What does a worship leader do? They help stitch all the elements together to create beautiful tapestries of sound for the congregation.

What does a worship leader do?

By Marisa Sorenson

Worship leaders are an essential part of a church and their services. Worship leaders are responsible for helping people immerse themselves into worship and get settled in to hear the sermon. They help stitch all the elements together to create beautiful tapestries of sound for the congregation. But more specifically, what does a worship leader do? Here are some of their duties and responsibilities:

They lead musical worship

This one sounds obvious. I mean, they’re called worship leaders, right? But the very act of leading worship is not as easy as it looks. It requires many hours of practice, careful selection of music, and the ability to work with a diverse and constantly changing team of worship members, and to play instruments or sing. A church worship leader helps the worship team work together to make the music flow in a way that glorifies God to the max.

They promote a church mission

Churches vary greatly from each other in leadership structure, composition of their congregations, and they have differences in theological doctrines. The worship leader is responsible for taking on the pulse of the church culture, and for helping the mission of the church to be exemplified during times of singing and music. The songs they choose often ties in to the theme of the sermon, and is key to creating a well organized, memorable church service.

They shape church culture

Worship leaders not only help maintain the church culture, they also help shape it. Worship itself is a holy communion with God that nothing else on this earth quite equals. Yet each worship service can be so different from each other depending on musical choices that the worship leader makes. Because the church is constantly changing with new people coming in, and others leaving, it is never in a static, fixed state. If the leaders want to change the vision of the church, the worship leaders help effect that change by adjusting their worship leading accordingly.

They contribute to the first impression

For new visitors, the worship service is often the first thing that greets them when they walk in. Worship leaders have the immense responsibility of making sure that the first impression is a good one. If the music is out of tune or the musicians aren’t together, that can be a barrier to a visitor’s experience. Worship leaders who help new visitors and the longtime members feel welcomed and comfortable in the environment. Worship leading is a huge responsibility, and not one that should be taken lightly. But don’t be afraid. It is a wonderful role that is very needed in the church. If you want to become a worship leader, but don’t know how, read this article on How to Become a Worship Leader. Interested in becoming a worship leader? First, get a degree in Worship Leading at North Central University.

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