Ch r i s t i a n Ch u r c h

Leading Worship in
Housegroup
Wokingham Vineyard, a place to make friends and grow in your
relationship with Jesus while becoming equipped for life and ministry
CONTENTS
HEART STANDARDS 1
THE PRIORITY OF WORSHIP 2
VALUES IN WORSHIP LEADING 3
THE PRIVILEGE OF WORSHIP LEADING 4
THE ART OF WORSHIP LEADING 5
THE PROPHETIC EDGE 7
THE MUSICIANS APPRENTICE 9
HEART STANDARDS 10
Housegroup Worship Page 1
HEART STANDARDS
We are all called to Christlikeness, the fruits of walking with the Holy Spirit
over time. As worship leaders we especially want to cultivate these heart
standards. We need to be constantly aware of our motivation, attitudes and
actions.
a. Worship as a lifestyle: love for God.
Worship leading fowing out of a real and vital union with Christ every day.
Worship - not just with music
b. Humility and teachability.
Not thinking more highly of ourselves but learning from and submitting to one another
in love.
...out of reverence for Christ (Eph 5: 21
c. Service motivated by love (Matt 20: 28)
Jesus came not to be served but to serve others. Our motivation is one of service, leading
others into the throne room of God.
If this was Jesus standard, how much more do we need to do it?
d. A team player
We aim to give away what we do: Working in a housegroup leadership team and
apprenticing others, helping them to grow and develop.
e. Integrity (Titus 2: 6-9)
We want to be true to ourselves and minister out of a reality of worship in our own lives.
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THE PRIORITY OF WORSHIP
Worship is a lifestyle, and should be our automatic response to Gods love for us.
In our meetings we use music in our worship because it is is something we can
do corporately. There are so many references to praise and worship throughout
the bible its clear that music is a gift from God. Our experience is, that when we
take a step towards God in worship, he envelopes us in his love and grace. The
appropriate combination of music and words often helps us to focus on God
and tune in to his heart.
WHAT IS WORSHIP?
The word worship in this context embraces all the elements of praise, thanksgiving,
celebration and adoration, all of which are appropriate in the small group setting.
We praise God for His divine attributes and mighty works
We thank God for what He has done in our lives
We adore God for who He is and what He means to us
We celebrate being sons and daughters in His family
We express our need of His mercy, healing and Holy Presence
In the Vineyard an important understanding of worship is the expression of intimacy. Our
songs therefore are songs often written in the frst person, sung directly to God, rather than
about God. Furthermore they are written in a contemporary style and are reasonably easy
to sing and easy to learn and play.
As we worship our expectancy is that God will draw near to us, that we will somehow
experience the touch of His Presence with us.
WHY DO WE WORSHIP?
The old English word for worship could be read worth-ship, in other words placing worth
on something or someone. Thats exactly what were doing when we come before God in
worship, we are telling Him by our words, melodies, music and actions that we value who
He is and what He has done, We worship because Hes worth it!.
We were created to worship
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VALUES IN WORSHIP LEADING
Values are the things we hold dear that afect the way we put into practice our
priorities. They act as red and green lights governing how we approach what
we do. The values we seek to cultivate in our lives we see in the life of Jesus and
are born out of our relationship with Him. They can be summed up as the fruits
of the Spirit (Gal.5:22 Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness & self-control).
WE VALUE INTIMACY WITH CHRIST
This one thing we will do above everything else! We must not only maintain but cultivate
our intimacy with Jesus through corporate worship as well as our devotional life with Him.
Worship leaders are a vital facilitator of this value.
We need to be able to get to this place of intimacy with Jesus in our own personal worship
times before we can take it into larger groups
WE VALUE BEING NON-MANIPULATIVE
We do not want to do anything out of hype or just for efect, nor do we want to
manipulate others into worshipping God. Therefore we are worshippers by example, not by
being strongly directive. We allow people to worship God in a way that is compatible with
them, encouraging them to worship God outwardly in a way that refects what is in their
hearts.
Combine Gods leading with whats happening in your particular group. Dont try to force a
direction.
WE VALUE BEING CONTEMPORARY
We want our worship style to refect the broad musical tastes of this generation, for the
words to be relevant and that can be expressed with understanding.
WE VALUE GIVING AWAY OUR MINISTRY
We lead worship as a service motivated by love. Furthermore we want to learn to give away
what we do to others, identifying, training and releasing new worship leaders.
WE VALUE MERCY
Its OK to make mistakes! We are all learning and developing and sometimes failing. Mercy
means we treat others in a way they dont deserve, just how God treats us. In worship
leading that means we allow people to be who they are as worshippers and musicians.
Its OK to hit a wrong chord or try a song that doesnt work. View mistakes as opportunities
for growth.
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THE PRIVILEGE OF WORSHIP LEADING
As with any ministry, worship leading is an act of service to the church and as
such both a responsibility and a privilege.
