The 7 Key Traits of Anointed Worship Leaders – the Kind You Want to Be
By Gangai Victor

If you consider a worship leader as a living signpost, what would matter a lot is which way the signpost points.

Some point towards music, others to self, some others to style and so on.

Then there are the good ones - the ones who point towards God, helping us connect with Him and express our worship to Him.

That's the kind of worship leader I strive to be.

Real worship leaders worship the Lord at all times and only when necessary, they use songs.

What about you? Wanna be that stand-out worship servant who advances the praise of our God?

Here’s what I believe you ought to be working on:

The 7 Qualities of Awe-Inspiring Worship Leaders:

1. Be a friend of God
Great worship leaders are God-lovers first and foremost. They love the Lord so much that they ensure to start every day with Him. They do this by maintaining strong and consistent personal prayer lives. They can pray without guitar and song. They are comfortable being still and silent before the Lord, with His Word.

2. Depend on the Holy Spirit
Accomplished worship leaders don't bank on their own talent and experience as much as the Holy Spirit. Whether it's putting together a set-list or delivering a session on stage, their ears are constantly open to listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and their hearts stay in a disposition of obedience.

3. Love WORSHIP – not just a way of worshipping
Put simply, fantastic worship leaders don't believe that worship happens my-way-or-no-way. They do not cause or participate in worship wars. They respect liturgy and don't consider it inferior to contemporary worship. They appreciate "When I Survey the Wonderful Cross" as much as they enjoy "Everlasting God".

4. Never stop learning
Outstanding worship leaders value training. They always keep themselves open for training opportunities and make use of them more often than not. They consume books, blogs, podcasts, videos, seminars, webinars or anything else that advances their walk with God and ministerial competency. They never claim to know-it-all and they do not shy away from taking feedback.

5. Be selfless, create space for others
First-class worship leaders are team players. They are secure about their own calling, position and place and therefore don’t let doubt, fear or insecurity consume them. This makes them other-centred: they love to share tips and the stage with others. They sincerely encourage and take pleasure in developing another - ministerially or otherwise. They worship when others lead worship too.

6. Be happy in the present
Excellent worship leaders are grateful to serve wherever they are. Their happiness and contentment is not tagged to stuff like size of the congregation, count of facebook likes or twitter followers etc. They joyously lead through servant-hood.

7. Keep it real
Top-quality worship leaders are not different people on and off the stage. They practice worship outside the church sincerely. They don't play games with God or His people. Their spouses, children or mothers-in-law will vouch for their authenticity! I attended Don Moen's worship workshop twice and both times, the one thing he spoke about most is 'keeping it real'. You can download his teaching for free here.

"I've learned through the years that becoming a worship leader involves far more than developing a set of skills - it's all about developing a life in God." - Andy Park

The above article, “The 7 Key Traits of Anointed Worship Leaders” was written by Gangai Victor.

The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes. 

This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”