Rise Up and Sing

Me here:  I am not a worship leader, nor is that my giftedness or calling.  But I serve on a worship team under a female worship pastor and I love anything that will lead me to be a better worshipper and closer to God.  So I was curious to read this book.  I really liked it and think that any female with a worship role in her church should read it.  It was a quick read and gave good insight into what it is like to be a female worship leader.

Discovering Your Spirit-led Ability to Lead Worship

Buckley offers a guide for women called to lead in worship ministry

Women are being called to lead worship in larger numbers than ever before, but many may feel ill equipped to do so. Lex Buckley discusses this trend in her new book, Rise Up and Sing: Equipping the Female Worship Leader. Buckley recognizes the unique challenges that women face as they enter positions that have been held primarily by men for many years. As a musician who served as a worship leader for Soul Survivor Ministries and who now serves with her husband leading the worship department for River City Church in Jacksonville, Florida, Buckley wants to encourage women to be discerning and Spirit-led about worshipping the Savior. She offers practical, down-to-earth advice to women who feel called to lead in this area of church ministry.

Drawing from the Bible, her heart, and her own experiences, Buckley begins by defining the many areas of worship ranging from worship leader and musician to worship team pastor and songwriter. She defines each role and discusses the differences that exist between men and women within these positions. From the pitch of the voice itself to the instrument of choice used to lead worship, there are many functional and practical differences that become obvious when a woman steps into a leadership role populated primarily by men. Understanding these differences and their impact on the style of worship enables a woman to lead confidently and more effectively, because she is able to better relate to the men with whom she is called to serve.

Buckley wants women who feel called to serve as worship leaders to be confident in their ability to lead and offers practical suggestions on songwriting, how to work with a worship band, and even ways to recruit members for and pastor a worship team. Rise Up and Sing also includes valuable insight from others in worship ministry including Beth Redman, Christy Nockles, and Kathryn Scott. These women want others who feel called to serve in this type of ministry to be well-prepared to follow God’s leadership in their lives and to wholeheartedly lead others in worship of their Savior. Women have much to offer their church family, and they can follow the examples set in God’s Word as they share their gifts with others.

Rise Up and Sing: Equipping the Female Worship Leader by Lex Buckley
David C Cook/July 1, 2010/ISBN 978-1-4347-0058-2/168 pages/softcover/$14.99