I thought this might be helpful for new worship leaders or those desiring to have more flow in their worship times...
The element termed as "flow" is an important aspect of worship leading. I feel it is somewhat akin to the "prophetic". When Christian music came on the scene and we all tried to get hip to relate (which is not a bad thing), recorded worship ended up becoming the main source of content for worship communication. Worship choruses began to be crammed into pop music culture and we ended up with the "start-stop-start-stop" style of any typical pop music album.
Much of this was due I think to being able to access songs as commodities to exchange and sell and pass on to others. Not a bad thing in itself if it helps get God more worship and connect people to Him. But unfortunately, the need to define a song into 3 minutes and make it tangible to market and distribute, ended up dictating structure and form in our worship services creating a culture of worship where we are "involved" as long as the song lasts. Then we're on to the next 3 minute experience. Because of these cultural influences on worship, I think many are now realizing that there is and always has been a progression to the throne and it requires our uninterrupted focus.
So what I personally like to do is, try to treat a worship service as "one continual song". Even though there may be 4 to 6 songs in a congregational songservice (not referring to harp and bowl, etc), it is important to treat the songservice as one entity -not several beginnings and endings. If I was to meet a person or visit a friend, I wouldn't show up at their door and start a conversation, then stop it abruptly and walk out the door, turn around, and come back in and start it again, etc.... Do you see where I'm going? I would engage someone in conversation and I would go deeper and deeper in that conversation, experiencing some level of intimacy and fullness until there was at some point a closure and I said; "Good bye. Can't wait until the next time we get together!"
Some ways I suggest we can go about implementing more "flow" into our worship times (and this bugs some musicians), is to try to keep everything in the same key as much as possible (but also don't be boxed in by that) . It doesn't matter so much on the entry songs (upbeat songs) but once we get into a flow, moving within the same key is very effective in maintaining depth and for riding out that stream as far as it can go. So stay there and let it flow, rise/swell and dip, peak and ebb until you feel it's time to move on. Don't rush it. Remember, it's all for Him and once the Holy Spirit steps in, sense where He is directing. When you find that place and learn to follow Him as best you can, you will experience the greatest worship experiences of your life. And remember. Simple is good. God is very deep. But He is always very simple. The Gospel is simple. Less is more! So remember K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) lol!
I find that landing on a 2, 3 or 4 chord progression in which spontaneous worship can breathe/swell in the middle of songs or in between songs is seriously cool. So maybe I'm doing (for familiarity sake) "Here I am to worship in "E" and towards the close of the song I start repeating the chorus in free worship (loving every minute of that by-the-way) allowing it to peak, flow, rise......then when it starts to ebb and when it feels right, I transition into say; "Fire Fall Down" also in E. Then, when that ebbs, maybe I feel impressed to take it up or take it soft into intimate worship. So for example I might make a decision to transition into "Shout Unto God" or into "Wrap Me In your Arms", the point is, it flows. There's no abruptness. No jerking. It's gradual. There will be a time to shift. A time for the drummer to count off with the sticks. But sense when that is. Don't come out of the flow prematurely.
It's like carrying the ark. We need to learn how to handle the presence of God. And there are ways and methods that God will show us in order for us to be skilled at what we really are, priests. It takes a "priest" to lead people into the depths of His presence. Not a musician.
