T’fillot (prayer services) are a journey through many emotions. From the illuminating awe of candlelighting to the acknowledgment of community during Kabbalat Shabbat (introductory songs and Lechah Dodi), from the love we receive from God in Ahavat Olam to the love we return in the V’ahavta, and especially from the ecstatic rejoicing of our freedom during Mi Chamochah to the solemn acceptance of our finitude during Kaddish, our siddur (prayer book) reminds us that to participate in Jewish life, one must be willing to express the gamut of emotions. As a service leader, it is your responsibility to facilitate the opportunities for people to feel, to contemplate, and to communicate with God and humanity.

There are essentially ten things that anyone leading a service should consider at all times. They are:

1. Keep melodies simple and mantric. If you want people to participate, then you cannot make the music too complicated. Different people with varying levels of knowledge and familiarity with Judaism come to services and want to feel smart and connected, not ignorant and isolated. Niggunim (songs without words) provide simplicity and participation; use at least one in the course of your service. If you know a melody which is catchy and repetitive, choose it over a more difficult one. People love repetition! Song leaders should refer to Appendix 1, "For the Song leader."
2. Eliminate hierarchy in prayer setting. Service leaders and participants should be as close to one another as possible. Most campus services use semicircles or even circles, which place all people on the same level. Any walls between people should be torn down! Suggestion: Number the parts of the service and assign them to different people. If possible, everyone should have a prayer book. Everyone should feel comfortable singing (i.e. see number one), everyone should be able to see one another, and everyone should leave feeling like it was prayer, not a performance.
3. Have one clear leader. Despite the previous point, there is still a need for a Shaliach Tzibbur (service leader). A lack of obvious hierarchy is one of the democratizing factors in Judaism, which eliminated the need for a prayer intermediary the way Catholics rely on priests. Nevertheless, we still have rabbis. Worshippers should be able to recognize who the leader is so that they can follow the ebb and flow of the service. If you have two leaders, they should sit together. Particularly, if you have two song leaders, it is best for one to take on the title of head song leader. If there is only one song leader, it is also valuable to have that individual (if qualified) lead the services, as this further simplifies the leadership structure.
4. Facilitate new friendships. At the beginning of services, or some say in the middle, give everyone an opportunity to meet one another. Some groups have everyone introduce themselves at the beginning and say something good that happened in the course of the week. Other service leaders (preferred) ask people to introduce themselves to anyone they don’t know. Whatever your style, most people surveyed would say that they go to services as much for the feeling of community as for the opportunity to pray. Make sure to account for this factor by including some time for socializing before or after the service.
5. Create consistency and minhag. Humans are "creatures of habit." We like regularity and the ability to anticipate future events. The concept of minhag (custom) in Judaism has allowed our people to maintain traditions for thousands of years, which undoubtedly has helped to keep us together. Worshippers at Reform services may believe that our worship is defined by its creativity. This is true in a limited sense; we continue to say Bar’chu and Aleinu, and we have created the tradition of standing during the Sh’ma. Successful prayer requires some sense of routine, tradition, minhag. Establish your own school minhagim (customs): You might ask members to bring their own candlesticks or you could provide them for everyone to light candles; say Mi Shebeirach in the same fashion each week; etc. More important, DON’T MAKE T’FILOT TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM WEEK TO WEEK!
6. Consider lighting and physical space. Is there trash lying around? Pick it up before services! Are the lights dim? Find a way to provide more lighting! Is everything on one side of the room? Try to fill the space. Choose the most non-trespassed, inviting, quiet, prayerful location possible. Don’t be surprised if turnout is low if your space does not facilitate prayer or community. Also, if you are in a circle, make it as tight as possible. Empty space creates an empty feeling.
7. Recognize all the purposes of prayer. During services, you will see some individuals closing their eyes, others whispering to friends, and still others singing three times louder than anyone else. All these things are okay! People come to Shabbat services for many different reasons: To pray, to see old friends, to meet new friends, to eat a free dinner (!), etc. The competent service leader recognizes this and accepts it.
8. Understand the texts. If you, as service leader, don’t know the meaning or the intention of the prayers, learn! It is impossible for you to lead with integrity without at least a tertiary knowledge of the words in the siddur. If you need help, speak to someone in your Hillel about the meaning of the prayers, or contact us  and ask away. We are happy to help you. Also, take time to read some of the books about Jewish liturgy from Appendix 13 and encourage others to do the same.
9. Encourage the service to flow and consider time. Services will bomb if: a) they are significantly longer than expected; b) there are many interruptions of the prayers; and c) there is too much teaching. Cardinal rule number one: DO NOT EXPLAIN EVERYTHING IN THE COURSE OF THE SERVICE. Such interference suggests insecurity in the service leader and further separates the service leader from everyone else. If you want to teach, keep it to a brief d’var Torah or focus on only one or two points in the service to say anything about (and during those occasions, limit comments to three minutes MAX). The prayer service is like a tapestry that flows from one color to another; don’t interrupt the flow!
10. Create Kavanah.There is no simple way to create a mood of prayerfulness, but in the back of your mind, consider that everything you do either adds to or subtracting from your group members’ kavanah (prayer concentration). This is one of the ultimate purposes of prayer: To effectively connect with God and to find concentration in the endeavor.