Maybe that’s not a question you’ve considered before. But it may just revolutionize what you do. Consider how a great waiter makes your dining experience all the more enjoyable. When the service is poor, you have no desire to return. Even if the food was great, all you can talk about is the poor service.
I’ve found this to be true for worship as well.
A couple months ago my wife and I stayed at a local ski resort for a night. Inside our room when we arrived was a $25 gift card to a restaurant on the premise. Due to the kind gesture, we decided to try it out. A shuttle picked us up and dropped us off at the door. We were greeted by some very happy people. So far so good.
Not only was the food excellent, the atmosphere unique, and the service exceptional, the experience enabled my wife and I to make a memory and have some great conversation. If this was your everyday run-of-the-mill restaurant, we probably wouldn’t have had the same experience. The service was so good it enabled us to improve our relationship with each other, rather than complaining about the poor quality.
What about your worship services?
How do you engage the guests that are present in the room?
Is the quality of your music a help or a hindrance to people?
Do you explain to unbelievers what is going on?
Is your service God-centered?
Does your songlist and style reflect sensitivity to your particular community?
Is your worship team happy and engaging?
Do you take the time to lead people or simply plow through a songlist?
Is it evident to all that you LOVE what you do?
As worship leaders, I think it would do us some good to think like an effective waiter or waitress. We are setting the table for the saints to come and feast upon the goodness of God. We are there to create an experience for people to see the transcendent glory of God…and then get out of the way.
Question: What do you do to make your worship services excellent? How do you minimize distraction so people can truly focus on God? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
My sentiments exactly – what surprises me is how many worship pastors disagree.
Why do you think many worship pastors disagree? Thanks for the comments, bro.
These are good things to keep in mind. Two thoughts – one is to have a mindset of being hospitable, helping people feel welcome. The second relates to people seeing that “you love what you do” – you have to be the message and lead from the inside out. Takes the pressure off, I think.
Well said. Everything starts in the heart.
I’d be interested to know what you say to the unbelievers to explain what’s going on
I typically say something like “If you are new here, feel free to relax and enjoy the presence of God. We’re not asking you to do something you’re not comfortable with or don’t understand; however, if you’re used to this sort of worship, let’s go for it!”
For me it’s a matter of identifying them and speaking honestly about what they may be feeling in the moment. Make sense?
Perfectly…thank you. We are in a transition phase where we will have many new visitors (hopefully-since we’re moving to a HS auditorium in a more visible location). It confirms that I need to be more intentional to welcome them and make them at ease.
I’ve another question unrelated to this post and would appreciate your input. There are a couple of those on our team that have a narcissistic attitude and during worship if he’s not playing lead, he stands distracted and distracting until he’s “on” again. I inherited him when I became worship leader. I’m not sure how to proceed, esp. since we’ll be moving and his antics will be much more visible as new-comers visit. Last week when his “sound” wasn’t coming through the monitors he all but stopped playing in the middle of the first song, rolling his eyes and throwing his hands up in frustration. I wasn’t leading that week, but cringed from the back as I watched. Right now, it’s mostly current church members that know him and have excused the behavior as, “oh, well, you know how he is”…I’m thinking a tough, uncomfortable conversation is overdue, do you have words or wisdom to help?
Yes, you need to have an uncomfortable conversation with him about his attitude. Having a worship team of people with great attitudes is something that is developed over time. It’s an intentional culture you create. I would talk to him about it and lay out consequences if he doesn’t improve, like sitting out for a while. The more you let it go the worse it will get.
Do you think he’ll be responsive to that?
I’ve had a couple and he was reprimanded (lovingly yet firmly last week) but I’m leading this week and at rehearsals last night during a song (the dynamic was down-reflective) he started this rude, ADD-ish lead stuff that was just over the top and kind of laughed. He’s acknowledged the need for change yet the behavior continues. Before the new schedule comes out, I guess I need to have a face to face. Thanks for your input. I’m reading a couple of books, “Heart of the Artist”-Rory Noland and “Worship Matters”-Bob Kauflin and your suggestion aligns with theirs….so, yeah, not lookin’ forward to this. 🙂
You can do it Rebekah! Let me know how it goes 🙂
The restaurant analogy does a great job reflecting this principle, especially the part about how you were able to grow your relationship with your wife rather than complain about the experience. “We are there to create an experience for people to see the transcendent glory of God…and then get out of the way.” — I love this.