Leading kids age 6 through 12 in worship is no easy task. Do you go back and sing the old classic Sunday School songs? Or are those too outdated? Do you lead in more modern choruses and worship songs? Can little children even understand what they're singing about? Do we have to dumb it down?
Questions like these plague the minds of pastors, worship leaders, and children's workers across this nation. It is almost as if leading children takes greater skill, preparation, and thought than leading a group of adults. We have complicated it to the point where ministries swing into the extreme of ONLY the oldies or ONLY the newest stuff. As adults we have decided what the kids need, and told them what it is they want; when really it is so much more simple. Not easy. Just simple.
Here are 7 Tips for effectively leadings Kids Worship.
1. Be Energetic.
You don't have to be a "youth" to lead a youth. However, you do need the energy of one, at least as long as your setlist lasts. Because kids are full of energy, they are fascinated by energy. You cannot expect the kids to be engaged and excited about something that you are not pumped about. If you are expressive, they will be expressive. "Monkey see - Monkey do." Prompt them to follow, by leading in personal example. Whatever you want them to do, you must in turn do twice as big.2. Refuse To Dumb It Down.
Somewhere along the line we decided that kids are stupid. Having decided this fact, the education system began to cater to the new set of expectations, rendering our high school graduates incapable of reading in some cases. If a child is uneducated in worship, rather than dumb it down, TEACH THEM! No, they don't need a 20 minute dissertation on the Greek and Hebrew origins of worship. They need bite sized pieces of intellectual information that will be the foundation for their lifelong perception of worship. Kids are nothing more than tiny adults; teachable, moldable, observant little adults.
3. Engage Your Audience.
Engagement and Energy go hand in hand. Find unique ways to capture your audience's attention. In world where commercials and programming change shots on average of every 8 seconds, it is going to take preparation to maintain kid's attention. Screens are great, and can be very beneficial when used correctly. Props are better. But hand-motions and movements will always be your biggest crowd-pleaser.
4. Confidence Is Key
You're going to make a mistake here and there. And those kids are going to let you know about it! While leading at Fort Bluff Camp I messed up some words. One young gentleman on the front row let me know that immediately...very loudly....in front of 400+ elementary kids. Thanks bro! - I can let that phase me and lose my audience. OR I can laugh at myself, move on, and win my kids over with a memory they will always look fondly upon. Kids are the best people watchers, and they sense your insecurities. Confidence makes all the difference in the world. If you are confident, they will follow. If you are timid, you might need to find another ministry outlet.
5. Be Prepared
You kids are your future. They deserve more than your last minute scramble to "find something." Just like adults, they are souls in need of leadership and direction. As the worship leader you set the tone for the lesson that will be brought, thereby carrying an eternal responsibility on your shoulders. Let that sober you, realizing that you pave the way toward heaven, or watch as they drift toward hell. Spend time in prayer and preparation for these eternity-impacting moments in worship. They deserve your best. Preparation allows you to effectively fill in the gaps between songs, or during the song to keep the momentum building.
6. Be Real
It's not about what year the song was written. It's about how real the message remains. Choose songs that are real and reflect a genuine, real relationship with Jesus. A song is only as outdated as you say it is. We've been singing "Happy Birthday" for decades because we said it's relevant. Relevance is directly proportionate to how real we allow the song to be in our life. Instrumentation and choreography should always be secondary to the message of the song. When it's real in our lives, it will impact forever. Oh, that we adults truly knew and believed that "yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so."
7. Always Be Ready
Expect the unexpected. I'll never forget leading in "God's Not Dead" while watching the boy in the yellow shirt, five rows back on the right side puke his guts out onto the floor. This wonderful sight was followed by a parade of camp staff and cleaning supplies all in the middle of an intense worship set.
-Or that one time when I stepped off the edge of the stage and slid down four stairs to the floor.
-Once while leading worship at a camp in Kentucky, in the open air tabernacle at the top of the hill, a large, round water tank began rolling down the hill with four frantic workers in pursuit. How do you keep straight faced and focused during that hilarity?
-OHHH and that one time I went to sing a high note after a game that involved a lot of screaming; my voice cracked like I was in middle school in front of 300+ teenagers.
Stuff happens. You learn to roll with it and move on! Leading kids may not always be easy...but it will always be interesting!
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