Can I just ask for a tape, CD or MP3 recording and learn from that?
Nothing stops anyone from doing this. However, we cannot emphasise strongly enough that leadership of prayer is a highly charged, spiritual experience and bears with it a huge responsibility for the influence it has on congregants. A person who thinks they can lead prayer just because they might either have a tuneful voice or be a song leader is not automatically appropriate. The responsibility to lead prayer carries with it a devotion to be a servant-leader and one has to have a sense of humility coupled with confidence and strength in the task because congregants need to feel safe. One lives in that tension. It is the soul that transfers itself to the congregation, not just musical prowess. So we won’t recommend that you just get recordings and books.
