HE is the descendant of the royal magician of the Travancore king. The family, steeped in tradition, was respected and feared for its royal connection and the magician’s prowess in witchcraft. But when his grandfather accepted Jesus Christ as his personal saviour, the family not only had to forsake all its possessions but was also literally driven out of the village. The family trusted in God and picked itself up. A medical doctor by education, Dr. Prem C Marthandan chose business as his vocation. An accident through which God confirmed his calling to serve Him as a worship leader changed the man completely. He kicked his smoking and drinking habits while he was studying in the medical college, surrendered his life completely to God and turned a new leaf. He is the Director - Projects of Hindustan Group of Institutions in Padur, Tamil Nadu. Dr.Prem, as he is known, serves God as a worship leader with New Life AG Church in Saidapet near Chennai. Excerpts from an interview with The Christian Messenger:

What does it take to be a good worship leader?

In my church, they jokingly call me a ‘Levite’. Because whenever I pray, I refer to the Levite’s calling. It’s the Levite who acts as a bridge between the altar and the congregation. More than his talents, it’s the calling and the anointing of the worship leader that God values. Of course, the talent of singing is required, but that’s not a priority. God sees the heart of the man. When Abraham went up to sacrifice Isaac, he asked his servants to stay where they were while he and his son went up to worship God. And he wasn’t carrying a Yamaha keyboard or a Gibson guitar. The key to be a good worship leader is to be a worshipper first and foremost. God must dwell in the praises of the worship leader first before he can expect God to dwell in the praises of the congregation. A true worship leader will worship God all through the day. Worship is a dynamic and progressive act of life itself. The word for worship in Greek means to fall prostrate and worship God. So, it’s an act or a deed itself.

How different is it to lead an unfamiliar crowd in worship, say in a concert, from leading worship in a church?

There isn’t much of a difference because when I lead worship I myself worship. The unfamiliar crowd gets submerged in the praise and worship. God doesn’t look at you but your heart. See, it’s like this. We worship leaders talk about the ‘takeover point’. It’s the point when the Holy Spirit takes control of the session. Of course, God’s presence can be felt any time during worship but the takeover point is when the congregation is totally in God’s wavelength. The worship leader has to struggle till that point of takeover. After that point, there’s no need for us to lead the congregation to worship.

Have you ever felt the absence of the takeover point in your worship sessions?

Not really. But I have struggled a lot when the point happens at the end of the session. Though, I must add here that the takeover point can happen at any time during the worship.

Do you think the delay in the occurrence of the takeover point is due to any lack on the part of the worship leader?

Maybe, ten percent of the cause can be attributed to the worship leader. But there again, you can’t judge. It’s a mystery to me. It’s quite intriguing.

How important a role does music play in worship?

Music is only an aid. There are congregations all over the world that praise and worship God without a single musical instrument. Most of us use music because it is easy to relate to people through it and we are able to put our words in the form of a song. All of us may not sing in the right pitch or the correct note. But anybody can sing along to a song with music. That’s a divine mechanism that God has put within us.

Since Satan cannot stand people praising God, worship leaders must be his special targets. Have you ever felt Satanic attacks before or during your worship session?

Yeah. If I am leading the worship on a Sunday, the day before there would be an unrest either in the family or elsewhere by which Satan would try to take away the peace that God has given me. (The devil) would try to pull you out of the wavelength that God wants you to be. Satan would remind me about my weaknesses. Such times, I would openly confess my failings in front of the congregation.

Have there been occasions when you have believed it’s all about you?

The thought is put into your heart not during the service but when it’s over when people come up to you to say a good word or two. You can literally hear it in you ears – ‘it’s all because of your talent.’ But those are moments that I would actually thank God and tell Him, ‘Lord, it’s all about you.’ It’s maybe because of my upbringing. My father has taught me to be grateful for everything in life.

Besides your regular rehearsals, what kind of preparations do you do before a worship session?

First and foremost is prayer. There’s nothing without it. I must confess that being a businessman I don’t get much time to pray. But I pray about it continuously over time. Typically, if you ask me one should fast and pray. I do this whenever I can. I call up a lot of people to pray for me – my mother, my aunt and her family. A lot of people inside the church itself back me up with their prayers. The pastors pray for me, why even the ladies’ fellowship does it. So, I get a lot of prayer support. That gives one the confidence to go around. So many things happen during a worship session – the power can fail, musicians may not turn up. What can you do during those times but pray?

Does leading two or three worship sessions continuously result in reading the congregation’s pulse and anticipating a nod here and a raised hand there? Does it become methodical and formulaic?

No. Every worship session is unique. The takeover point can happen at different times for different sessions. But the beauty of it is this: When you have obeyed God’s calling and fulfilled His purpose for that particular moment and God has worked through you, that gratifying feeling, that euphoria you get – believe me no money in the world, no food in the world can give you. Even as you end the session, you feel as if you have just visited God Himself in heaven and come back. You feel the kind of peace in the relationship between God and you – which once tasted no man, no woman, no child, no worship leader can ever want to give up. You just feel so connected with God. That’s what happens when you worship God with all your heart and with all your mind. I have experienced this myself when I wouldn’t feel my legs at the peak of my worship.

How do you counter the charge against Pentecostal worship leaders that they whip up mass hysteria?

My explanation is very simple. If you love somebody, you know how your heart would leap out of you when you see your dear one. You have to express it in some way? How would your love be manifest? If you love your God, there has to be some way in which you express it? This dynamic relationship between God and man is not one-way. If we experience His presence in a building, inside a hall and if there’s something that helps you to bring out your love for Him I would rather sing it out. You can glorify God through hymns also. But it’s the way in which you sing. It’s the way you feel the words.  I am sorry to hear the word ‘hysteria’. Why is it being called love and emotion in the secular world and called ‘hysteria’ when you are expressing your love for God inside the church?

Copyright © 2007 The Christian Messenger. All rights reserved.