Merge Worship

This is something I put together for our Keyboard in Worship class at our church's Summer of Worship. I thought I'd pass it along for any of you other worship leaders out there, or those who want to be. Hope you find this to be helpful. Feel free to comment with your best tips for band leaders and directors. Blessings...adam

D-Develop your own, comfortable, hand signals and cues-If you arenÂ’t comfortable giving cues, no one will be able to get them.
I-Instrumentation-Listen to music! Listen to how the parts of the bands come together for a complete sound. Train your ear to isolate other sounds and pieces of the musical puzzles.
A-Accept ownership- Walk into your setting with confidence to know what you are looking for and pray for spiritual sensitivity to lead your team in leading others into God’s presence. Prepare well and prepare for God to lead and surprise you. You must “own” the leadership, and enable others to lead out and be used by God in their callings. The Lord gives gifts to each one as He sees fit. Be prepared to support. Service is the way to successfully lead.
L-Learn how to communicate with your team members-Being able to effectively communicate with different musicians in rehearsal will greatly attribute to success at performance/worship leading time.


I-Increase your right hand strength and independence- In a band setting, your left hand has much less weight to carry as the bass player will be carrying the bottom end. Since that is the case, it is much easier to give signals with your left hand. Work to increase your ability to play with your right hand and give cues with your left.
N-Narrow your sights-After rehearsal, where your influence and attention has to be broad, narrow your sights for your worship times to the things that are necessary to direct. Concentrate only on things directly related to the worship experience. Ignore one-time wrong notes (including your own ;-), correct ongoing mistakes. Ignore one-time overplaying, correct continual overplaying or playing that distracts from the moment. Focus on where God is heading and what He is currently doing more than on technical excellence. God has a plan for your worship service and is counting on you to lead people into His presence. Narrowing your focus will allow you to concentrate on what is necessary and direct your attention to directing the band, and the people, on the journey.