10 Commandmentsof Worship

Leading by

Curt Harlow

Worship Team Series

1. Thou shall not distract from God.Eliminating distraction is the key job of the worship leader. Anything from a noisy ventilation system to a worship band that is poorly rehearsed can be a distraction from God in the service.

Ten Commandments of Worship Leading by Curt Harlow

2. Thou shall have good rhythm. If you add poor rhythm to great guitar playing you still have bad music. If you have a guitar playing to great rhythm you would have good music. Find your rhythm section first. Music is not the international language – rhythm is.

Ten Commandments of Worship Leading by Curt Harlow

3. Thou shall use variety in worship devices. Finding forms of worship that allow people to adore God and learn something about Him at the same time. Find a worship form that incorporates the entire heritage of Biblical worship.

Ten Commandments of Worship Leading by Curt Harlow

4. Thou shall practice the transitions. Most musical and time eating mistakes are made during transitions for one song to the next or from one part of the worship service to the next. Lots of teams spend their time practicing the body of the song over and over and never get on common ground about how to make the transitions.

Ten Commandments of Worship Leading by Curt Harlow

5. Thou shall actually engage.

Many worship leaders are more focused on the music and the order of service than they are on evaluating whether the worshipers are actually engaged by God. It is very important that leaders become sensitive to this and NEVER JUST GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS

Ten Commandments of Worship Leading by Curt Harlow

6. Thou shall not over exhort. On the other hand many people lose the congregation and interrupt God by using the worship time to over exhort and force people to worship. Let worship be organic, an act of free will, not an exercise in Totalitarian Religious Dictatorship.

Ten Commandments of Worship Leading by Curt Harlow

7. Thou shall explain strange things to new people. When something strange happens, and it will, address it directly and take the time to explain it. Do not tone down your worship experience.

Ten Commandments of Worship Leading by Curt Harlow

8. Thou shall match worship styles to the venue and group dynamic. Also make sure the song lyrics match the musical style and Biblical content for your situation.

Ten Commandments of Worship Leading by Curt Harlow

9. Thou shall teach something about God’s nature through worship forms. Worship forms in the Old Testament had two distinct purposes. To give God the credit for all good things and to help the people learn whom God is. What does your worship form teach people about God?

Ten Commandments of Worship Leading by Curt Harlow

10. Thou shall not use songs that are poorly written. Press yourself to find song with a great lyrics and an assortment of musical styles. Encourage song writing. Ask yourself if the song has been written biblically, with a music fits the lyrics.

Ten Commandments of Worship Leading by Curt Harlow

diamond in the rough(etymology)

origin.The phrase is clearly a metaphor for the original unpolished state of diamond gemstones, especially those that have the potential to become high quality jewels. It is more commonly expressed in the form 'rough diamond'.

meaning.The phrase is metaphorical and relates to the fact that naturally occurring diamonds are quite ordinary at first glance, and that their true beauty as jewels is only realized through the cutting and polishing process.