Hank Williams once said that "If a song can't be written in 20 minutes, it ain't worth writing". There's some truth in that. At the same time I strongly believe that song writing is made up of 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent blood, sweat and tears. I would love to tell you that all my songs were written the Hank Williams way. That they just landed on my head like snowflakes on a winter's day. There's surely an aspect of spiritual inspiration in the process. At the same time you have to make sure that the song holds a certain amount of substantial quality. And that's where the blood, sweat and tears come in. I've written some songs in one hour, while others are written over a period of two years. Sometimes that great song just hits you in the head. But most of the time you need to be putting some extra effort in to make it the best it could be. That doesn't make it less spiritual or suited for worship. I would say the opposite. The greater the song, the greater impact it will have on the people listening to it or singing it. As a songwriter you have the listeners attention for a maximum of 3 or 4 minutes. Make those minutes count by giving them your best. - David

As a worship leader, you're not called to artistry. You are called to ministry. Leading worship is all about servanthood. It's not about entertaining people, it's all about encountering God.The Bible tells us that "we shall decrease and He shall increase" (John 3,30).Our goal as worship leaders should be to become "invisible". If we take one step to the side, people will see God instead of us. See yourself as a painter who paints the face of God before people's eyes, helping them to approach the maker of the world. God deserves our best and that includes using our creativity to honour Him, but be careful that your talent doesn't get in the way. Maybe the Sunday morning worship time isn't the best time for a drum solo. We'e not first of all called to be musicians or singers. We're called to be worshippers. Serving God and serving people.

Those of us leading worship in a congregation is not unfamiliar with 'the 20 minutes'. In this time frame it's Your responsibility to "wake people up", making them sing, making them feel comfortable and most importantly: Making them worship. It's hard to measure wether people worship or not. It's often a subject to personal worship styles, and that woman on third row with her eyes closed isn't necessarily less of a worshiper than that guy on the first row with his hands in the air. For me giving people space has been a key word for leading worship. It's our responsibility as worship leaders to create the necessary room for people to worship. Maybe you can move away from the microphone once in a while, making people listen to their own voice. It will surely effect how loud they sing. Remember that the music never stops. Try to keep at least one instrument playing. Avoid the long pauses between the songs, where you look desperately through you papers, looking for the lyrics to the next song. Be prepared, and prepare in advance some songs who go well together, so You can bridge the songs.