You finish your last song before the message and your pastor walks up on stage. You find your seat in the congregation... now what? Obviously, you can sit there and listen to your pastor preach along with the rest of your church. But what if there were other things you could do that would help you lead worship well when you come up to lead that final song or two after your pastor is done?

Here are 3 things worship leaders should do while their pastor is preaching:

1 | Take notes

The more you can draw connections between what your pastor says and how you're going to lead those final worship songs the better! The problem is: it's easy to forget exactly what your pastor said once you get back up on stage. One way to overcome that forgetfulness is to write things down. It's been scientifically proven that writing things down helps you remember them! So, if you aren't already taking notes while your pastor preaches - start!

2 | Think of different parts of songs you can sing

The next thing to do is take note of any song ideas that pop into your head while your pastor is speaking. Did they end their message with what seem to be the exact lyrics you sing in a worship song that's familiar to your church? Why not use that as a tag on the end of the song you already had planned coming out of the message?

This is the perfect way to start incorporating spontaneous worship into your gatherings. It's spontaneous - not in the sense that you're making up what you're singing - but spontaneous in the sense that you're doing something you hadn't previously planned to do.

3 | Craft your speaking transitions and prayers

Now, take those notes that you've written down while your pastor is preaching and use them to craft your speaking transitions and prayers. Using the same sort of language your pastor used helps people make deeper connections (and it shows your pastor that you weren't sleeping during their message ). In addition, use what your pastor preached on to let you know what you need to pray for as you end your service. Instead of a general closing prayer, try pulling in specific elements of what your pastor preached on and pray for those.

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