[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 used to think worship leading was all about my talent.
As long as I sang well, led a skilled team, picked the right songs, and was called by God, I was a worship leading ninja.
People would naturally respond, right?
Not exactly. As an introvert, I find energy by being alone.
The only problem with being an introvert is that worship leading is about engaging a room full of people.
Yikes.
Worship Leading is Public Relations
Think about it. As a worship leader, you are taking people on a journey. You’re asking them to go with you somewhere – to trust you.
Would you jump into a car with a stranger? Probably not.
But oftentimes this is how worship leaders can make people feel – weird. They haven’t established trust with their congregation so their congregation doesn’t worship.
Success isn’t determined by keeping your worship set in time or executing that new Paul Baloche song with CD precision. The question is, “Did anyone worship?”
Did you engage people?
Did people feel comfortable?
That’s what this post is about. We already talked about how to improve our public speaking, but this needs to go a step further.
You need to improve your people skills.
5 Tips For Improving Your People Skills as a Worship Leader
Here are 5 tips:
1. Pray for your people – Something happens in your heart when you pray for the people you lead. You show up with expectation. You lead with pastoral maturity. You shepherd people rather than sing to them.
2. Talk to your people – What do you do before service starts? Where are you when it’s over? You and your team should be talking to people. Be present with your congregation. Oftentimes, I’ve found greater ministry can happen in those moments than they do on stage.
3. Smile – I’ll be honest. Too many worship leaders lead like they’re in pain. I know worship is serious, but lighten up. Smile. It goes a long way in building trust and helping people relax.
4. Keep your eyes open – Not always, but most of the time. Sometimes you’re in a worship environment of mature believers where you don’t need to “lead” as much. But most of the time you have cynics, saints, and confused people in the room. Keep your eyes open and lead them.
5. Explain – You can get away with more if you explain. Explanation softens the weirdness of corporate worship. Why do you lift your hands? Why do people dance? Why do you sing the same song over and over? Explain this to your congregation.
If you’re not used to this sort of leadership, don’t overwhelm yourself. Pick one and work on it this week. Slowly build your people skills. You’ll notice the difference it makes.
Question: How have you improved your people skills as a worship leader? How do you engage your congregation more effectively? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Hey David,
Sounds like maybe you’ve recently read “Quiet”? http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/about-the-book. If you have I’d be curious about your thoughts on it.
I haven’t read it yet, but even in reading some of the author’s articles I feel liberated–I’m not defective because I’m not a “salesmen.” I just expend a lot of energy in being with groups of people & gain energy by solitude & intimate conversation.
I’m also curious about this guys book: http://www.introvertedchurch.com. Haven’t gotten to either of these yet but between your blog (really good stuff!) & these books I’ve been considering starting my own about introverted worship leaders.
Anyway, great stuff here all around! Thanks for putting it all out there 🙂
I have not read this but it sounds intriguing. Thanks Harmony! And I think you should totally start writing on this topic for sure!
Are you still in Minneapolis?
Hi David, thanks for this post. I’m the guy who wrote a book called Introverts in the Church and though I’m not a worship leader, I definitely think there are some great ideas for all church leaders in this post. I especially like the “explain” step – it seems like a minor thing, but if people know what you are doing and why you are doing it, it helps them to engage more.
I had a guest post from another introverted worship leader that you might find helpful: http://www.introvertedchurch.com/2011/08/introverted-worship-leader.html
Thanks again.
Adam, thanks for the comment. Your book looks amazing – a much needed topic. Thanks for the post recommendation as well!
David,
Great insights. #3 & #4 are simple ones that can make a huge impact. I recently was led in worship at a retreat by someone who looked like they were constipated the whole time. It was quite unsettling, especially since there really wasn’t anywhere else for me to focus my eyes. I learned that same lesson early in my own career after someone once asked me if I was angry when I was on stage. When I asked why, they told me my face had that expression. I was just concentrating and had no idea it was happening. The same with eyes open. I always tell younger leaders to keep their eyes open so they know what’s going on. It’s easier to close your eyes, especially when people aren’t participating, but doesn’t help us lead successfully. Thanks for sharing these tips.
Haha! Sorry, but that was hilarious. Worship leaders need to stop looking constipated. That’s a major distraction 🙂