What Does It Take to Be a Worship Leader?

By Derek Volkmann, 2.15.2025

The role of the worship leader comes with unique responsibilities, and with those responsibilities come a particular combination of qualifications.?

What exactly are those—and do you have them?

Establishing a Baseline

First off: Let's not confuse "qualifications" with degrees/certifications/"papers." Sure, these things bring some level of implied competence, but I've known and observed plenty of leaders who either:

• Have no "degree" and lead/manage well.
• Have a "degree" and are still a bit behind.

So we need to think about what they demonstrate and communicate, and how effective all that is. Here's what I look for in a well-rounded worship leader:

Spiritual Life

A worship leader pours out from what comes in.?

Are their "inputs" filled with regular Scripture study, wise counsel, consistent fellowship with believers, and serving others??

Or, do those priorities take a backseat??

Realistically, I know that most worship leaders are either volunteers or carry multiple jobs, so their attention is focused in several directions. What I'm getting at is that the disciplines mentioned above should "form" how you work, speak, think, etc. in all your other moments and commitments.?

Musical Life

It should go without saying, but worship leaders must have some measure of musical ability AND pursue progress in those abilities. I would say that at a minimum, you should be able to:

• Sing in tune.
• Know rules of harmony. (Can be intuitive/by-ear/informal.)
• Can follow some kind of written map. (Doesn't have to be standard sheet music.)
• Play/sing in time.
• Can follow form well.
• Can arrange a group effectively.
• Confidently uses their creativity.?
• Listens well to make their part and others' fit together well.?

Relational Life

Leading worship is more than just getting the notes and song topics right. You have to relate well to and with people, both in and out of the service.?

Like I mentioned a couple posts ago, do you spend more time avoiding people to move onto the next to-do, or do you intentionally cultivate relationships that are encouraging, "sharpening," and point to Jesus?

When you intentionally relate well, then it carries over into how well you lead worship in singing.?

Building Up from There

Looking at the baselines of your spiritual, musical, and relational life, where do you land, regarding strong pots and others that could be improved?

While it's good to lean into strengths, there's a reality that you have to face: Some of these standards are fundamental requirements, so if you need improvement, then it's time to "hit the shed."

Spiritual Life Improved

• Struggling with reading Scripture? Try inductive study—it's a great tool that helps you extract the most out of a passage and point to real application. (Check out this post for more about it.)
• Make a list of who "speaks" into your life. Are their words seasoned with Scripture and insight from real experience? Or, do they just recycle whatever is trending in popular thought? Even further, does each conversation allow you to answer questions and realize truths, or do they just "tell you how it should be?" A good mentor is one who listens and asks more than they "direct."
• How are you serving outside of music ministry? Be careful not get siloed into one area; you'll miss out on seeing the fuller picture of what it means to serve in the kingdom of God.?

Musical Life Improved

I've seen folks from all walks and abilities rise to the occasion to lead their teams well and participate with competence and confidence—and some these folks even have diagnosed hearing loss!?

Regardless of their degree of ability, each person who does well musically, meets their commitments with faithfulness and use and adaptive approach if they initial struggle with a particular area.?

• Struggling with harmony? Learn how to form basic triads on the piano and LIVE WITH THEM, especially knowing the intervals and function within a diatonic major scale. A great place to start is knowing the 1, 4, 5, and 6m chords of these key centers: C, A, G, E, and D. From there, I would move onto F and B-flat. Then, it's pretty straightforward to learn the rest (B, E-flat/D-sharp, A-flat/G-sharp, D-flat/C-sharp, and G-flat/F-sharp).
• Can't seem to dial in the band+singers sound? It might have something to do with your arranging for the band. Learn the sound pyramid and have your players and singers assigned accordingly. (Check out this link for instrumental parts and this link for how to arrange your vocals.)

Relational Life Improved

Like I said above: When you intentionally relate well, then it carries over into how well you lead worship in singing. You can read more in about it in this post, but here some places you can start:

• Invite a few people to your home. Doesn't have to be a big party—in fact, I would encourage you to keep it small so you can give the best attention to your guests. That way, you can explore deeper conversation and get to know them better, rather than being distracted by several people at once.?
• Make a point to greet someone at church beyond the "how ya doing?" Look them in the eye, ask questions designed to draw a deeper response than "good," and speak more of them than yourself.

Focus on "small wins" in these areas (here's another post about how you can help team do this, too), and in no time, no doubt—you'll be a better leader than you were before.?

Be blessed ????