[This post is part of a brand new blog series, “Your Guide to Practicing the Essential Skills of a Worship Leader“. Check out the other posts here.]
I don’t want to sound like a complainer, but the last time you led worship, I was lost.
I wanted to worship, but distractions abounded. I didn’t know what to do.
It’s not that your presentation is everything, but it makes a big difference.
Here’s what I noticed:
1. You don’t speak slowly & clearly
To be honest, I didn’t understand what you were talking about. Your words were too quick and your theological point was too deep.
Maybe it’s just me, but if you had prepared what you were going to say before you said it, it might have hit the mark.
2. Your instruction isn’t specific
I’m not exactly clear on what you want me to do. A couple people were clapping but then they stopped.
You sang really well, but no one else seemed to sing much, so I just remained quiet. If you gave us specific instruction, we would follow you!
3. You didn’t pick a familiar song list
Your songs were great, but I didn’t know any of them. I really tried to engage but I found myself reading the lyrics on the screen in order to keep up. A familiar song or two goes a long way to keeping people engaged.
4. I don’t know where to clap
I usually try and follow the drummer, but his beats were extremely complex. I had no idea where to clap and I noticed the congregation was just as lost. Try and arrange your songs to be more “clappable”.
5. You didn’t acknowledge me
OK, I know it’s a room full of people, so you can’t engage me personally, but I didn’t see you really engage the room at all. You performed your worship set, going from one song to another. Maybe take some time and relate to the people in the room. It goes a long way.
Don’t get me wrong, your band was great. Your music was cool. But to be completely honest, that wasn’t what I came to church for. I came to meet with God. Finding ways to engage the congregation is a worthwhile pursuit.
We are starving for Jesus.
All the best!
Question: How did this “letter” strike you? What would you add to the list of how we can better engage people in worship? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Once again, thank you! That is a very challenging piece and I can hold my hands up to all of it, as I’m sure lots of worship leaders could! I am feeling God’s “spotlight” on me a lot lately but it is a soft gentle kindly light which seeks to lead me firstly back to him, then to give me His heart for those I am trying to serve.
Thanks and God bless!
I think we can all raise our hands to this one, Sheelagh 🙂 I’ve done it all!
Very much on target – I see a lot of performance artists masquerading as worship leaders because it’s a gig and they love to perform. I can easily fall into that, too, and I often do, even though I’m not really a “worship leader” by the normal current definition.
What’s the normal, current definition? You’re not an “on staff” worship leader?
6. Stop making worship about you.
It’s very frustrating when I want to sing and worship but the only person singing is the “worship leader”. I don’t understand why only the worship leader sings the verses and we get to join in for the chorus. (For *every* song.) This doesn’t draw me into God’s presence, and leaves me feeling like I’m at a concert.
Good one, Kathy. Does anyone else feel this way? I know for me, I don’t mind if the worship leader sings a verse on their own. I just worship silently for a moment. But I can see how this would be frustrating for some.
I think that this is often not the worship leader’s fault, but more a church culture thing because the church as a whole just reacts that way. Make sense? The WL should make sure they KNOW the song, and then encourage them to sing. However, MANY songs are written with really singable choruses combined with “deeper” verses – because there’s a lot of push for theological depth in worship songs to combat the “too shallow!” concerns – and sometimes it’s a matter of which songs are picked.
I get what you’re saying, Bernard, but we also have a choir who doesn’t sing during the verses. They wait while the worship leader sings and when they sing it’s our “cue” to sing as well. It’s been this way for about 10 years through 4 different worship pastors and it’s very frustrating. I miss the way it used to be…where we ALL sang the WHOLE song for EVERY song.
And that’s a really bad version of church culture – sounds to me like it’s an intentional thing, but some songs need that treatment.
If I may, I think that must be a cultural thing. Because I notice here in GR that if the worship leader is singing alone, then everybody shuts down for some reason. Now, when i lead, and the way I understand it, is that it’s necessary for the lead singer to sing something at least once because it establishes the song, and gives the congregation a chance to hear the words and be ministered to by the words. THEN the second time around we sing them together…Also, you may not know what happens in rehearsal. Maybe the team didn’t learn all the words and it’s easier for the leader to sing them. If the song has a lead on the recording then it’s probable the team will sing it that way. That doesn’t mean the congregation can’t sing along… If you want to sing, SING! The worship leader and the team wants you to worship through singing! I love when I am singing a lead and look out and see peoples hands raised singing the words. And with the worship team NOT singing, it should make the congregation feel like it’s THEIR opportunity to sing.
