If I could speak to adult worship leaders or youth worship leaders, most of the items on this list wouldn’t change. I actually have a theory that leading worship for kids is the rawest and most underrealized way to develop future worship leaders. If you can’t lead worship for kids, chances are you won’t be as engaging and successful as adults. Leading worship for kids strips away the showmanship that can creep into the practice of even the most accomplished worship leaders out there. Here are a few practical tips I constantly remind every worship leader in our kid’s ministry.
1. Smile – You don’t want to convey worship is painful (actually, I have heard of kids pastors who have used worship as a form of punishment. “If you don’t stop talking, we are going to worship for five more minutes.” I kid you not.)
2. Sing – Even if your voice isn’t that stellar, having a vocal focal point helps kids enter in.
3. Make eye contact – When you are leading kids in small groups, worship, or large group, eye contact is huge. Eye contact is the time-out chair of the soul. When kids are messing around, eye contact does wonders, believe me. If you don’t believe me, ask a mother.
4. Make it personal – Share a scripture or something God is speaking to you this week – Kids learn by example. Be an example.
5. Teach kids – Having kids in a kid’s ministry setting is a huge advantage. We can break down what we do and why we do it, something that will never happen in “Big Church” We need to take advantage of this opportunity to teach them the heart of worship.
6. Be a worshiper yourself – The best way to teach kids to worship is to show them how to worship with your life.
Thanks for this tweet. I am gonna be talking to our teen worship leaders and singers tomorrow afternoon at our youth band camp. This is helpful. You d man, Sam! Let's hang in August. I'll be in NYC