A RESPONSIBILITY: (1 Peter 4: 10-11)
a. To use the gifts, talents and skills God has given to serve other people.
b. To develop and grow in the area of ministry through practice, training and
on-going experience (the more you practice, the more gifted you become!)
c. To give time and energy to prepare for ministry.
d. To identify and encourage other worship leaders in their development
and growth.
A PRIVILEGE:
a. To minister frst to God as a worshipper.
b. To lead others into Gods presence.
c. Requiring a motivation of love and humility.
SUMMARY
We need to keep perspective on what we do. We are not the star of the show.
Peoples focus should be on Jesus, not the great talent of the worship leader.
As a Worship leader we are to model worship by being a worshipper of God
ourselves as well as creating the environment for others to worship Him with
us.
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THE ART OF WORSHIP LEADING
The worship leaders aim is to create a space in which people can meet with God
CREATING THE ENVIRONMENT
At any level of worship leading the Worship Leader is a vitally important person
during a worship time because he/she creates the environment that either
facilitates or inhibits worship.
THE INSTRUMENTS HELP CREATE THE ENVIRONMENT
a. Dont play too loudly;
When all people can hear is a thrashing guitar it makes it harder to focus on God. With an
acoustic guitar in the small group setting it is unlikely that you could play too loud without
amplifcation.
b. Dont play too quietly:
Most people are not confdent of the sound of their own voices, particularly in a smaller
group of people, so a very quietly played instrument usually causes people to sing quieter
and less confdently, thus inhibiting expressive worship.
YOUR SINGING HELPS TO CREATE THE ENVIRONMENT
a. Sing as strongly as you can, without losing the melody
You can often miss chords if you sing confdently because people will follow your voice
more than they follow the instrument. Consequently if you sing softly the tempo and feel of
the song will probably be governed by the most confdent or loudest singer in the group,
which is not always helpful or tuneful!
b. Sing the melody rather than harmonies:
Once the group knows the song well or you have people that sing the melody strongly you
can add some harmonies, but generally the basic melody sung by the worship leader gives
a good foundation for the group to sing from.
A great voice is not required at all, rather an ability simply to sing the melody.
c. Songs that people know:
Mix in a number of songs that people are likely to know as well as gradually adding to the
groups repertoire. It is important therefore, to develop for yourself a resource of songs to
choose from that you can play and enjoy. Ask other worship leaders which songs work well
for them in groups as well as using the Vineyard worship resources, CDs, books and Sunday
Service Songs.
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PUTTING A SET TOGETHER
There are diferent ways of selecting a set of songs for a worship time. Here are some which
may be helpful; whichever you use it is essential to write the list down and place it where
you can see it during the worship time.
Have music and a reference for the order. Dont try and wing it unless you are a very
competent musician.
a. The Inspired Song
Sometimes you may be singing one particular song all week or have a sense that a
particular song would go well for that weeks worship time. This is often Gods prompting.
When this happens try to build a set of songs around that one song. Which songs work well
with this particular one ? Do I need perhaps a more up-tempo song before or after this one?
b. The Progression Song Selection.
At the Vineyard we are always wanting to meet with God in intimate worship. Song
selection should lead the group closer to that point of God visiting us by His Holy Spirit.
Often this happens during quieter, more worshipful songs.
A progression of songs that lead people from more up -tempo praise towards that point
of intimate love songs is by far the best and most appropriate set to work towards within a
Vineyard framework.
It may be helpful to split up a list of available songs into; up-tempo, medium-tempo and
love songs and aim to mix and match a set that way.
c. Working from a List Song Selection.
Work out in advance, a set of 10 or so songs that you may potentially use at a particular
worship time. During the worship time then simply refer to the list and choose at that point
which song is most appropriate. This allows a fexibility within a helpful framework.
SUMMARY
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and fnd out which way works best for you.
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THE PROPHETIC EDGE
DEFINITION
To prophesy is simply to speak words from God that strengthen the Church.
The Holy Spirit reveals and glorifes Jesus through prophetic ministry,
communicating the heart of God for the Church and perhaps highlighting
scriptures relevant to a particular time or circumstance. All of these aspects of
prophetic ministry can happen during worship.
As a worship leader we are not only to model heartfelt worship in our small
groups but also demonstrate a commitment to using and growing in the gifts of
the Spirit, particularly prophecy.
PROPHESYING WITH MUSIC
The Holy Spirit can minister to the heart through music. Aspects of the character and glory
of God can somehow be communicated by various instruments, notes and sounds. For
example, the synthesized keyboard can communicate the majesty of God, the acoustic
guitar and piano are versatile and are able to communicate both a sense of intimacy and
celebration depending on how they are played
Ask the Lord to speak through the musical sounds you make and see if you can sense His
empowering when you play. This really only comes through prayer and practice!
PROPHESYING WITH SONG
One Old Testament understanding of the prophetic is to be caught along in a fow of the
Spirit. When Moses sister Miriam burst into song after the escape through the Red Sea in
Exodus 15:20-21 this is a spontaneous inspired song from the Spirit. Marys song in Luke
1:46-55 is another wonderful example of prophetic song.
