There has always been a lot of debate about which of the two is better - being spontaneous or calculated in worship leading. However, I don't see how you can truly be effective without a little bit of both!
Once the theme has been established (from our liturgical calendar) and the worship planning committee has placed songs and other worship elements in place, I begin planning the worship experience; I do it with my guitar or at a piano. I play through the parts of the songs and transitions to feel the journey that this worship experience is going to take me, my team and my congregation on. I feel the ebbs and flows that come from the peaks and valleys of the music. It allows me to feel where silence may be needed, where prayer may be needed or where a few words of testimony might further drive home the point. All these elements are essential to creating an effective worship experience for your congregation but too often overlooked or over-planned, creating a distraction to worship rather than a bridge from one important element to the next.
To create experiences that lead people to Jesus in an authentic manner, you must be both spontaneous and calculated. You must go through the worship experience yourself and feel the ups and downs, the praises and yearnings. You must be inspired by the Holy Spirit and the songs themselves and allow them to reach people fully. By experiencing the worship on your own, you will know how you can effectively lead it. By being present in the worship experience you will be in tune with the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the needs of the congregation and the abilities of the worship team.
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