Have you ever been so frustrated you don’t know what to do?
Or walked through a trial for so long that you’ve almost given up hope? Dealt with a mental illness that made you question your sanity?
Walked through sickness, divorce, death of a family member, or faced bankruptcy?
If not, you are leading people who are.
If you as a leader aren’t sensitive to this, you’ve lost all relevance. Worship isn’t just about organizing a clever setlist. It’s not just about the isolated moments of singing songs together.
People are going through hell. We are living in troubled times. Our political landscape is in chaos. So many are divided. And to see what is happening in Houston, TX is heartbreaking, to say the very least.
If we’re going to be effective worship leaders in our churches, we need to know how to lead worship in the midst of chaos. Because the truth is, no matter what is going on in the world around us, chaos is happening in the lives of our people. And we need to know how to lead them.
Because we’re not just leading songs. We’re not just warming the room up for an inspirational message. We are helping people process their pain. We’re giving voice to those who don’t have one. We’re providing a song for those whose song has dried up years ago. We are helping lead people back to life.
For some, this kind of leadership is familiar and natural. You’ve experienced tragedy. You know what it’s like to walk through pain. But you don’t have to have cancer to lead cancer patients in worship. You don’t have to lose a spouse to lead widows in worship.
But there are a few things you need:
3 Qualities of an Effective Worship Leader
1. Compassion – A worship leader cannot lead without compassion. Compassion is about identifying and empathizing with the people in the room. It’s not just about you and your setlist. It’s about feeling the pain of those you lead and helping them see Jesus more clearly.
2. Depth – Depth isn’t about spiritual superiority. It’s not a fake persona one puts on to impress. Depth is about going deep. You must have an ongoing pursuit of the heart of God. You should be ever growing, ever exploring, ever deepening your love for the Savior. A worship leader with depth is one who can be trusted. It is one who can be followed because you’re going where you’re leading.
3. Humility – Humility is more than just self-deprecation. It’s living your life in the light of the Savior’s glory. When you see His beauty, when you know His splendor, you know how small you are. That smallness causes you to live for something greater than making yourself known. Life becomes about the Spirit’s activity in your everyday life. You’re dependent. You’re trusting. You’re needy. And that’s a great place for a servant of God to be.
Worship leader, how do you help your people worship through troubled times?
How do you connect with those who are suffering? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
[ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″]
I really love this post David. Honestly, when I write and record songs, it gets emotionally draining because I literally sit there crying sometimes, as I feel the pain of what the people that will listen to the songs are going through. Amazingly, being able to do that produces the best results and high levels of connection and depth because in that moment, it’s like you are someone else. It’s like being an actor, you get to experience someone’s life and be someone’s voice, to bring hope to them, instead of living in your own bubble and only seeing life from your perspective. For me, in the past, I make sure to give reminders on what he has done in the past and remind people that just as we got through the past, we will surely get through the present. The Bible talks about walking through the valley of the shadow of death and fearing no evil because God is with us. That valley of the shadow of death can’t be anything pleasant, but the ability to focus on God’s protection, due to his unending love, as a way to eliminate fear is amazing. Let’s all stay inspired!
Thank you for this timely reminder, David.
I am the worship pastor for a church in Houston called Hope City. This city has literally been ripped apart by Harvey and so many people have lost everything. And we get to lead these people to the throne of God after their worlds have fallen apart. What a privilege and heavy responsibility!
I’ll be sharing this with our team this week.
Great post as always David.
Often worship on a Sunday is upbeat, joyful and is a celebration of all of the goodness of God. There is nothing wrong with any of that. But we need to be aware that we are regularly leading people who are broken and hurt. There is sometimes an expectation that once they are ‘better’ then they can start worshipping properly. But as leaders we need to acknowledge where they are and in their pain help them to focus on the light, help them know that even though they are walking though the valley, they can still look up, help them know that He is with them through the storm, and not just in the sunshine.
Beyond the subjectivity of personal experience and the accompanying emotions, we do have the objective truth of scripture.
I plan for moments in our services that include scripture for meditation. If we are to assume that 100% of our congregation is either coming out of a challenge or heading in to one, verses like the following are powerful:
“When I was really hurting, I prayed to the Lord.
He answered my prayer and took my worries away.” Psalm 118:5–CEV
They focus our faith and family in the Word, not our feelings which can be all over the map.
This is not so much leading people as it is exposing them and their need for veracity to the scriptures. All a leader has to do is to be personally acquainted with grief–Know Jesus and the Word. Then there are no shortages of meaningful moments, not because of a leader, but because of contact with the Word.
Consider that a small percentage of people who attend our churches ever open the bible through the week. No song, personality or sermon can substitute for reading and speaking aloud the Word of God. (publicly and privately)