MENS TRAINING CLASS

1. MENS TRAINING CLASS LESSON # 8 Presented at: Newton church of Christ Newton, NC 28658 2008

2. Leading In Song • The song leader is in a very important role - he has a very definite impact on the spirit of our worship. • The leader can either put you to sleep or put you in a proper frame of mind to worship. • Never forget the purpose of our singing - to worship God and to edify one another. • In every element of worship we should be satisfied with nothing less than the best we are capable of.

3. Leading in Song • Why do we need to Sing? • Matthew 26:30 - And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. • Acts 16:25 - And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. • Romans 15:9 - And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. • I Corinthians14:15 - What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. • Ephesians 5:19 - Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. • Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. • James 5:13 - Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

4. Leading In Song • DEFINITIONS • hymn - Gr. hymnos, a hymn, festive song, ode. • A song in praise or honor of God. • Any song of praise or glorification. • psalm - Gr. psalmos, a twanging with the fingers, (a song sung to the harp) • A sacred song or poem; hymn, any of the sacred songs in praise of God constituting the book of Psalms in the Bible. • spiritual - L. of breathing or air • of the spirit or the soul • of, from, or concerned with the intellect • of or consisting of spirit; not corporal • praise - L. pretium; worth price • to laud the glory of God, as in song. • (Webster's New World Dictionary, David B. Guralnik, Editor in Chief, Second College Edition, Prentice-Hall, Inc. New Jersey, 1970)

5. Leading in Song • Responsibilities of Song Leaders • Have clear goals. • Your goal should always be to lead the congregation effectively and scripturally in worship to God. • Choose songs very carefully. • Preparation ahead of time is always beneficial. • Use a wide variety of songs that will teach, exhort and admonish. • Use a scriptural method of evaluating songs: • Don’t use a song that has an unscriptural sentiment. • Songs that are meaningless ect. • Choose songs that are written by brethren. • Pick songs you know – be careful some songs have the same name but are written differently in the music.

6. Leading in Song • Responsibilities of Song Leaders • Try your best to set the proper tempo, pitch and tune. • Our primary purpose is to “make melody”. • Consider the order of the songs. • It is generally better to start with a lively song and move to a slower one. • If you are to introduce a new song – try place it between two familiar songs. • Don’t pick a slow song before the sermon – it is sending the message “ok everyone time to go to sleep – or are you ready to suffer.” • It is not necessary but a good idea to have a theme to your selection of songs. • These may not have the same words but the thoughts are able to progress from one to another naturally.

7. Leading in Song • Responsibilities of Song Leaders • Prepare yourself mentally and physically. • I listen to spiritual songs as I am driving to services – singing along helps the vocal chords be ready. • Practice – the pitch, tempo and the tune. • Since you are the song leader – you must do just that – “LEAD” • Use your voice that it can be heard. • Stop the congregation from dragging the songs. • Beat with your arms if you know how. • Indicate which verse you intend to sing before you get to the end of the song. • Observe the punctuation of the song.

8. Leading In Song • Three Killers for New Song leaders: • Trying to sing something new, or that is too hard to lead. • Trying to sing something with “hidden high notes”. • This is always an unpleasant discovery if you have not prepared yourself. • Eg. Song “I’ll be a Friend to Jesus” # 121 – Hymns for Worship. • Trying to charge the order of versus sung – or combining two songs together – ie. Doing something radically different. • The end result – it distracts from the service. • The best question to ask yourself is “Why do I want to do this?”

9. Leading In Song • Practical Ideas: • Choose old songs that everyone knows and are easy to sing. • Speed always is a savior – faster is generally better than slower. • Practice the song over and over again. • When choosing a song for the Lord’s Supper make sure that it is a familiar song to all. • Never apologize for your voice – just sing. • Don’t comment or preach with each song. • If you have messed up be professional about it. • This is not the time for jokes, or laughing. • If you don’t know what you are doing with your hand as a measure – don’t wave it around – this is a distraction.

10. Leading In Song • Practical Ideas: • When singing praises be happy and do not be afraid to show the Lord or each other that you are happy with a smile. We are praising God and Christ for what they have done for us and singing for the edification of others. Also, certain songs may bring out emotions (e.g., song prior to the Lord's Supper) that we should not be ashamed of. • Arrive early enough to post song numbers. • Announce the number of the song twice, using a different method each time (e.g., one hundred thirty four; one - three - four). Be sure to speak so that all can hear. • Song leaders need to lead and realize they are being followed. • Be aggressive and enthusiastic. This will encourage everyone else to give their all in praise.

11. Leading In Song • Practical Ideas: • Give sufficient time between songs so that everyone can find the new selection. • Try to announce at the start of each song which stanzas you will be singing. • Give thought ahead of time to which verses to include (We don't always have to omit the third!). • Watch the time. This may have an effect on how many songs or how many verses you should lead. • Do not take up so much of the time of the worship service that other important parts of the worship suffer (i.e., Lord's Supper, Prayer, Sermon). • Don't announce the song following the prayer until after the prayer. • Be ready to start the invitation song immediately when the preacher indicates. • You and your family or friends may want to sit close to the front for convenience sake. • If you feel a need to instruct the audience about a particular song, or about their singing in general, be kind and tactful. • If you (song leader) cannot be at worship when it is your turn to lead make sure you get a replacement and allow him enough time to prepare.

12. Leading In Song • Distractions in Song Leading: • The best song leader is like the best referee at a game – not seen or noticed very much at all. • We have come to worship God and anything that draws away this attention is wrong. • If you are calling attention to yourself as a song leader by: • The way you flap your arms around • Your short talks before each song • Trying to sing loudly • Changing the order of the versus or the way the song is written • then: • You are defeating your very purpose in leading worship.

13. Leading In Song • Song Leader Mechanics • Pitch is very important. It is recommended that a pitch pipe be used either when practicing at home or as an aid when leading songs in the worship (or both). This is the most convenient way to be sure about the pitch of a song. If a song is too high or low some will not be able to sing their notes. A song poorly pitched affects our praise to the Lord. • Timing of a song is very important. Try to lead with the timing as written or confusion may occur (I Corinthians 14:33, 40). Also beware of dragging or rushing a song inappropriately (this is different than leading a song too slow or fast). Keep on your toes to avoid bad habits such as putting in rests where there are none in the song. • Beating time is recommended for those who are able because it helps the leader keep the correct time and there are some who will follow the beating of time. If you do not beat the time you need to be aware of the correct timing of the song.