Planning Praise-and-worship-style Worship

Planning worship is sometimes problematic for leaders. Prayer is always the prelude to good planning; but the selection and ordering of songs for worship is also a spiritual activity. An effective leader compiles a master song list, allows a theme to influence his or her selections, anticipates the mood of the congregation, and takes into account the musical and lyrical content of each piece. When these preparations are carried out diligently, the leader will be able to lead the people gently into the presence of God. Perhaps you've read the Scripture,"No temptation hath overtaken you but such as is common to all worship leaders. " When I open things up at worship seminars, the questions worship leaders ask are amazingly similar from coast to coast. And one of the questions I invariably am asked is,"How do you plan for worship?" When we think of planning a worship service, we immediately think of things like song titles, themes, musical keys, and tempo transitions. But that's only 1…