THE ART OF MODERATING WORSHIP ( CHURCH SERVICE )
( How to Lead Worship in Church )
WHAT DOES MODERATING WORSHIP MEAN?
Moderating worship means directing, balancing, guiding, orienting worship in the right direction under the guidance of the Holy Spirit while respecting the purpose and nature of worship.
Caution:
To lead a worship service well, you must know what type of worship service you are leading, because each service is different and requires a particular way of leading it.
You cannot lead a wedding service the same way you lead a Sunday service, just as you cannot lead an intercessory service the same way you lead a Bible study service, and the good moderator is one who is able to make all these differences in his mind.
1. KNOW THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF WORSHIP:
In any worship, whatever its nature, there are two purposes:
First, there is the main purpose and then the purpose of worship. The main or general purpose is usually to worship God, and the secondary purpose is what you wanted to accomplish at the end of the worship.
2. PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP:
Preparation is done first spiritually through prayer or even fasting.Then materially and emotionally. Materially including yourself, you must be well presented, clean and dressed in a respectful manner.
Emotionally, you had to forget your problems from the moment you are in front of the people of God and present yourself as someone who has no problems in life with a beautiful smile and a good mood to finally transmit this warmth to the congregation.
You must do everything to bring positive energy and a joyful attitude. You must also be able to transmit your faith and good humor to people who are desperate in their situation to find joy in God during worship.
3. DURING THE SERVICE, FOCUS ON GOD, NOT ON YOURSELF:
Do your best to make God's people understand that we are here because of God. So, the most important person is God, not you! So it is about talking about God, talking for God. Not about yourself, Do not let the congregation focus on you. This is why you must dress simply and respectfully so that people do not focus on you.
4. DO NOT COME TO IMPRESS PEOPLE:
Be simple in your words and watch your words. Clothe yourself with humility and serve worthily with love and zeal. Avoid speaking with arrogance. Above all, do not come to demonstrate your intelligence, your good French or English or even your beautiful clothes.
5. THE FIRST WORDS ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
Pay special attention to the first words spoken at the beginning of the service: they set the tone for the rest of the service. and the first words should bring people’s minds back to God and not to you.
What are the opening words of the service?
Hello everyone and welcome to FREEDOM HOUSE CHURCH! As we gather for worship today, let us remember that we are in the presence of Almighty God. Jesus assures us in Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
6. PREPARE THE WORSHIP IN COLLABORATION WITH THE PREACHER AND THE MUSICAL TEAM: prepare the worship in consultation with the preacher and the musical team to work in harmony and not in disorder.
Example: If the preaching encourages trust in God in difficulties, lead people to understand that God is a refuge. And the transition between the song and the preaching can also be found in the words of the chosen songs, in prayer requests, or in a testimony during the worship. The challenge is to allow the assembly to immerse itself in a theme that develops throughout the worship, in order to leave with a strong general idea at the end of the worship.
7. LOOK AT THE GLOBAL VISION OF THE WORSHIP:
The challenge of moderation is to develop a global vision of the worship, the biblical texts, the songs, the prayer requests and the preaching must be in harmony to form a single thought.
8.BE FLEXIBLE ON THE FORM OF WORSHIP:
If the service is attached to a “praise time” that includes 5 songs – in a row – or if you follow a liturgy where everything is written down to the smallest detail in advance,
the call to flexibility is very important to let the Spirit of God guide the worship, against a reductive formalism. So be open to spontaneity and last-minute changes inspired by the Spirit of God.
NB: God can inspire you how you could lead the worship 5 days in advance, no doubt about it! or also a few minutes before the start of the worship or during the worship, so be flexible to the voice of the Spirit. Flexibility is therefore manifested by the freedom of a thoughtful framework and not by libertinism or spiritual vacabondage.
9.BE CREATIVE:
Do not dwell on the theological form and structure of worship, express what is important during worship following the conviction of the Holy Spirit. So, be creative.
10.PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE NEW EXPERIENCES:
Do not be too traditional and especially formal, during worship encourage the congregation to live new experiences with God to facilitate the explosion of the Spirit in the Church.
