If I were to poll worship leaders across the world, I’d imagine most would say they don’t love to talk.

Most would prefer to sing, close their eyes, and worship their hearts out…in front of people. The problem with that is it’s not leadership. There needs to be a heart to love, lead, and connect with people in the room. That is why you are a leader. That is why you are on stage.

But the answer isn’t just talking a lot. We all know the difference. Too much can oftentimes be a distraction.

In my recent interview with Christy Nockels she called it the difference between leading aggressively and leading with authority. Aggressive leadership is being bold and based on personality. Leading with authority is, as Peter calls it in I Peter 4:11, “leading in the strength that God provides.”

That’s what we’re talking about.

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Songs. We sing a lot of them. We write them. We hear them. We pick them out for every weekend service.

If you’re a worship leader, songs are your currency. You can’t exist without them.

For me, songs are a love/hate relationship. I enjoy them. I like singing them. But when it comes to worship, I feel like we tend to worship them.

Wouldn’t that be interesting if the very vehicle designed to help us worship actually kept us from worshiping?

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What does it take to be a great worship leader?

If I polled pastors and worship leaders across the world, I’m sure we’d see a common thread of common skills necessary to fulfill the role with excellence.

We’d talk about heart and passion. We’d talk about vocal ability. We’d discuss musicality and band leadership. We’d talk about leadership – the ability to lead a team, grow a team, and maintain momentum. We may even agree on discipleship – the ability to reproduce other leaders.

But what if there were other disciplines and skills that sustain a worship leader beyond mere leadership savvy and musical talent? What if there was something deeper than just have a “passion for worship” or a “passion for God?”

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Have you ever been so frustrated you don’t know what to do?

Or walked through a trial for so long that you’ve almost given up hope? Dealt with a mental illness that made you question your sanity?

Walked through sickness, divorce, death of a family member, or faced bankruptcy?

If not, you are leading people who are.

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The problem with worship songs is that we become dependent on them.

But I love songs. I really do. But they are a blessing and a curse. While worship is a song, it’s not only a song. And we can become so accustomed to songs that our hearts have forgotten how to worship.

When was the last time you were alone in a room without an incredible song, and just poured your heart out to God?

Have songs become more than they should be?

Preparation for Sunday morning becomes scouring CCLI for the top songs and picking our favorites. There’s no need to pray. There’s no need to consider our people. There’s no need for pastoral, theological consideration.

Instead of only picking songs, we should be asking these questions:

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