Awkward Worship Leading (And How to Avoid it)

Corporate worship can have its awkward moments.

• Worship leaders can say “crap” instead of “clap”.
• Capos might be on the wrong fret.
• Nobody may know any of the songs
• The worship leader “talk” might not make any sense

(Of course, none of this has happened to me).

The more I lead, the more I realize that a good leader works hard to avoid awkwardness.

That’s why they are a leader. Good worship leaders minimize distraction, focus attention on Jesus, and get out of the way when that starts to happen.

Worship blogger Zac Hicks recently quoted Matt Redman’s definition of a good worship leader. This sums it up for me:

“I often define good worship leaders as those who lead strongly enough so that people follow but not so strongly that they themselves become the focus.*

Perfect. Well said.

But so often worship leaders feel unnatural. They look scared. They are overcome with nervousness.

But there’s also those who overcome nerves and flow more naturally, similar to a good conversation. So I wanted to draw some parallels between good conversation and good worship leading.

The more I studied this, the more fascinating it became.

What Good Conversation & Leading Worship Have in Common

1. Good Conversationalists Enjoy Each Other – Great conversation happens because both parties enjoy each other’s company. Even if you’ve just met the person, say, on a plane, conversation flows because there is mutual respect and admiration for one another.

Worship Leaders, if you don’t love your church – if you don’t love the people you lead – there will always be a lack of connection. It will always be about you, your platform, your talent, and your praise. But nobody loves a one sided conversation.

Action to take: Spend time with your congregation, not just your band. Talk to them, sit with them, listen to them, enjoy their company, and pray for them.

2. Good Conversation Involves Dialogue – In order for conversation to flow, both parties must contribute, right? If you ask a question and someone responds with a one word answer, it’s awkward. Both parties must contribute to take the conversation deeper, making it meaningful.

Likewise in corporate worship, both the worship team and the congregation have a responsibility. The team has a responsibility to be prepared – both heart and hands – to worship Jesus. Likewise the congregation has a responsibility to contribute – to respond in worship, not just think about it or watch it happen.

Action to take: Make it your priority to lead engaging worship. Lead in such a way that people are empowered to join you, not just watch you.

3. Good Conversation Involves Listening – Great conversation needs space. Both parties need to listen to each other. If each person continues to try and outdo the other, it’s just ridiculous. Great conversation goes a few levels deep on one subject. But the only way that can happen is through listening, making eye contact, and being present.

Worship is the same way. We need space to listen – to slow down and recognize Jesus is present and what the Holy Spirit wants to do. In our high powered service programming we can often miss this simple necessity – wait on God. Listen.

Action to take: Stop rushing. Be ok with some silence. Give your worship set space for people to process what God is saying.

4. Good Conversationalists are Present – Ever talk to a distracted person? Their eyes look everywhere except at you. They are glued to their iPhone, checking it every minute. It’s like they don’t really care.

In a similar way, a distracted worship leader doesn’t lead well. Since their mind is going in too many directions, they can’t focus on what is necessary. What is necessary? Being present with the people and with God. When it’s time to worship, you shouldn’t have to worry about your band. Rehearsal exists to create a sense of flow and trust with your band so that you can lead with effectiveness. You shouldn’t be worrying about chord changes or lyrics. Abolish everything that keeps you from being present with people and pursuing on Jesus.

Action to take: 10 minutes before you lead, create a mindfulness routine. I know, it sounds all zen buddhist-like. All that means is allowing your thinking to revolve around the purpose of worship, compassion for your congregation, and expectation to meet with God. This is better than obsessing about your songs, your performance, and your nervousness.

5. Good Conversation Progresses in Fascination – I never want a good conversation to end. I lose track of time. I get lost in the person I’m with and the fascination of unraveling a subject, learning new things, and making new idea connections. When you see each person as utterly interesting and fascinating, you grow as a conversationalist. You become someone people want to be around because of how you make them feel.

In the same way, worship is a journey into deeper fascination. The more we see of God’s glory, goodness, and outshining perfection, the more we love Him. It’s a never ending pursuit. But I’ve also seen my worship leading change when I have a sense of respect for my church – compassion for what trials they are facing, passion to see them encounter God, and fascination for how they respond to God in worship.

Action to take: Do a study with your worship team on “fascinated with God.” Study passages of Scripture that reveal who he is, even those parts you don’t quite understand. Worship leaders are students of God’s Word because they know it provides an eternity of fascination for those who will look.

As I’ve been applying these ideas, I’ve noticed my leadership grow. The awkward worship moments are much fewer 🙂

I’ve become more relaxed, present, compassionate, and less of a focus – both in my own mind and in the mind of the worshipers (I hope!).

Because that’s the goal, right? We want to leave our congregations fascinated by the glories of Christ, not our talent or leadership prowess.

What about you?

How do you avoid awkwardness and help people relax in worship? How do you quickly get people to engage and focus? Let us know in the comments. You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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