Leading Worship In All Its Forms

Photo by Matt McChlery

The church I go to is typically evangelical in nature. Church is an informal, yet important gathering together on a Sunday. Testimonies are shared, we pray, we sing modern worship songs, we hear Bible teaching (sermons). We have a band and play guitar, keyboards and drums. I enjoy going to 'worship conferences' to learn more about my role, leadership and how to do things better.

But, as I have said in previous blogs 'worship' is not music. It is an attitude or positioning of the heart towards God, giving Him our focus, our attention, our praise and adoration.

So as a Worship Leader who sings and plays guitar on a Sunday, how else am I supposed to be leading and facilitating worship. What other ways can I lead people into the presence of God?

Recently a lady in our church held a seminar about Spiritual Formation and how the use of 'spiritual disciplines' can in fact help to transform us into becoming more Christlike as well as aid us in our worship and communion with God, drawing us closer to Him.

As a result of the seminar I organised a church retreat where we could go to 'unplug' from the crazy world around us. A place where we can search for God, and simply be with God in a place of quiet meditation and solitude.

Another outcome is I have long wanted opportunity to experiment with a very different form of sung worship based upon an old monastic tradition: Taize. We are going to hold a separate service to give this a try with our own interpretation of it. Creating a still, quiet space where people can come and think, be silent with God and enjoy dwelling in His presence. I know this form of worship is quite traditional and formal in nature - something very different and somewhat alien to our charismatic-evangelical free church, yet I think it is important to worship and encounter God in a variety of forms and ways rather than simply our default or preferred method.

From researching various blogs I know evangelical opinion around both Spiritual Formation and Taize is divided. However, I believe we should not be afraid to look to other traditions for inspiration, nor dismiss them because they are different to what we are used to.

Worship is engaging with God. Worship is the position and attitude of our heart. Worship is about focusing on God and not on ourselves.

Worship leading is about facilitating that engagement - engagement that can come through an electric guitar, a time of prayer, finding a place of solitude or even the lighting of a candle.

Be brave - you have yet to fully explore what it means to worship, and so too your congregation.

• If you have a form of worship that has worked for you or you congregation, please share it below in the comments section.