How Do You Lead A Christ-Centered Worship Ministry?

Is worship ministry all about excellence?

If modern worship is any indicator, I would say it is.

We place our attention on lights. Sound. Stage. Guitars. Haze. Crowds. Band.

Sure, these things aren’t the devil.

But does a Christ-centered worship ministry just happen? Is it a by product of these things or is it something more?

Ignoring excellence is not the answer. But neither is obsessive musical perfection.

How do you, a local church worship leader, lead a ministry that makes disciples, glorifies Jesus, invites the presence of God, and leaves people with a deep sense of God’s majesty?

How do we place Jesus at the center, where He belongs?

Does Your Team Know Why They Work?

I’m looking forward to hearing your answer in the comments. But first, here’s my two cents.

As we went through the process of creating the “Undying Love” album, my prayer was that Christ would be the center – that it would be a Christ-centered project.

But that doesn’t mean we just sat around and prayed the whole time. We worked – writing, arranging, recording, setting up, tearing down. It was serious work.

Your work must be meshed with your why. The spiritual aspects of prayer, Bible study, and passion for Jesus cannot be divorced from rehearsal, tech, and hard work.

A Christ-centered worship ministry brings it all together.

3 Steps to Leading a Christ-Centered Ministry

Here’s how:

1. Model – Before you cast vision, share Scriptures, or preach a sermon to your team, take a look at yourself. Evaluate your own heart. Are you on fire for God? Does your heart beat stronger for the glory of God now than it did a year ago? The culture of your team will match the tone you set. Your energy, integrity, and passion will be the trendsetter.

2. Teach – Successful teams have great leaders. Great leaders cast vision often. They not only teach their team “how to” but also “why”. They provide the big picture. Here’s my question to you, worship leader: how often are you casting “big picture” vision?

How often are you saturating your team with the Word of God? There should be elements of this every time you gather. It should spill out of you because it’s a part of you.

3. Inspect – This is where the real change happens. After you model and teach the kind of Christ-centered culture you desire, you need to follow up with team members to give them feedback.

When you see something good, make a big deal about it. Compliment, encourage, and lift up. When you don’t see the attitude you’re fostering, pull that person aside and gently coach them. I would also recommend a weekly “win” email. Email your team and celebrate actions and attitudes in front of the whole team. Be specific. What you celebrate will get repeated.

OK, now it’s your turn. Whether you’re a worship leader, pastor, musician, or none of the above, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

What does it take to lead a Christ-centered worship ministry?

Let us know in the comments!

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