COME TO THE LEVEL OF PURE DEVOTION

LOCANANANDA DAS: Personally, I don't mind if a devotee joins the Sankirtana party out of a sense of duty, knowing the spiritual master encourages everyone to engage in public chanting and the distribution of his books and other transcendental literature. If a devotee has no taste for chanting but continues to chant, avoiding the ten offenses to the Holy Name, he or she will eventually rise through the clearing stage to the stage of firm attachment to the Holy Name of the Lord.

I remember a devotee who was found hiding inside a clothes dryer in the laundry room because he did not want to go out with the chanting party. But because he was encouraged by godbrothers to keep coming out week after week, he eventually became fixed up in Krishna consciousness and later took over as the organizer and kirtan leader of our Saturday night Harinam Sankirtana party. To this day, he is an enthusiastic chanter of the Hare Krishna mantra. 

I agree with you that good leadership is what inspires others to participate. The chanting should be heard by neophytes from the lips of pure devotees, meaning, those who are rigid practitioners, advanced in Krishna consciousness, and who are sincere servants of the spiritual master. The effect will be the awakening of love of Godhead within the heart.

MEENA DEVI DASI: That is a good prescription. Advancement is sure to be made. But only to the degree of the advancement of the " rigid practitioners, advanced in Krishna consciousness, and who are sincere servants of the spiritual master." If they are not on the level of pure devotion then their followers will not come to the level of pure devotion. To actually enter into the mood of Lord Chaitanya we need the association of those who have entered in. Up to that point the real life is not yet breathing. It is more or less like bellows. But bellows in the service of the Lord certainly has merit.