Don Moen teaches worship leaders to be genuine and servant-hearted.
Contributed By Wong Yue Ying And Yong Ming Rong
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| CN PHOTO: Tan Song Kow |
It was early on a Saturday morning at Heart Of God Church, but the auditorium was already filled with about 300 people from various churches, denominations and countries, including Indonesia and India. They were gathered for Don Moen’s worship seminar which was held in conjunction with the Festival Of Praise 2010.
Lifting their voices, participants of the workshop sang the chorus, “Lord I give You my heart, I give You my soul.” As the beautiful sound of worship filled the place, it was hard to believe that all there was on stage were a single vocalist, a guitarist and a keyboardist.
Following the time of worship, Moen began to share about his life as a Christian and his journey of worship. He commented on how the simple combination of a single guitar and keyboard was able to bring down the presence of God to lead the believers in worship. Moen stressed that even though he loves productivity and technology, the heart behind worshipping God is simple—it is not about the external, but what goes on in the believer’s heart.
In the world of Christian music, Moen is a well-known and well-loved singer, songwriter, and music producer. Moen is no stranger to Singapore, having performed in the Festival Of Praise in 2006 and 2007. He also recorded a live album, Mercy Seat, with 10,000 people in 1999, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
As he stepped on stage to address the crowd with a warm smile before taking his seat at the piano, Moen was a picture of humility and quiet confidence in God, despite his towering height.
“Production and pageantry without His presence is nothing,” Moen said. “God will not anoint who we want to be, He anoints who we are.” To become a better worship leader, Moen emphasized the importance of being “real” in order to truly connect with the congregation. He also provided comprehensive points for the workshop participants to think about:
• What is the audience’s profile?
• What did the audience go through before the meeting?
• What is the purpose of the meeting?
• What is one’s expectation of self during the worship session?
On a more practical note, Moen provided helpful tips on how to choose songs in the right key, to think about how a song should start and end, and how to set the mood with an appropriate song when starting a service.
Aside from lessons on worship leading, a segment of the seminar was dedicated to understanding the role of a good sound engineer, which Moen highlighted as a vital aspect in any worship service.
In the last session, Moen conducted a basic song-writing lesson where he taught the methods and thought processes that contribute to composing a good song. He explained the importance of understanding that as a worship leader, one’s chief purpose is to serve the Body of Christ.
He stressed the necessity for persistence in song-writing, encouraging the audience to think and ask questions such as, “What makes a song memorable?” and “What makes a song good?” More importantly, he shared that writing a song of worship is first answering the questions: “What do you want to say to God?” and “What does God want to say to you?”
Liong Kek Yee, 23, particularly enjoyed the session on songwriting. Describing Moen’s music as a “singing Bible,” she said, “It is filled with so much joy and peace; revealing Christ through the lyrics of the songs.”
All too soon, the worship seminar ended and everyone left the venue with a renewed sense of purpose in worship.
