Over the past few months I've had the opportunity to worship under the leadership of a large number of worship leaders. Some have been 'professional' worship leaders (having a paid position for the role) as well as volunteers who lead. In all of these I've noticed some basic skills missing that I learned in an introductory 'music in the local church' course in college.
Did everyone sleep through Worship 101?
These aren't a 'performance vs worship' issues (which you can find an unending list of online resources to address), but very basic musical and leading skills that either don't appear to be taught any longer or have been forgotten amid all the other flurry of music/worship prep activity.
Each of these leaders (most of whom I know personally) don't have issues with the 'performance vs worship' aspect, and many of them are skilled musicians, but they still are missing some of the basic things that many of us learned back in that introductory course (and some of us still remember).
Have you noticed similar things when others are leading worship (esp. when visiting other congregations)?
I think maybe it's time to dig up those old textbooks and notes (if the ink hasn't faded) and share them with others as a quick reminder.
Do you have some skills/tips that you see others forgetting? Let me know (put them in the comments below) and I'll add them to my list and share them also.