I recently came upon a discussion around the topic of spontaneous worship and how to move in that direction while leading in worship. There was a large variety of opinions, and you get to hear (or read) mine now. :) Can you plan for a spontaneous moment? Should you even have spontaneous worship? If you do, are you still leading worship or are you just performing for the congregation?

There are many things that we as worship leaders consider when building our set list from week to week. Of course, we should be praying about it first and foremost! After that, there are many things to consider as we strive to put together something that will be effective in the worship service. As the worship portion of the service should connect as much as possible with the other aspects of the service... and as we should be setting the stage for what the pastor will be sharing to follow... the consideration of the sermon topic or overall theme of the service should be part of your planning process.

I was recently asked to share some thoughts in response to the question, “What is the value of contemporary Christian music in our worship experiences?”

Here was my response:

The story of God is ever-unfolding, developing, ongoing in our lives. He is constantly and consistently at work in and through us, in the hearts and lives of believers all around the globe...

Does your worship to the Savior sometimes feel… fake, forced, made-up or even “disingenuous?” When you start to pray or read the Word, does your mind wander? Or how about when you are worshipping the Lord... do you feel guilty that your thoughts keep wandering to the laundry, or the game that you are missing on TV? Well, I want to tell you… that is normal. In fact, “disingenuous” is a normal.

Last night, I was at dinner with some other couples from our church. I was sitting across from a couple that has been in our church for about 5 years, and prior to coming, were both unsaved. The only church background at all that they had was in the Catholic church, so coming to our pentecostal church with contemporary, charismatic worship was a completely new experience to say the least! They began asking me some questions regarding worship that lead to their sharing a powerful story that really ministered to us, but also reminded us of a powerful truth about the role we play as worship leaders.