Have you ever been in a worship service where the worship leader felt disconnected? Fake?
Maybe they seemed more into their music than their God. Maybe they seemed to be all about themselves rather than Jesus.
Whatever the case, sincerity is so important. Where you may lack a certain level of skill, your sincerity and passion for Jesus will make up for it.
I’m not saying your musical growth isn’t important. If you can’t sing on key or play your I IV V chords, no one will want to worship with you. But your church is looking for more than a good show and a fun sing-a-long. They are starving for God.
We all could afford to grow in our sincerity for what we do – to return to the basics and purify our motives.
Oh, sincerity – what is it? Sincerity is about leading worship with the proper motives. But let’s be honest – all of our motives are off. We all want to be rockstars, want people to love our music, and we crave the compliments after the service.
As long as we’re human, these desires are unavoidable. That’s why we need to surround ourselves with God’s word and keep ourselves close to God’s heart.
Oftentimes, all it takes is a little pep talk – how I talk to myself before I lead worship. Yep, I do that. Here are some of the things I say to myself:
1. You must want to be there – If you don’t want to be there, it’s going to show. If you’re burned out, tired, and sick of leading worship you’re not going to lead very well. But what if you couldn’t wait to get to church? What if the corporate sound of praise rising from your church was what you most looked forward to? What if being in the presence of God was your greatest desire? This type of attitude will be contagious both for your team and your congregation.
2. You must stand in awe of God’s greatness – Without a grand vision of God – without a heart of awe and respect, your worship will be dry. Staying amazed by God is what makes worship what it is. If you’re more impressed with your performance or your gear than you are your God, something is off.
3. You must not care about what people think – Nervous performances make for nervous observers. Don’t be sad – we all get nervous. But it’s how we deal with it that counts. Do whatever you can to get yourself into a place where you don’t care what people think. Be confident, be clear, and lead. Your church believes in you. They want you to succeed. They want to follow you.
Would love to hear from you.
What do you do to keep your motives in check and lead with sincerity?
Let us know in the comments. You can leave a comment by clicking here.
[ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″]
Right on track all I can say to this is simply an emphatic AMEN!
Thanks Phil!
The subject is very real these days.
Working at a “mega” church I used to struggle with #1 a lot. Being burnt out and tired by Sunday morning was a common thing. I have recently left to plant a church in San Francisco. For the first time I’m working Bi-Vocationally and #1 is the last thing I struggle with. Although I feel like I “work” a lot more, I am excited to go to church. I can’t wait for Sundays to lead worship or Tuesday to have rehearsal. I even get excited when I get to spend a few hours at the church office working on a set list. It’s interesting what you take for granted as a full time worship pastor. It has made me so thankful for the season I am in.
Mike – this is great. I’m currently working bi-vocationally and am finding myself enjoying it more as well. Might be another good topic to blog about. Glad to hear about the new season you’re in. What is your church plant?
We planted a church in San Francisco actually. It’s called Canvas. We launched in mid-October so we are still new. Me and my wife were called here from Arizona to plant and it has been one of the greatest and most challenging things I’ve ever done. God is doing really incredible stuff in San Francisco though. It’s amazing to be a part of it. What church do you lead for?
I lead for Allison Park Church in PIttsburgh, PA. A really amazing place. God is up to some great things in the area of church planting and discipleship. Love being a part of it. My wife and I were just talking about how we need to visit San Francisco. Always heard it’s fantastic!
I lead with a team and I struggle with stage fright. I hide it pretty well but vocally I begin breaking. Do you have any encouragement in that area?
Debra, try this post: https://beyondsundayworship.com/nervous-worship-leading/ It’s a post about how to deal with being nervous. I think it will help. Let me know!
I like to review the commandments often, concentrating on each. Asking myself if I have broken any one, desperately asking the Holy Spirit to guide me in how I answer my own question. Have I used God’s name in vane? (carelessly, without reverence?) Have I committed murder in my heart? Did I covet another’s car, home, job, wife, happiness? Did I worship correctly as Christ did when He was here? He said not to ” forget” the seventh day in the fourth commandment. The only commandment we were told not to FORGET! He told us “not a jot (dot) or a tittle (mark) shall in no wise be changed before all were fulfilled” in Mt 5:18. And “not one tittle of the law to fail” in Lk 6:17. To forgive me for failing Him!
All 3 of these motives you mentioned are biggies for me!
One that I keep in front of me while leading is simply this:
It’s not about me…it’s all about Jesus – all about HIM receiving all the glory, honor and praise…leading HIS people, His sons and daughters to HIS throne, and not to mine…this keeps me real and down to earth.
It’s about being a part of something that is so much bigger than myself that keeps my focus on Him and off of me…and it draws me to be honest and genuine in my leading of worship.
Thank you for always inspiring us to go higher and deeper in our leading…always look forward to hearing from you!
Jennifer, these are awesome ideas to keep front and center. Thank you for sharing!