Trust the Holy Spirit to Lead Your Worshippers

What You’ll Learn:

• Why congregational response isn’t ultimately your responsibility as a worship leader
• Six specific areas worship leaders should be fasting and praying over regularly
• How prayerful preparation keeps you from saying too much (or too little) on stage
• Why praying for your pastor directly impacts the entire church
• How to maintain joy and wonder in worship leadership long-term
• The balance between strategic planning and dependence on the Holy Spirit

Sometimes the congregation just doesn’t respond the way worship leaders hope they will. But here’s the liberating truth: it’s the Holy Spirit who does the convicting and calls people deeper into worship, not polished performance or perfect song selection.

This reality should drive worship leaders toward consistent fasting and prayer in six critical areas. First, pray for the words spoken from the platform. Prayerful preparation keeps leaders in tune with what needs to be said (and what doesn’t aka some worship leaders talk way too much). Second, pray for song selection. Whether the worship set aligns perfectly with the sermon theme or not, the Spirit connects the dots when songs genuinely lift up Jesus. Third, pray for the congregation. Leaders can’t sing over people they don’t love. Pray for hearts to be engaged and open to God’s work.

Fourth, pray for the pastor. The worship leader’s connection with pastoral leadership significantly impacts the entire church. Fifth, pray for the spiritual temperature of the ministry: the heart of the team, the leaders being raised up, and for more power, heart, and joy in serving. Sixth, pray for the joy of leading itself. Ask God to sustain a heart for the church, deepen roots in community, and preserve the sense of wonder that comes from getting to lead worship, not having to.

Worship leaders strategize, listen to new songs, plan worship flows, and read leadership books. All good things. But prayer is where the real action happens. The power of the Holy Spirit (not clever planning) truly moves congregations to respond to Jesus, worship authentically, and grow in discipleship. Work like it depends on you, but pray like it depends on God.

Read the full article.