the worship leader

Over the past several months I've decided to make some major investments and none of them have anything to do with my retirement funds nor are they remotely tied to a 401K. The investments I'm making are in the lives of "young guns" - these are young worship leaders that will one day replace me. I'm intentionally pouring everything I have into their hearts, minds, spirits, and ministries. While I will always be a worshipper, the reality is I'm not going to be leading worship the rest of my life. There are four young worship leaders that I'm taking time to meet with regularly.

Leadership is everything. Here's the short version of what I'm saying to them. I believe there are three essentials for the worship leader. Today I'm sharing one of them:

#!: COMPETENCE

This means you possess a level of musicianship that others will understand, follow, and achieve. Communication is the tool you must keep sharp. If your view of worship starts with a vision of you standing on a stage, forget it, you've got it backwards. To experience authentic worship you must champion Christ as King. Leader, you must be able to . .

* Think on your feet; be flexible.

* Understand your pastor thinks his best ideas happen on Saturday night. Saturday night is not an off-night. Ever.
Saturday nights are for thinking, praying, walking through the Sunday plan again and again.

* Never burden the teaching pastor with an issue that can be dealt with on Monday morning. Your goal is for your pastor to turn on his mike (confident that it will work) and speak unhindered.

* Manage musicians (i.e. artists). This means helping them see Jesus is center; not their art, skill, or ego.

* Follow God's Spirit. You can't lead people where you haven't been yourself.

* Think two steps ahead.

* Always be prepared for the electricity to go off, the projector to quit, or your guitar string to break. The
best advice I can give you is ACT LIKE YOU MEANT FOR THE ELECTRICITY TO GO OFF and that it was part of the plan.

* Don't "hope" people will understand what you want them to do; tell them. And, tell them when they're not
doing what you envisioned. You don't have to be unkind; you do have to be clear.

* Unless you're in a mega-church and someone is doing your hair and make-up, the tech booth, no, EVERYTHING in the worship center is your responsibility. Handle it. If it doesn't work be prepared to hear about it at Tuesday
morning staff meeting. Own it. Fix it.

* Pray with your team. Make it more than a cursory "Hey, let's pray." And, worship leaders, stop praying, "God,
we just want you to show up." This is bad theology and sounds like we don't know scripture. God IS omnipresent.

**Next: CHARACTER and CALLING. "Young guns" get ready.