11. DURING WORSHIP, DEVELOP A CELEBRATIVE ATMOSPHERE:
Leading a worship service is not about giving a sermon. Nor is it about sharing a long testimony about oneself. Leading is about helping the assembly celebrate its God. Because the Church's worship is a celebration. Why? Because Christ is resurrected and without his resurrection, the first Christians would not have gathered on the first day of the week, which is Sunday.
During worship Songs and music contribute to this festive atmosphere. For worship to become a celebration It takes a smile, welcoming gestures, a beautiful song, inspiring words, a silence nourished by biblical text, gentle and appropriate transition words, It therefore takes an artistic touch so that worship becomes an inspiring place and all this promotes a festive atmosphere.
12. MODERATED ACCORDING TO THE VISION OF THE CHURCH:
It is very important to understand the vision of the local church you are involved in before you can be a moderator, this is very important to avoid foreign fire. What I meant here is that the style of singing and the way of doing things must harmonize with the main vision of your local church. Because each church has its own style of working.
13. KNOW HOW TO ADAPT TO DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES:
It is important to know how to manage the different circumstances during worship. Because the role of the worship moderator is to ensure that the worship goes smoothly. He must listen to the Holy Spirit and must be able to feel the atmosphere of the worship if it is good or bad, heavy or soft in the end know how to improve or change the atmosphere of the worship.
14. MAINTAIN A BALANCE BETWEEN YOUR THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS, BETWEEN WHAT YOU THINK AND WHAT YOU EXPRESS: You do not have to say or do everything that comes to mind. There must be a balance between your emotions, your thoughts and what you want to express during the service, while taking into account the time of worship.
15. DURING WORSHIP, INCLUDE MOMENTS OF SILENCE THAT PROMOTE LISTENING TO GOD AND REFLECTION. It is very important to also have moments of silence, but not a dead silence, but a silence accompanied by soft music or piano or a biblical text that pushes people to reflection and listening to the Holy Spirit.
NB: Above all, avoid too much noise because it prevents people from having time to think and concentrate well to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
16. USE BIBLICAL TEXTS AS A BASIS FOR WORSHIP:
At the beginning of the service, read a verse to guide the service and define the purpose of the service. This text can also serve as a guide or introduction to the service. Throughout the service, do not read the Bible, but paraphrase or recite the Scriptures to motivate the congregation to pray or to create a good atmosphere of the Holy Spirit.
17. PRESIDE THE WORSHIP BY DOING YOUR PART AND EXPECTING THE HOLY SPIRIT TO WORK THROUGH WHAT YOU HAVE PREPARED: It is important to be ready to experience the surprise of the Holy Spirit during the service.
18. DO WHAT YOU PLAN TO DO WITHOUT ANNOUNCING THAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO IT: We think we are saying in advance that we are going to sing hymns 879, etc., that we must say the title of the song, that we must announce that we are going to pray ourselves, that Sandrine is going to read psalm 139, etc. Result: the service is punctuated by useless instructions, so many interferences, that is to say these multiple useless words (sorry!) which weigh down and ultimately divert the attention of the people and of God and vice versa.
Of course, sometimes the instructions or explanations are useful. But they can also be transmitted by a gesture (gentle), as if to invite the assembly to stand up or take their places. because Presiding over a service means living the service, celebrating and not spending your time explaining and announcing what is going to follow. The challenge of presiding over worship and facilitating communion between God and his people, through his Word, his Spirit, in a spirit of prayer.
19. START WITH AN INTRODUCTORY PRAYER:
How to make a good opening prayer? Here is an example:
Lord, open our hearts to your Word so that we can find light in your presence. Through this service, bring certainty in our doubts, answers to our questions and the strength to live in faith and hope. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen
HOW DOES WORSHIP TAKE PLACE?
Worship is the place where God and men meet. It begins with a welcome from the assembly, followed by a greeting, then a time of prayer and praise addressed to God. Then comes the time of preaching, then the offering and the announcement to end with the closing prayer.
20. IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO MUST LEAD US:
The Holy Spirit must lead worship. Hebrews 12:28-29 “Therefore, since we have received a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us give thanks, serving God with fear and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”
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