Thank you for planning what you’re going to say before leading worship this Sunday.

This simple step alone sets you on a course to stand out from the crowd and steer clear of the all-too-common, “Let’s stand together and worship!” mantra that echoes in churches up and down the land 52 weeks of the year.

In this guide, I’ll show you an easy way to craft intentional 10 to 15-second pre-worship moments that set the tone for the entire service.

I’ll tell you:

• How to plan it out
• Some Bible verses you can use
• And give you a ton of examples

I’ll also give you access to the best worship leader training to help you lead worship with confidence and skill and facilitate life-changing God encounters.

Let’s dive right in!

The 3 Essentials of Your Pre-Worship Message

1. Give A Warm Welcome

Even if there’s a service host or church MC to kick things off, your warm welcome can set the tone for the rest of the service.

Keep it genuine, authentic and true to your own style.

For example:

• “Hey everyone, welcome to church.”
• “Good morning, we’re excited to worship with you today.”
• “Welcome to X Church, we’re glad you’re here.”

2. Point To Why We Worship

Next, tell people why you’re here and give them a reason to worship.

For example:

• “We’re here today to celebrate the greatness of God.”
• “We believe through Jesus, we can boldly enter the presence of God.”
• “The Bible says God inhabits the praises of His people so let’s praise Him today.”

3. Tell People What To Do

You’ve welcomed everyone, given them a reason to worship and now give them clear instructions.

You could tell your congregation to stand, to open their hearts, to pray, focus on something, lift their hands and so on.

For example:

• “Let’s pray together and turn our focus to God.”
• “Let’s keep that in mind as we worship God together.”
• “Close your eyes and let’s take a moment to welcome the Holy Spirit.”

And that’s really all there is to it!

This 3-step formula is simple but it works every single time.

10 Things You Could Say Before Leading Worship

1. Enter His Gates

Good morning everyone! Are we ready to worship? We’re overjoyed to have each of you here at [Church Name] this morning.

Today, as we gather together to worship, let’s remember the words of Psalm 100:

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

So with grateful hearts, let’s enter God’s presence and worship Him because He is good.

2. Raise The Roof

Good morning, dear friends! What a beautiful day to come together to worship. Today, let’s dwell on Psalm 95:1-3 (MSG):

“Come, let’s shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! Let’s march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns! And why? Because God is the best, High King over all the gods.”

Let’s lift up a song of joy and a shout of praise to celebrate how great our God is!

3. A Sacrifice Of Praise

Welcome everyone to our time of worship. Whether you’re a regular member or you’re visiting us for the first time, it’s great to see you here this morning.

Let me read from Romans 12:1 (NIV) which says:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

So, in view of God’s mercy, let us offer a sacrifice of praise.

In response to God’s faithfulness let us lift our voices.

In response to all that Jesus has done for us, let us bring our worship to the name above all names, to the One who is worthy.

4. Let Us Fix Our Eyes

Good morning and welcome everyone! Who is ready to worship God?

You know, I don’t know how your week went – I don’t know whether it soared to the highest peaks or plunged into the deepest valleys, but here’s what I do know:

Our God remains unchanging and steadfast and He is always worthy of our praise.

So right now, let us fix our eyes on Jesus knowing that the Creator of the galaxies and the Author of our salvation is right here with us, wanting to meet with us.

Let’s stand and – holding nothing back – let’s give him all the praise. Amen?

5. Better Is One Day

Wow, good morning everyone. It’s good to be in the house of the Lord! Amen?

Tap your neighbour on the shoulder and say “It is good to be in the house of the Lord!”

You know, Psalm 84:10 says better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.

But do you know why? The next verses tell us:

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

Oh Lord, we come to worship you this morning knowing we are blessed because you are our sun and shield. We praise your name God, we thank you for who you are.

6. Praise The Lord

Good morning, church! Thank you for joining us, whether you’re worshipping with us in person or online.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on the words of King David in Psalm 150: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”

Today, as we lift our voices and hearts in worship, let’s use every breath we take to glorify His name. Let’s stand, using our voices, hands, and feet to praise the One who is worthy of it all. Together, let us praise the Lord!

7. Rejoice I Say, Rejoice!

Good morning everyone. As we get into a time of worship, I want to read this passage from Philippians 4:4-7:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In this moment of worship, let’s choose to rejoice in the Lord, knowing He is near.

So let’s stand together and give Him thanks. Let us lay down our cares before Him and let the peace of God reign in our hearts.

8. God With Us

Good morning everyone and welcome to church! As we gather for worship today, let’s remember we are in the presence of Almighty God.

Jesus reassures us in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Wow, what an amazing privilege to be where God is!

Let’s stand ready to worship and open our hearts, lift up our voices and together, let’s praise Him with everything we have.

9. The Rocks Won’t Outdo Us

God is good all the time! Amen?

Welcome everyone to [church name] and thank you for joining us.

As we enter into a time of worship today, I have a challenge for you:

Can you outdo the rocks?

In Luke 19:40 Jesus said, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Let’s not allow the rocks to outdo us in praise! Instead, let’s stand together, hearts full of gratitude and offer our worship to the One who deserves it all.

Let’s enter into this time with hearts wide open, knowing that our praise has the power to resonate throughout creation. Together, let’s glorify His name!

10. Worship Is A Response

Today, we don’t worship because we have to; we worship because we get to…

It’s the only right response to a God whose faithfulness knows no bounds and whose love knows no limits.

Psalm 106:1 tells us, “Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”

Verse 12 says, “Then they believed His promises and sang His praise.”

Let us be a people who offer up a sweet sacrifice of praise because God’s promises are yes and amen.

One More Thing…

Pick any one of these examples and run with it the next time you lead worship.

Practice what you’re going to say during your worship team rehearsals so you’re fully prepared for what God wants to do through you.

And don’t forget to check out Worship Ministry Training if you’re ready to take your worship-leading game to the next level.

You’ll get instant access to 10+ in-depth courses, monthly live workshops, live interviews with top worship leaders and a community of worship leaders from around the world.

I hope this quick guide inspired you and gave you a simple but effective framework to help you lead worship next Sunday.

And if you found this helpful, check out these worship articles:

• The 5 Qualities & Characteristics Of A Great Worship Leader
• How To Be A Good Worship Leader: 21 Things You Need To Know
• 22 Worship Leading Tips: Spark Life-Changing God Encounters
• The Only 6 Worship Leader Hand Signals You’ll Ever Need

Now let me hand it over to you:

What are some of the things you’ve said before leading worship that have worked really well?

What scriptures do you like to use?

Scroll down and share with us in the comments! 🤗