Worship Podcast
All we local church worship leaders feel the sinking feeling in our gut when we see another church doing something cooler, hipper, better, more modern.
How can we make our worship experience more “up-to-date?”
What do we need to change?”
How can we do what we’re doing better?”
I hear this question a lot – “How can we modernize our worship?”
And I believe that’s the wrong question.
This past Sunday I asked my worship team a question:
“How can we better connect with our congregation in 2016?”
After the usual sarcastic remarks of getting rid of the stage, passing out tambourines at the door, and inviting anyone on stage, the conversation became beautiful. We began to discuss what it would take for us to connect with people and for our people to connect with God.
Here are some of those insights:
Sometimes I hate to lead worship. Why? Because nobody cares.
Nobody. cares. And that’s actually a very good thing.
What do people care about?
That’s the difference between an artist building a fanbase and a worship leader serving a community. It’s a different skill set. It’s a different goal.
If you look on the typical job description of a worship leader, you’ll see a lot of necessary skills. The ability to sing, arrange music, recruit a team, communicate, lead, and pastor people.
But none of these are the most important qualities. Matter of fact, the most important quality is what we assume and take for granted.
But this can no longer be assumed. What is that quality?
Wouldn’t it be great to have a team of the very best musicians?
Not only talented musicians, but ones who continued to learn and develop. Imagine this with me: team members who were constantly researching new gear, investing in their setup, trying new techniques.
Add to that the fact that their attitudes were top notch – they had a heart for the local church. They loved Jesus. They were on time, reliable, not big-headed, willing to do whatever was necessary no matter how glamorous.
Sound like a great scenario? What if I told you this was possible? But what if I told you it wouldn’t come easy and it wouldn’t happen overnight?
I know, it’s not a very sexy answer. Most worship leaders look to the ministries with a lot of notoriety. We wish we had the talent of Bethel. We covet the size of Hillsong. We long for the budget of a megachurch. We want to be handed an ideal situation without putting in the work to build something.