Are You Qualified to Lead Worship?

In my position, I get to interact with artists all across the country and I've had the pleasure of worshiping God in many different kinds of services in churches of various sizes, styles and denominations. One common theme seems to run through conversations about how to structure a worship team, however: regardless of style, how do you determine who should be leading worship?

Most worship teams have some requirements regarding musical and vocal ability, but after that, there's a wide range of what might or might not be required of people leading worship.

Some churches require an audition process during which candidates are asked to demonstrate their ability to play an instrument, sing and interact with other members of the group. Some require church membership and/or a personal relationship with Jesus (you'd be surprised, however, at how many don't).

Some actually require participants to have an "up-front" appearance. I'm not sure who gets to judge what that looks like or why God wouldn't be able to use a person who doesn't look like a rock star or fashion model. Some other interesting requirements I have found listed include:

· Being male
· Having a college degree
· Having approval of spouse
· Having the ability to play by ear
· Being able to meet the requirements of a deacon or elder
· Speaking in tongues
· Being emotionally stable
· Being a member of a small group in the church
· Using discretion in dating relationships
· Having finances in agreement with God’s priorities
· Reading the book of Psalms every year

My personal favorite is one worship team that requires "the ability to tell the difference between "in tune" and "out of tune." I've endured enough off-key singing and straining to hit high notes during some services to attest to the fact that not all worship teams have included this requirement yet.

Churches who don't have any requirements or which allow them to be compromised usually:
· Have great musicians or vocalists who they want to use and showcase but would be limited in how they could do so by rules
· Don’t have enough skilled musicians or vocalists and want bodies on the platform

Churches where I have experienced awesome worship and poured out my love, praise and thanks to a God present in the service have been churches with one basic requirement of worship leaders: that they be worshipers. All of the other characteristics needed to be a worship leader come from that. The worshiper knows how to bow before God, how to give Him the glory due His name, how to sing Him songs of praise and how to declare His greatness, love and power to all those who gather.

If you're a worshiper, you can lead others in worship. And it really helps if you can tell "in tune from out of tune." Approach your leadership on the worship team from that reference point and you'll see your team members and congregation respond with a desire to follow your example and to worship with excellence.

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24 NIV)