Praise And Worship As It Pertains To Leadership

Praise and Worship As It Pertains To Leadership

We must follow God's ordained plan and pattern for spiritual leadership in the church if we expect God's anointing to come upon the praise and worship service.

PASTOR AND OTHER MINISTERING ELDERS

The pastor and the elders of the church must provide the spiritual leadership, authority, direction and pattern for an effective praise and worship ministry in the church. It is good when the pastor and other elders and ministers actively participate in all of the praise and worship from the moment the service begins. By doing so, they become an example and encourage the congregation to fully participate. If the ministers come in late, by their actions they seem to place little value upon the time of praise and worship in the church service, and many in the congregation will take on the same attitude.

The pastor and other ministers also need this time to properly prepare their hearts for the anointing to be released for effective ministry to the people.

It is also important for those in the five-fold ministry to avoid other distractions and give themselves completely to discerning the flow and moving of the Holy Spirit for that particular service.

The musicians and worship leaders are to be appointed by the Pastor of the church and they will be ministering under their authority. Hopefully the praise and worship Leader and musicians will be led by the Holy Spirit and follow the leading of the pastor or one of the other ministers who are gifted in this area. ( Sometimes this can be a problem)

A biblical example of this is found where King David appointed some of the Levites as musicians to minister before the Lord.

WORSHIP TEAM APPOINTED BY DAVID

So there was a ministry team appointed by David when he was returning the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 16:4 says, And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the LORD God of Israel.

Leadership authority was given to Asaph as the chief musician.

1 Chronicles 16:5 say's Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals...

A choir leader was also appointed for the proper reception of the Ark of the Covenant.

1 Chronicles 15:22 Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skillful.

1 Chronicles 15:27b David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers.

Instrumentalists were also appointed for the proper preparation to transport the Ark of the Covenant for service.

1 Chronicles 25:6 All these were under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the authority of the king.

WORSHIP LEADERS – THEIR MINISTRY GIFTINGS AND TRAINING

Often those whom God has chosen as the worship leaders will have the gifting, ability to minister and flow prophetically. Here me when i say this that music is often used to release not only the Gift of prophecy but also the other Revelational gifts into action which are the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, and the discerning of spirits.

1 Chronicles 25:1a Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals.

1 Chronicles 25:3 Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the LORD.

The calling and responsibility of ministering unto the Lord in music should never be taken lightly. Those who lead in the praise and worship services, whether vocalists or instrumentalists, should have intensive training and practice to become skilled musicians to be able to discern the flow of the Holy Spirit in the services.

1 Chronicles 25:6,7 All these were under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the authority of the king. So the number of them, with their brethren who were instructed in the songs of the LORD, all who were skillful, was two hundred and eighty-eight.

One who leads praise and worship must be anointed by God for this special and important ministry in the church. It is a gift and calling from the Holy Spirit which must be respected and cultivated.