  Beddome

The Right Tunes at the Right Time

Five tips to weave together a great worship set

By Brent Helming

Here are some quick yet helpful tips to keep in mind when preparing your next worship set.

1) Build on a theme

Most services or small group meetings have teaching times that are based on a particular theme. If your pastor is preaching on God’s Worth or the Centrality of Christ, then design your set with those ideas in mind. Our goal as worship leaders is to help people connect with the theme of the message in their worship.

Here’s a sample worship set based on the above themes. I’ve included the keys that I would play each song in as well:

G - Forever (Chris Tomlin)
G - Hallelujah, Your Love is Amazing (Brenton Brown/Brian Doerksen)
G - Treasure (Jared Anderson)
D - Rock of My Salvation (Brent Helming)
D - Be the Centre (Michael Frye)
G - You Are Worthy of My Praise (David Ruis)

It’s important to remember that the set doesn’t have to revolve around a single theme. In the example above, there are several related themes: God’s love and God’s ultimate Worth and Centrality in our lives. There is a progression here that evolves as the themes build upon each other and actually support on another.

It’s important to remember not to include too many themes in one set since this may lead to confusion and thus hinder worship.

2) Group Songs by Similar Key

Grouping songs together that are in the same key or a corresponding key (such as G and D, as in the sample above) will help the congregation stay within the flow of worship. Too many changes in the musical key can create a disjointed feeling and pull attention away from the focus of worship.

3) Establishing a Flow

Many times the difference between good worship and great worship depends upon how well the set flows together. Do the songs seem to blend together and enhance one another, or is there an obvious start and stop feel with “dead air” between the songs?

One of the best ways to enhance the flow of the set is to work out musical transitions between songs. Some common transitions include: a) Big “Las Vegas” ending – The band gives a big finale finish and as the cymbals are ringing out, you then kick into the next song.

Tempo changes – End a fast tempo song by repeating the chorus at the slower tempo of the next song. When moving from a slow song to a faster song, you can play the chorus or verse of the faster song at the slower tempo before launching into the faster tempo.

Changing keys – Change keys in one song in order to set up the next song (“We Exalt You” in G with a key change to A in order to play, “You are My King”).

4) Balance Between “The Standards” and Newer Songs

It is usually a good idea to have a mixture of the standard favorites (“You are Worthy of My Praise”, “I Stand in Awe”, “Hallelujah Your Love is Amazing”, “Isn’t He?”) and newer songs in the set.
The older songs will help to bring a familiarity to worship (familiarity equals participation). The newer songs will help to bring a fresh breath of the Spirit.

5) Dependence on God

There is nothing that can or will ever replace our desperate need for God to breathe life into our worship. We can devise the greatest worship sets in the world, with the best blend of songs, sung in all the right keys, and woven together masterfully with crafted musical transitions; yet without the sweet intervention of our Lord and Savior, all we’re left with is a bunch of songs.

Brent Helming has been involved in Pastoral and Worship Ministry for over 16 years. He has traveled both nationally and internationally leading worship and teaching at Churches and conferences. He has written numerous worship songs such as “Your Beloved”, Jesus Lead On” and “God of All Splendor”, along with an interactive work book titled “Hot Tips for Worship Leaders”.

© 2011, Brent Helming   ||   All rights reserved   ||   fonts:  Kernest   ||   site design:  Beddome

Three Keys to Successful Church Plant
Worship Leading

By Brent Helming

The auditorium is packed with people and the air is charged with an anticipation of meeting with the Almighty God. Quickly everyone takes his or her place as the worship leader cues the band. Within an instant, the entire congregation ignites into heartfelt, dynamic, spirit-filled worship.

Cut to a church-plant. The high school gym is not packed. Church bulletins rustle behind the din of chatter as people take their seats. Various backgrounds and experiences are represented in the congregation. Some people have never experienced intimate worship the way we do it in the Vineyard. Others may not even know the Lord. How does the worship leader lead this group?

It would be great if there were some way to ensure "throne room" like worship. However, I haven’t found and anointed worship formula for church plants. What I have discovered are several keys that help develop a foundation for success in leading a new congregation into God’s presence.

Key1: Understand The Pastor’s Vision For Worship

Todd Hunter, Acting National Director of the Association of Vineyard Churches once commented, "Nothing can kill a church plant quicker than a worship leader/senior pastor split." This may seem like a drastic statement until you realize that in many churches with contemporary worship, the worship leader is second in visibility to the pastor.

Not only does the worship leader enjoy quite a bit of visibility, but he or she develops a measurable pool of trust and admiration from the congregation. Both the pastor and the worship leader lead. A unified leadership is therefore critical.

This beloved status that many worship leaders enjoy in their churches shines an obvious light on the importance of the pastor and worship leader being of one mind with regard to the direction and priority of worship within the church.

It is not necessary for both to agree on each and every detail of how the worship ministry operates, but there must be at least basic agreement on the fundamentals.

For consistently successful worship to occur, the pastor and worship leader must work together as a team and hold unity as a priceless jewel. Yet, as with every team, conflicts and differences of opinion will arise. When this happens (and it will), worship leaders must remember that the senior pastor is the team captain. He has the ultimate responsibility before God regarding the what, why, and how of worship.

That’s why it’s important to have a firm grasp of the pastor’s vision and values for worship, because it will provide a safe foundation from which to work through the difficulties that arise.

It’s important to note here that having a clear understanding of your own vision is essential as well. There are few things that will bring more freedom to your worship leading than when you are working side by side with a pastor who shares your vision for worship and who trusts you and believes in you.

However, the opposite is also true. It’s an awfully painful road to travel when you realize that you are in a bad fit with leadership in a church where you are pouring out your blood, sweat, and tears week in and week out.