During worship sometimes a phrase or a theme comes to mind and when sung out may
develop into a psalm to the Lord or even a prophetic song from the Lord to His people.
These can be special moments of the Lord singing over us and an area of gifting to be
prayed for and nurtured. This kind of spontaneity is risky, but done at the prompting of the
Spirit for the building up of the Church is very powerful.
You can experience and develop this gift during your personal times of worship. Like any
gift, once God has given it, you need to practice and exercise it. The more you move in this
area, the more natural and fowing it becomes.
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HOW TO DEVELOP THE PROPHETIC IN A HOUSEGROUP
As already stated, this area of worship leading needs to fow out of our personal
devotional life.
a. Take some verses from the psalms, play and sing them out to the Lord.
b. Write lines of poetic verse or a phrase you want to say to Him and sing it aloud,
over and over.
c. Give yourself lots of time to sing in tongues along with your instrument. If you
dont have the gift of tongues, ask God to release this in you. Again, its not
something you can manufacture so dont worry if you dont have it - God will do it
in His time.
d. As you begin to be a little more confdent in private try singing out during a small
group worship time.
(1) Dont think it has to be long and complicated
(2) Dont think it has to rhyme
(3) Prophetic song doesnt always have to be spontaneous but maybe something
coming from your devotional times.
(4) Sometimes a psalm or spontaneous song could be developed into an actual song.
God is quite prepared to lay some words on your heart days before the worship
time - trust Him.
Often, a good way to generate prophetic worship is to choose a small section of the song
and use those words whilst playing a short chord phrase. This can create a safe place to
begin from.
SINGING IN THE SPIRIT
In l Cor.14:15, Paul talks of singing with the mind or understanding and with the spirit -
perhaps part of what he meant was singing in tongues.
In a worship time there may be occasions when, as you keep playing a number of
chords, people begin quietly to sing in tongues or even sing their own psalms or phrases
altogether. This song can rise and fall in volume and expression and as long as the
musician keeps the music going like a foundation for the singing, sometimes people can
launch out into spontaneous psalms or prophetic songs.
Singing in the Spirit can be a beautiful sound but should always be Spirit led.
CONCLUSION
As with any ministry, it is always helpful to ask others in the housegroup team
or other worship leaders if you are unsure about what to do in this area.
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THE MUSICIANS APPRENTICE
As we have seen, we want to give away to others in terms of our worship
leading. This involves identifying training and releasing new worship leaders in
your small group. As the Church continues to grow we will need more and more
housegroup worship leaders, so view this part of your ministry as vital.
IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL WORSHIP LEADERS
a. When you fnd a person in your group who plays an instrument, look for the
teachable heart.
b. Without making promises, ask them to play alongside you for a couple of weeks;
see how they do.
c. Dont be afraid to risk it when the person lacks confdence. Remember, they arent
the fnished article - encourage, without overstretching their abilities.
TRAINING AN APPRENTICE
a. Model the worship leaders functions and values.
b. Continue to encourage them to play alongside you.
c. As the apprentice grows in confdence ask them to start up a couple of the songs
during the set.
d. Give the apprentice a couple of weeks warning and ask them to lead the whole
evening and if it is helpful play alongside them or simply leave them to it.
e. Always try to give positive and helpful feedback as soon as possible after the
Housegroup meeting
f. Encourage the apprentice to develop musical skills. Practice ...Practice ...Practice
g. Encourage the apprentice to develop a resource of songs he/she can play
reasonably confdently without music. Also encourage him/her to develop a
resource library.
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HEART STANDARDS
We are all called to Christlikeness, the fruits of walking with the Holy Spirit
over time. As worship leaders we especially want to cultivate these heart
standards and these are what to look for in identifying apprentice worship
leaders in your group.
a. Worship as a lifestyle: love for God.
Worship leading fowing out of a real and vital union with Christ every day.
b. Humility and teachability.
Not thinking more highly of ourselves but learning from and submitting to one another
in love.
c. Service motivated by love
Jesus came not to be served but to serve others. Our motivation is one of service, leading
others into the throne room of God
d. A team player
We aim to give away what we do: Working in a housegroup leadership team and
apprenticing others, helping them to grow and develop.
e. Integrity
We want to be true to ourselves and minister out of a reality of worship in our own lives.
It isnt a mistake that this section appears twice

...we begin and end with our own heart standards.
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NOTES
3 Longmoor Close, Finchampstead, Berkshire RG40 4DZ
Phone: (0118) 973 6713 Email: nino@wokinghamvineyard.org Web: www.wokinghamvineyard.org
Wokingham Vineyard Christian Church is afliated to the Association of Vineyard Churches. Vineyard is a registered Collective Mark of the Association of Vineyard Churches (UK)
Ch r i s t i a n Ch u r c h