Keys To Becoming An Effective Worship Leader Chapter 7

In the beginning of the chapter, Kraeuter talks about a worship leader he knew and looked up to. This worship leader would start a song by giving the reference of the verses that the worship songs are based on. When he gave the reference, most people did not recognize the song until the music was played. Kraeuter points out that most of the time, worship songs are based on verses in the Bible, and we don't even know it. Kraeuter gives us this example to show that this worship leader was more concerned with having the Word of God in his heart then producing the most amazing worship music. Although musical knowledge is important, knowledge of God is more important and this is the area where most worship leaders are lacking. Most worship leaders do have musical talent and creative abilities, however without a firm understanding of the God we worship, we can cause damage because we are not able to lead worship if we cannot worship ourselves. Churches can split because of worship leaders lack of knowledge of the Bible. Kraeuter compares the Bible to a playbook for an athlete. An athlete at a high level is expected to know all the material in a playbook so that they can perform with confidence and be effective. However, if we as worship leaders are not familiar with our  "playbook", or the Bible, then how can we expect to be effective worship leaders? For example, worship leaders will introduce a song, however, the song may not fit with the sermon, but the worship leader may not have enough knowledge of the Bible to know it does not fit with the sermon. We have to keep in mind that whatever we say on stage is heard and received by the hearts and minds of the people in the congregation, and this also includes the lyrics we sing. The words we say and sing have the ability to affect someone's life, so we should be prepared to say things that are inspired by God and his Word. The songs we choose should not be based on what makes the band sound good, but instead what, based on the Bible, will make the biggest impact in the lives of the congregation this week based on the topic.

Overall, this is my favorite chapter of the book, therefore it's hard to say what my favorite part is. I liked that Kraeuter said that most of the time we sing lyrics, yet we don't know where those lyrics are found in the Bible. I find this fact so sad because we focus so much on the music that we don't focus on the power in the words we sing because the words are inspired by God. We have to become familiar with the Bible not only to help us lead worship better, but also to grow our relationship with God. One saying my worship leader says is that we cannot lead someone somewhere we have not been. If we are not deepening our relationship with God how can we expect to lead others to deepen their relationship with God. Another topic Kraeuter covers, is that our song choices should reflect the Biblical aspect of the message. For example, we should not pick songs just because they are super complicated and make the band sound good, but instead we should focus on the how the lyrics can fit with the message and thus help the congregation grow in their relationship with God. We have to remember that whatever we say or sing has the ability to affect someone's life because God has enabled us to be in a position of influence. Therefore, we should study the Bible so that what we say will be inspired by God.