The Worship Musician’s Mindset: What Every Team Member Must Know

Sunday morning has its share of busyness and distraction.

It’s not that we worship gear, tone, & rock stardom. We’re just distracted – crowded minds and preoccupied hearts

I hate to say it, but oftentimes meeting with Jesus on Sunday morning feels like a reunion with an old friend. It’s refreshing, we remember the past, but it’s like we’re just “keeping up appearances.”

We aren’t connecting on a regular basis.

Sure, we need to adjust our weekday habits. We need personal time with God. We need to worship Jesus behind closed doors. We must become familiar with His Presence at home if we’re to lead people into His Presence on stage. Private passion fuels successful public ministry.

But let’s start with the Sunday morning, corporate worship experience. What is the mindset of a worship musician? What should we be focusing on?

First off, grab your instrument, dial in your tone, know the songs.

All set? That’s the easy part. Now you’re ready for the main event – focusing your mind, heart, attention, and affection on the miracle of the moment. Heaven will touch earth. Presence will consume pride. Glory will rise above. No man will boast.

It’s not just the worship leaders who need to be on their spiritual “A” game. It’s not just the singers who have to sing. Every musician is a worship leader and has a responsibility to come practically prepared and spiritually sensitive to what God is doing.

You ready?

7 Focuses for Worship Musicians

Here’s a short list that every worship musician needs to be aware of as they play. It’s not enough to get lost in your music. It’s not enough to just show up.

1. The Moving of the Holy Spirit – Musician, are you aware that the Holy Spirit is present? He’s moving. He’s connecting. He’s drawing. He’s leading hearts to Jesus. This truth will revolutionize the way you play music. There’s less striving and more trusting. There’s less performing and more watching God work.

2. The Unbeliever – Believe it or not, there may be people present who don’t like what you’re doing. Playing and leading with a compassionate sensitivity is important. Love the people present. Serve them. Pray for them. Maybe, just maybe, the lyrics of a worship song will open their hearts to receiving Christ. That’s a miracle waiting to happen.

3. The Fear of God – When you step into the presence of God through worship, do you realize where you are? No, I’m not talking about the physical location of your church building. Do you realize the access you have into the presence of Holiness? This should strike fear into your heart. Like it says in Psalm 2:11:

“Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”

We need to rejoice with trembling. We’ve lost the art of trembling in our modern day worship services. God is a Consuming Fire, Holy, Separate, beyond our comprehension. Don’t forget this truth as you lead in worship.

4. The Friendship of God – On the contrary, don’t be so consumed by the fear of God that you don’t draw near – that you simply gaze upon glory from a distance. Through the blood of Jesus you are welcomed home, made right with God. Come close, rejoice, yet with trembling in your heart.

5. The Impact of Your Playing – It’s easy for musicians to get lost in making music. So lost, in fact, that we forget who’s in the room and what is actually happening. It’s what I call being diagnosed with doodle syndrome. It’s when we forget why we’re there, who’s in the room, and who it’s for. We just start to experiment on our instrument, with no forethought on the impact it is having. Musician, I implore you, be intentional. Play simply, boldly, and on purpose. Don’t waste a note.

6. The Stories – Every worshiper in your congregation is a story – a testimony of God’s grace. There are sufferers who are struggling to sing. There are those who’ve experienced miracles, leaping for joy. As a musician, this is what you should be mindful of. You’re not so impressed with yourself when you immerse yourself in the stories of others. Be inspired and influenced by worshipers – resilient, all-or-nothing warriors. See the stories in your congregation and make sure you’re one of them.

7. Heaven – Something shifts when we stop compartmentalizing worship. Worship isn’t just an event we attend on Sundays and the occasional concert when Kari Jobe is in town. Worship is a habit, a manner of life, and a destiny we’re heading towards. Heaven will be the most glorious worship experience. And it’s important to fuel that fire today. Guard against getting too comfortable here. Resist complacency and treasuring this world. Invest your heart and life into what matters for Heaven.

Imagine this – imagine that every musician on your team was focused on what God was doing, who God is, and who was present in the room.

What would change about your worship team?

Would love to hear from you.

Is this common for your and your team members? Or does this feel foreign?

What would change if every team member adopted this mindset?

Let us know in the comments. You can leave a comment by clicking here.

[ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″]