Key2: Build A Solid Repertoire Of Songs

Embedded within the definition of being a worship leader is the central truth of leading. It is the worship leader’s Job to discern the heart of God at that time for the people and to then lead them into it. In other words, the goal is to connect people with the all-sufficient, all- loving, awesome and transcendent God. One of the tools we as worship leaders use to accomplish this is cultivating an appropriate repertoire of songs.

One of the keys to successful repertoire building is to blend older, established, tried and true worship classics ("Isn’t He", "Change My Heart, O God", "Holy and Anointed One", and so forth) with newer songs. The reason for this is simple: The "classic" songs will bring depth, history and grounding to a new congregation and create an atmosphere of familiarity which will greatly increase congregational participation.

In conjunction with this, newer songs help to infuse worship with the fresh wind of the Spirit. This isn’t to say that newer songs have no depth or that older songs are void of the Spirit, but generally songs will fall into these two categories.

An important point here is to test each song in order to determine what is appropriate for you and your church and to remember that a balance of both old and new is necessary for sustained life in worship.

Along with using old and new songs, a worship leader needs to ensure that the congregation is exposed to the full complement of themes that are fundamental to worship (celebration, intimacy, warfare, thankfulness, declaration, love, commitment, and so forth). For instance, a steady diet of celebration or warfare songs may be fun for a while, but eventually the body will become malnourished. The same holds true for using intimate songs exclusively. The church will become weak without a proper diet of full, well-rounded worship.

One last comment about building a solid repertoire of songs. Understand that not every worship set must be a masterful blend of old and new songs or touch on a variety of themes.

Leading worship is a foundation building process that necessitates a big picture mind-set. Within a young church or during a church plant, the worship leader is partnering with the pastor in the task of laying a foundation upon which the church will build for years to come.

Take time and build over a period of months or even several years and don’t try to cram it all in to every worship set. Remember, it’s not just about a single Sunday service. Worship is meant to be a lifelong adventure.

Key3: Build Bridges Of Understanding

U heard someone once say, "If you are supposed to be leading, make sure people are following. If they aren’t, then you’re just out for a walk." This certainly holds true for the worship leader. The goal of each of us as worship leaders is to connect people to the heart of God, to lead them into the presence of the King. If this isn’t happening, then all we’re really doing is giving a performance.

This understanding is doubly true when leading worship in a church plant setting. With any new church, there is usually a core of those who understand the vision of the church and thus understand the dynamics of worship. They will understand what you mean when you ask the congregation to wait on the Lord, to listen to His voice, to humble themselves before Him or to lift up their hands as an offering to God.

These elements of worship are helpful in connecting people to the lord. Unfortunately their fruitfulness may be lost on those who have no clue what you mean by these actions or worse yet, they may actually bring confusion and/or frustration.

At every church service or public worship meeting, there are a number of people who are new to the idea of worship (maybe they are visitors looking for a church to attend) or who are still in the beginning stages of the worship learning curve.

These people need to be taught to enter into worship and not left to figure it out by themselves. Therefore, when I’m leading worship, I make sure to take time to "build bridges of understanding" with the purpose of de-mystifying worship and creating a pathway for everyone to follow.

Explain What’s Happening

Building these bridges is actually quite simple. First, explain what is happening in worship. If you sense God is encouraging people to surrender and bow humbly before Him, then share that with the people. Let them know they can do this by physically bowing before the Lord, lifting up their hands as an act of surrender, or by remaining quiet before the Lord.

Please understand what I’m saying here. Do not manipulate people. The goal is to create and atmosphere of understanding and then to bring freedom of expression in response.

We don’t need to tell people what to do. Rather, offer suggestions and encourage them to enter in. Remember that some people are not going to enter into worship no matter what you do. There’s no need to force the issue. Let the Lord melt their hearts in His own time.

Put Worship In Its Proper Context

Another way to build bridges of understanding is to set the stage or give context before the worship begins. I do this in several ways.

On the front of our church bulletin are several paragraphs describing what to expect during the church service. It covers the general time frame (30-35 min.) for worship, and explains why worship is a priority for us.

This way those who are visiting or those who are fairly new to the church are given a framework of understanding what’s happening around them. I will also frequently ask everyone to bow their heads and pray with me before we even begin to worship. In this prayer I ask each person to take an inventory of what’s going on in their hearts and minds at that moment and then to give it all over to the Lord. I ask them to commit themselves to push through the distractions and to worship God.

What this helps do is focus the people on why they’re there and bring reality to the process of seeking God.

There are many other ways to build bridges of understanding (such as having the pastor teach a series on worship). As the worship leader you will need to find what works best for you in the context of your church. But trust me, the fruit of taking time to build these bridges will be worth any effort it takes.

Being successful in leading worship obviously entails a lot more than just the issues that I’ve been talking about. Yet, time and time again I’ve found that these three keys: 1) understanding the pastor’s vision for worship, 2)building a solid repertoire of songs, and 3) building bridges of understanding, go a long way in establishing consistent, life-changing, spirit-filled worship within the church.

I’d like to leave you with one last thought. Learning the mechanics of how to lead worship is great, but to quote Pastor Ron Allen, "Worship is not about the ‘how to’; it’s about the ‘know who’.

This Article is from the Worship Update, VMG 98

Brent Helming has been involved in Pastoral and Worship Ministry for over 16 years. He has traveled both nationally and internationally leading worship and teaching at Churches and conferences. He has written numerous worship songs such as “Your Beloved”, Jesus Lead On” and “God of All Splendor”, along with an interactive work book titled “Hot Tips for Worship Leaders”.

© 2012, Brent Helming   ||   All rights reserved    ||   hand-built:  Beddome