A Simple Guide To Teaching New Believers About Worship

Remember the first time you experienced corporate worship? Weird, wasn’t it?

The raising of hands. The waving of flags.

The random clapping of hands.

The off-key shouts of poor singers.

Maybe even the retired hula dancer in the aisle next to you.

It’s easy for us to forget – forget what it’s like to worship for the first time. And you, my worship leader friend, need to be aware of these people in your congregation.

Whether you know it or not, you are a teacher.

Are You A Worship Teacher?

Part of a worship leader’s job is to teach. Not necessarily hosting a class or starting a school, but creating space for people to catch a greater understanding of what it means to worship God.

Our culture isn’t used to public vulnerability when it comes to God. Yea, we don’t have a problem with this at football games. Imagine if we had worship leaders at sports events telling you when to shout, lift your hands, paint your face, and make a fool of yourself. Peer pressure teaches us what to do.

But when it comes to worship, we need to instruct people. Be patient with people. Mature them into passionate worshipers.

Something amazing happened when I started viewing my worship leading from the perspective of a teacher. I wasn’t only there to perform well, I was there to teach. Every worship leading opportunity was another chance to teach others about God – His character, His truth, His glory.

I’ve come to recognize this every time I lead.

Here are a few tips for teaching new believers about worship:

1. Explain In the Moment…Often

Don’t just assume people know about the lifting of hands, the closing of eyes, and even singing, for that matter. Explain what is going on. Err on the side of over explanation. It tells the new believer or guest that you recognize them.

2. Model It Yourself

You can’t teach someone else about worship if you don’t worship yourself. Well, you don’t want to worship yourself as in worshiping yourself, but you get the idea. While this is common sense, it’s become common to look more like a rockstar enjoying the stage than a worshiper enjoying his God. Know the difference.

3. Make Sure Your Team Models It

It’s typical for new believers to watch the band during worship. What do they see? Think about your team. Is your band too cool? Bored out of their minds? In love with Jesus? Teach your team to be expressive. I don’t care what their personality is. If they’re on stage, they are leaders.

4. Use A Lot Of Scripture

During your worship set, utilize Scripture to root people’s minds in the bigger picture. A worship leader who does this really well is Aaron Keyes. He doesn’t give long sermons but he draws people’s attention to truth.

5. Offer Short, Simple Challenges

It’s important as leaders that we don’t just blow our trumpets, so to speak, but that we conduct the room. Offer a simple challenge, a concise action step for people to take. Maybe it’s declaring praise in their own words for 30 seconds, or reading a Scripture, or singing a new song.

If you’re feeling frustrated with the response of your congregation, it may be because they don’t know what to do. There’s always something you can do to improve your worship leadership.

Question: How do you teach your congregation about worship? You can leave a comment by clicking here.