It can be a little intimidating leading at a church you've never led at before.

You don't know the culture. You don't know the people you'll be leading. And you're not sure what gear they have.

That's why it's important to clearly and intentionally communicate with the church you'll be leading at beforehand!

But, what do you ask them?

Here are 3 questions to ask before guest worship leading at a church:

1 | What's the pastor preaching on?

This is just a good general worship leading practice to adopt. But, it's even more helpful to figure out when you're guest worship leading.

Your worship set should support what the pastor is preaching on. It's much more effective to focus on one theme and create a cohesive worship service than it is to point the congregation to 7 different ideas during a Sunday gathering.

So, before you lead, find out what the pastor is preaching on. Tell them: "Hey! I'd love to pick songs that support what you're preaching on. Could you let me know what Scripture you'll be preaching on?"

If they say they can't give you an answer because they don't decide on that until Saturday night... RUN!

Just kidding :)

2 | What songs have been working well in your church lately?

There's nothing worse than stepping up front to lead worship and going through your 5 song set only to realize that NO ONE knows any of the songs you're leading.

People want to sing songs that they know - they can't learn 5 new songs. In fact, I wouldn't recommend teaching the church any new songs unless you're going to be leading for multiple weeks in a row.

Ask in advance: "What songs have been working well in your church lately?" Then, play what they suggest!

At the very least, pick some songs from the CCLI top 100 and not some obscure Hillsong Young and Free song.

3 | What do I need to bring?

Make sure you've got your tech needs lined up before you arrive.

Just ask them what they have and what you'll need to bring. Double check that they have a microphone and a direct box (surprisingly some churches don't!). Ask them about monitoring. 

Think about the essential pieces of gear you need to lead worship and find out what the church has.

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