How To Be More Present In The Worship Services You Lead

Worship Leaders, isn’t it easy to simply “dial it in” and get services done?

I mean, the more you lead worship the more you just know how to lead worship. Profound, right?

It’s not quite on the mindless level of riding a bike or brushing your teeth, but it’s easy to simply go through the motions and “check out” of what God is doing in the moment.

Both beginners and experienced worship leaders are prone to this.

You may be lacking “presence” if:

• You sing worship songs, but don’t “lead”
• Every service is the same
• You’re more aware of the music than what God is doing
• Most people watch you, instead of engaging

But do you know what’s interesting and exciting about corporate worship?

God is doing something unique in every gathering. Never before and never again will this particular group of people be together in this particular place at this particular time.

It’s a unique moment in history. Are you prepared for that?

Are you ready for heaven to touch earth?

Practicing Presence

Presence is a skill that needs developing. It’s not a personality trait some are born with and others aren’t.

Let’s develop a working definition of presence:

Presence is thinking less about what you’re doing and more about what God is doing in the moment.

Let me say that again. Presence comes when as a leader you can think less about what you’re doing and more about what God is doing in the moment.

Think about that. In your everyday life, how do you think less about your daily tasks? Through practice, right?

When you first learned how to drive you were scared out of your mind to the point of annoying everyone on the road. You would drive 10 mph below the speed limit. You would stall out with your Dad’s stick shift. You’d stop a mile in front of a stop sign.

Now, you probably don’t even realize you are driving. It’s second nature motor skills. You just do it subconsciously (hopefully still not annoying everyone on the road).

In a similar way, “presence” is developed through practice.

4 Areas to Focus On

What holds you back from being aware of God’s present work in a corporate worship environment? I could think of a few things:

1. Hurry – We are always in a rushed state, aren’t we? We suffer from what psychologists call “hurry sickness” – always stressed, always on the move to something else. This sense of hurry carries over into our leading. We want to cross worship off our “to-do list” and miss the miracle of what’s happening.

2. Preparation – When our worship team isn’t ready, there is a tension between where we are and what God wants to do. We want to flow with what God is doing – we want to be present – but the music seems to be getting in the way. Or, maybe our personal leadership is ill-prepared. We’re all at different levels, but simply acknowledging where we are and working on improving is a great step.

3. Maturity – If you aren’t actively seeking God and practicing the art of listening off the stage don’t expect to hear anything on the stage. Worship leading confidence is built by seeking the face of Christ in your personal life. I can tell in any given moment when my passion for music and songs is greater than my passion for the presence of God. That’s a sure sign that I need to adjust my gaze again once again.

4. Connection – A huge part of presence is knowing who you are leading. If you lead in the same local church every week, you should make it a priority to connect with your people and absorb their stories. Their stories will influence how you lead and help you be an effective pastor of worship in your corporate singing environments. Even if you are a traveling worship leader and don’t know who you’re leading, make it a point to hang out with people before service. Ask questions of your host as to who will be there. The more you know who you’re leading, the more effective your leading will become.

So what’s the next step? Turn all four of these points into action:

• Acknowledge your “hurry sickness” and ask God to help you be present in every moment.
• Prepare yourself and prepare your team to be present. Don’t let your skill level distract. Make this an area of constant improvement.
• Get comfortable and consistent seeking God off the stage, without an instrument, alone. This is the stuff that heroes are made of.
• Connect with your congregation. Listen to their stories.

Friends, let’s talk. How have you learned to be more “present” as a worship leader?

What kind of difference would this make if you applied these for steps? Let’s talk in the comments.

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