[This post is part of a series on Tips For Taking Your Worship Team To The Next Level. Check out the rest here.]

Imagine with me. The sound is perfectly mixed. The lighting mood is sublime. The band is grooving. The crowd is enraptured. We all idealize the perfect worship environment.

But how do we pursue excellence in our performance while remaining authentic in our worship?

I’ve been in too many worship services where the worship leader and band performed well, yet their heart for true worship was seriously lacking. Quite a turn off, in my opinion.

First of all, what is authenticity? I define it as the ability to blur the line between WHAT YOU DO and WHO YOU ARE. As worship leaders, we have a lot to do. We need to prepare the band, worship God, engage the congregation, sing on key, play the right chords, stand up straight, sing the right words, brush our teeth, etc.

An authentic worship leader does those things but also displays who they are – a worshiper of God. Singing well is not enough. A tight band is not enough. Their own heart is hungry for God and they long for his glory to be seen, experienced, and cherished in the heart of every person in the room. I crave that sort of authenticity.

I remember experiencing a worship service with Matt Redman for the first time. I think Matt is a very authentic worship leader. He’s anything but flashy, borderline boring to watch. He wept, jumped, knelt, and shouted to God in a way that impressed me and drew me into the presence of God. He practiced what he sang. I left that service thinking about God.

So how can we pursue a deeper authenticity in our worship? I think there are at least 5 things we can implement TODAY:

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1. Have I spent time in worship offstage this week?

2. Is my songlist Biblical and true to who God is?

3. Have I submitted my plans to the plan of the Holy Spirit?

4. Have I prepared my team spiritually?

5. Am I rested enough for God to use me in my full capacity?

6. Is the Gospel still the best news in the world to me?

7. Am I loving my wife well?

8. Am I being the worship leader of my family?

9. Have I dealt with my besetting sins with God this week?

10. Have I actively spoken about and shared my faith this week?

11. Have I grown in my knowledge of God’s word this week?

12. Is Christ still the greatest treasure of my life?

13. Am I bringing to God a costly offering?

14. Am I pouring into others or simply promoting myself?

15. Am I leading worship in my thoughts, words, & actions?

What other questions help prepare your heart for worship?

[This post is part of a series on Tips For Taking Your Worship Team To The Next Level. Check out the rest here.]

Don’t you wish there was an easy way to grow your worship team? Something that could happen quickly? If I created an ebook titled “How To Grow Your Worship Team By the Time You Finish This Book”, a lot of people would read it but it would be full of fantasies.

I’m of the belief that growing your worship team starts by doing good things consistently over a period of time.

Sure, you could decide to pay musicians. That is an option for some. But what if it’s not? What about a worship team that ATTRACTS people? What about a worship team that raises up and releases people of a certain spiritual DNA?

Is this just some idealistic jargon I’m throwing at you?

I’ll let you decide.

Here are 3 values that, I believe, will help to grow your worship team over time.

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[This post is part of a series on Tips For Taking Your Worship Team To The Next Level. Check out the rest here.]

It’s an all too common scenario. Great musicians come. Great musicians go. Young, mediocre musicians get better. Young, now improved musicians go to college. Have you found yourself in that situation numerous times? Have you been so discouraged that you’ve wanted to quit? Is all this church musician transitioning really worth it?

Transition comes with the territory of being a worship leader in the local church. People come for a season and move on. Young people go to college. Wouldn’t you love to have a culture where when some musicians move on, others step up to the plate? A culture where you have multiple players who are skilled and available?

Hope this helps:

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