If you're anything like me as a worship leader, you've been caught trying to balance between leading people in worship and managing all the details in a worship service.
Is the band playing together? Was that harmony right? What's the next lyric phrase? Do we repeat the bridge once, or twice? And on and on and on.
One of Satan's favorite tactics is to convince us worship leaders that we are going through these battles by ourselves, and that no one else understands us. This could not be further from the truth! If you need personal encouragement, accountability, or just need to vent, join a group of worship leaders on your favorite social media channel. It's a great place to stay connected and to be reminded that you truly are not alone!
Praise God that if we hit a wrong note, lose our focus for a moment, or (gasp!) go a few minutes over our allotted time, He is still present and at work in people's lives! I can't tell you how many times I've felt like a worship service went "poorly" from my earthly perspective, but hear from multiple people in the congregation how powerful of a time of worship it was. There's no better way than that to remind me that, despite our human weakness, God will have His way with His people. Take that promise with you!
For example, our church uses worship pads by Coresound to fill the worship environment during each song. If you’re unfamiliar with worship pads, they’re MP3s of textured sounds (keyboards, etc.) that make your music instantly become deep, full, and ambient. They fill your sound, enhance a mood, and kill dead-space, no matter what key, tempo, or song arrangement you're using. Pads free our musicians from having to constantly "fill musical space" and allows them more mental and spiritual margin to engage in worship.
We also use Coresound Pads in between songs so we can transition smoothly from one worship service element to another. Having a pad playing allows me to respond spontaneously as God leads, without having to give the majority of my focus to filling musical space. (I typically do some light improv on guitar or piano along with the pads during those moments, but my playing can be sparse and intermittent since I'm not the one laying the musical foundation - the Pad is. Therefore, my focus can be elsewhere.)
Do these three things, and you'll be on your way to finding that healthy balance between leading people in worship and managing the worship service details. It's not an easy battle, but it's one worth fighting.
How about you? What tips would you give to someone trying to balance leading people and managing the worship details? Take a few minutes to comment below and encourage each other. It’s great to be able to learn from one another!
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My dear friend Jon Nicol at WorshipTeamCoach.com has an incredible set of resources that might be something that would help you.
This guy is the real deal, folks. We’ve become friends over the last few years and Jon is kind, funny, and extremely gifted when it comes to taking care of practical problems in your worship ministry.
Jon has a few amazing training resources that could instantly help you out.