I observe worship leaders every Sunday at my local church with admiration. I am usually impressed with the way they lead both the choir and the congregation in worship before the sermon. A good worship leader has to have two things: vision and man-management skills. Most worship leaders can’t play all the individual instruments that are played by their choir members. This is not their job. The role of the worship leader is to get the choir to work together as a team and perform to the best of their abilities which are developed through weekly rehearsals.
The choir members are expected to follow the lead of the worship leader during worship. The congregation also keeps an eye on the worship leader for cues on how to respond to or engage with a worship song. The choir members are more sensitive to these subtle directional cues than the congregation as a result of working with the worship leader during weekly rehearsals. This is what helps the choir adapt quickly in the middle of song to sudden changes required of them by the worship leader. The use of hand gestures are sufficient to get the desired responses from the choir. This is because they are used to the way the worship leader operates.
The ultimate goal of any worship leader and his choir is to lead the congregation into the presence of God. Every song selected, every rehearsal done before each Sunday is specifically designed to accomplish this goal. There needs to be the creation of the ‘right’ environment and experience during the worship service for this goal to occur. But it is not just about leading people into the presence of God but also enabling the congregation to give their worship as an offering unto God