Glenda, sometimes I sing anyway, but I don’t have a great voice, so it’s awkward without others to drown me out!
Glenda, get out! You’re in my city! 🙂 What?!
I’m sorry Kathy, I just saw this! You’re here in GR! Wow! 😉 What church?
And also, this happens on songs we’ve sung for years. If it were a new song, then yes, I don’t mind the leader singing through a time or two for us to pick it up, but that isn’t what’s happening. 🙁
Hmmmm… I agree, and I see your points, but is the responsibility of the actually movement and function of corporate worship on the worship leader solely? I guess I’m assuming that people know how to engage in worship for themselves… With the statement above that says ‘I don’t know what you want me to do…” I feel a little disturbed because I know that people think that way. When I’m not leading, and in the audience, I come with a specific purpose in mind: to WORSHIP and PRAISE God. So, that’s what I do…Yes there can be distractions, but I know that the overall purpose is for us to worship together. I mean, that’s what we came for…right?
Glenda, in a perfect world, everyone would show up READY to worship. They wouldn’t need music. They wouldn’t rely on a worship leader. THey would come to shout, sing, dance, weep, and magnify God. But there are a lot of people in our churches who don’t know how to worship. They either haven’t done it much or they don’t know God yet. There’s a lot of factors at play, I assume. Make sense?
Of course, I concede that. I just think that it’d be better if we told our people, that of course we will exhort them to worship and encourage them through worship, but we don’t want to instruct your worship to death. If I have to tell you what to do all the time (clap, dance, sit, stand, bow, sing, shout) then it’s kind of missing the point. But, for people who are just coming to God or those that are still learning, I see your points.
It’s a really small church; my wife is the “music director” and I play piano. We’re not “worship music” based – not that we are opposed, but lots of church culture factors involved. There are times when, from the piano, I lead the congregation in a type of singing that I think of as very worshipful and possibly more “real” than a lot of planned worship times, but I guess the point is that we don’t have someone whose primary function is to organize a band and music to lead the congregation into a “time of worship”. I guess that’s hard to explain, and I hope my statement didn’t sound bitter – it’s not. It’s just that we don’t have anyone that most people would think of as a worship leader in the same vein as some styles of church would.
This was supposed to be in a reply spot to David where he asked about my definition – sorry.
Awesome. Cool to hear about the diversity of different worship leaders.
7. You forgot to invite me to participate. A simple “lets lift our voices to the Lord” goes a long way.
Absolutely. I may do this too much 🙂
And on a semi-related note, I downloaded the WE WILL album and am LOVING IT! AWESOME!
Kathy, I haven’t heard the album yet. Life Church advertises on my site. They are doing great stuff!
Yeah, their ad is how I found it. 🙂
these are all great things to keep in mind, thanks for the reminders!
My prayer every week is that we (as a team) would become invisible. How do we do that? Hopefully by making it easier for the most people to participate. The word “liturgy” simply means “the work of the people”. With that in mind, I want liturgical worship every week, whether or not it includes written prayers or robes or incense or bands or choirs or whatever. Are the PEOPLE presenting worship to the Lord? Having this objective helps us focus our efforts and planning, and eliminates a lot of stuff that potentially distracts from opening that door to intimate worship on a large scale.
The need for familiarity in our songs is key. New music is good, and important, but they don’t need a new song every week. When are the most hands raised in our non-hand-raising-church? When we bring out a hymn that is so familiar that people start engaging with the text (and, I hope, with Christ), rather than trying to figure out the melody and the rhythm.
I really appreciated Scotty Smith’s Tweet last Saturday night: “Worship leaders: Don’t try to “make something happen” today. Exalt Jesus and let him make what he wants to make.” Amen.
And, BTW, Thanks so much for this blog. I don’t always get time to read it every day, but you always encourage and challenge me. Much needed these days. I can say that finding you has breathed new life into my tired ministry. Thank you, Brother.
Neil, thanks for sharing your insight. I appreciate interaction in the comments more than anything! And thanks for the kind words 🙂
Good list David. Here is one that I might add: “When I talked to you before the service started you seem frazzled and distracted…. even from across the room you looked like you were ready to pull your hair out.” I feel like that (and probably look like that) at times. Dare I say…. when there is a technical difficulty right before the service.