By: Rebekah Gunkel
I’m probably the last person anyone would think of when it comes to planning. It’s just not a gift of mine. Put me on the spot and I can make it up as I go with flying colors, but ask me to schedule a follow up appointment 3 months from now, and I twitch. I’ve always joked that life’s more fun when you can play it by ear…anything to make me feel better about my last-minuteness! But in all honesty, planning is a skill that I’ve really had to work on. I mean, it’s kind of an important part of leading any team, be it worship, at the office or even at home.
So several years ago when people started using the word “spontaneous” with “worship”…spontaneous worship…as more of a mainstream term, you can imagine that it made my little worship leader heart flutter! Two of my favorite words had collided! One of my favorite worship bands, United Pursuit, writes a majority of their songs out of moments of spontaneous worship where God is moving and they are following where the Spirit leads. And those moments, to me, are incredibly powerful and beautiful.
But how do you incorporate something spontaneous into your Sunday morning service that has to end by no later than 10:15 so that the next service starts on time? It can be challenging, but it can be done.
Anytime I am planning a set, I plan an extra song, just in case. I say always give yourself a little “room to roam”. And when the band rehearses, we talk through the “what ifs…” Depending on how it feels, what I’m sensing in my spirit, we may just play that chorus through a few more times or vamp on that bridge…cues are obviously very important here.
You never want to force spontaneity, or contrive something that is not. I’ve had sets where we’ve planned moments of free worship and we ended up just moving right through them because it didn’t feel right in the moment. And then there have been incredibly unexpected moments that I could not have planned if I tried.
So what are some practical tips if you want to incorporate more spontaneity into your time of worship?
- Choose songs in the same or similar keys so you can easily transition and
flow from one song to another, without fear of derailing the band if you
make a last minute change. You could also plan ahead a chord progression
that the band will play to allow extra space. - Pray for discernment and for the Holy Spirit to guide you and your team.
God is the only one that can open hearts and change the atmosphere of our
worship. - If this is new territory for you…talk about it with your team! Create a
safe environment within your worship community that encourages honest
discussion about these types of topics. Pray together that God would
reveal to you His heart for your specific community and the season that it
is in and/or headed into.
God, we thank you for the Holy moments that we get to participate in as worship leaders. Would you give us a boldness to lead with expectation, courage to believe that you are who you say you are, and freedom from fear, doubt and insecurity. As we create space, we believe that you will fill it. Be our guide. Amen.
worship views in the round 