Photo credit: TMP7 by Jonathan Sloan (jonathansloan on Flickr)
I’ve been leading worship at my church… And since I tend to be one of those cerebral guys that likes to think about things, I’ve been thinking a lot about leading worship… Why do some things work and others don’t? What is it about certain songs that really get people worked up? Why are some people completely unmoved while others weep? What do I need to do as a worship leader to help those disconnected people engage?
And I thought that I’d share my observations (insightful and otherwise) with all of you good people…
God is in the House…
I’m really weary of hearing people beg for God’s presence. Jesus said, that “wherever two or three gather” in His name, He’s there. Whether we experience His presence is not about begging Him to come… It’s about showing up ourselves. In general, the act of worship is essentially unnatural… maybe supernatural is a better description… either way, it is outside of our natural inclinations to sing, shout, dance, clap, whatever…
The Worship Team is a Bridge…
My team has heard me beat this drum on a weekly basis: When we lead worship, we have to put the needs of the church ahead of our own desire to “enter in.” We have to watch their response and adjust what we’re doing. We have to connect with them. Since the act of worship is something that has to be learned and practiced, people need a bridge to the presence of God.
Somewhere along the way, the “presence-based” traditions (pentecostal and charismatic traditions especially) got this idea that leading worship was connected to the leaders’ own worship… I’ve heard people say that we (worship leaders) can’t lead others to a place that we’re not. Which is only true in part: We certainly can’t lead people into the presence of God if we’ve never been there, but that’s where the analogy falls apart.
I’m not leading anybody if I stand inert, hands raised, eyes closed and try with all my being to touch God. As if I could then , “channel” this experience to the rest of the tribe (read: voodoo). This “all about me” approach also runs afoul or the essentially selfless nature of leadership… It’s all about the people being led… I got this Idea from Jesus:
The First will be last…
Rather than thinking of ourselves as a conduit of God’s presence (which is kinda arrogant, when you think about it) we have to see ourselves as God’s doormen (or doorwomen, as the case may be). It’s the job of the worship leaders to throw open the doors to God’s presence and invite people to come in.
When my wife was pregnant with out daughter, I used to drop her off at the door when we’d go shopping. I remember one occasion when I parked the car and walked up to the door to find her still holding it open for a seemingly endless stream of people who didn’t say “thanks” or acknowledge that she was even there… And while this is a horrible example of how we should interact with people, it’s exactly what worship leaders should do as they serve the church:
Hold open the doors to allow others to enter in.
Tomorrow: What that looks like and the much-maligned “P” word…
