By Wesley Cheong

Corporate worship can range from a short time of preparation for a Bible Study group meeting to a spectacular concert for thousands of people. Since not many people planning a vast event may need a "bare-bones" outline, I would like to discuss leading worship for small groups and youth services.

Preparation for worship has to involve both physical and spiritual aspects.

1. Find out the pastor's or speaker's message theme and incorporate this theme into your worship. This is important so that the worship doesn't go off tangent. The pastor or speaker himself will feel ministered to during the worship, and that his heart, as well as the rest of the congregation, may be prepared for the message. This is a practical example of how we can support our leaders.
2. Confirm the date, time, venue, musicians, physical arrangements (e.g. overhead transparencies, equipment), and duration. Ask yourself what would help create a conducive worship atmosphere -things like the location of entrance/exit (people entering half-way and distracting everyone?), lighting, sound, neatness of stage... Whatever modifications you have to do, do these as early as possible to free you to prepare the worship.
3. Choosing the songs:
• Avoid songs you don't know!
• Avoid choosing popular songs for the sake of choosing them else people may just sing the songs for the sake of singing them.
• Unless you are confident of teaching new songs or have a supportive audience, don't choose too many new songs - 2 to 3 would be okay (up to 25% of the songs sung - depending on worshippers).
4. Write down these songs in sequence, putting the key of the songs beside them. Leave spaces between the song titles to write down how to song is to be played, e.g.
• how many times
• tempo (speed) changes - getting slower at the end, etc...
• Key changes - transpose to what key and when.
• The transition from song to song: when you are going to change songs
• How are the songs going to start and end, when the prayer is, the offering is (i.e. in Sunday schools)
5. Inform all the musicians, or the people in charge of the musicians and transparencies, as well as the meeting coordinator, of your songs. Zap a copy of what you've prepared in the step above for each of the musicians and give them during rehearsal and on the day itself.
6. Remember to schedule your rehearsals. As a rule, rehearsals tend to take longer than planned and musicians tend to arrive late, so give yourself some "breathing space" (room for delays).
7. Prepare yourself for leading the worship, spending time in prayer to receive God's guidance. Rehearse yourself by worshipping during your Quiet Time, using the sequence of songs you've selected. As you do so, ask God to search your heart and prepare you to be an instrument for His service.
8. Have inner peace and calmness. This can be obtained by following step 7 and trusting in God to work His will, reconcilling any outstanding quarrel, and being mentally prepared the day before and during the day of the worship itself. Arrive early and settle any outstanding problems quickly. God can use your inner peace and calmness to comfort and reassure your musicians and worshippers. Worry, moodiness, snapping at others, frustration and frenzy will not get you anywhere.