5 Questions for the Worship Leader

I just got back from leading worship at a camp in Florida. It was an incredible experience, and I was so humbled to be there. When I got back, I sat in a meeting with a bunch of other people who had gone to the camp. I asked a couple of the people around me how their experience at camp was. They told stories of students' salvation and the spiritual maturity they witnessed. Then, one of the people at the table paused and looked at me. He asked, "Wait, were you at camp last week? I don't remember seeing you." I nodded and laughed. Then someone else piped up and said "Dude! She was literally on stage leading worship every night!" to which the guy said, "Sorry! I had my eyes closed." 

That conversation might have made some people upset, but for me, I felt so much joy. If nobody saw me up on that stage, that was completely okay with me. In fact, I don't want them to see ME, I want them to see the Lord. That conversation led to a multitude of questions about worship leading from others at the table. I had a moment where I realized so many people have no idea what the actual role of a worship leader is. So many people don't understand that a worship leader is so much more than a musician or a singer...or at least they should be. So today I want to discuss the questions I was asked at that table to help worship leaders and churches better understand the role of the worship leader. 

1.What is your job as the worship leader? 

A worship leader helps guide the congregation in worship by picking and leading songs that fit the service theme, encouraging everyone to join in, and creating a welcoming atmosphere. They work with other church leaders to make sure everything flows smoothly, manage and prepare the worship team, and take care of technical stuff like sound and slides. They also keep up their own spiritual practices and get to know the congregation to better understand their needs. Worship leaders hold many jobs, but ultimately, they help foster an environment where the church can gather for worship in response to who God is as He reveals Himself to us.

2. How does a musician differ from a worship leader? 

We are living in a time where we are seeing musicians try to play the role of worship leaders. They can't get a job in Nashville so they decide to get a job within a church. The danger with this is that worship leaders wear a variety of hats that go beyond playing music. You can be the most talented musician but the worst worship leader. True worship starts with your own walk with God. It requires you to be in The Word, actively listening for God’s voice, and in fervent prayer. To truly worship, the Spirit must be moving in your heart and your soul. If we aren’t walking in the Spirit, we aren’t truly worshipping because the more we get to know God, the more we become aware of how deserving He is of our worship. If we don’t know God, we cannot have a relationship with Him, let alone worship Him. You see, a worship leader holds the role of shepherding the flock, teaching those around them, actively praying, and having the ability to discern where the Spirit leads. I learned very early on that one should never exalt the talent of an individual over the character of the individual. Every person on the platform is a worship leader.

However, when we look at the worship leader as a musician, we desire to bring our best before the Lord. When we practice or seek to grow in musical skills, it's not about showing off. It has everything to do with making it easier to connect with Jesus. If you aren't confident or comfortable with your instrument, you will end up spending the majority of your time on the platform just trying to make it through the set. The more you grow in musical skill, the more you are free to focus solely on Jesus in worship. In addition, the more solid the instruments are, the easier it is for the congregation to engage in worship. When the music is shaky, it diverts attention away from the Lord for yourself and the church. In everything we present before the Lord, we should seek to give Him our very best. 

3. How do you stay humble on stage? 

This is such a tough question and something I feel isn't talked about enough. To stay humble on stage, you have to constantly remind yourself that when you stand on stage, you stand before God. When you are on stage you become aware of the people in front of you, but the only reason that relationship is significant is because you have a job to lead them in worship. It isn't about the number of people in the room, it isn't about the number of runs you do, it isn't about how you look on the stage, it isn't about how good you sound. Ultimately none of that matters. To stay humble on stage requires a constant examination of my heart. For example, if I catch myself worrying about what I sound like or what I look like during a set, it is a clear indication to me that pride has taken over my worship and I need to repent. The enemy seeks to kill and destroy anything good or glorifying to the Lord. So it makes total sense that he would seek to distract our minds while we are leading. We must constantly be on guard and be prepared for his attacks. One way we do this is by being conscious of our thoughts and taking them captive. 

In addition, it can be easy to make our skills as a worship leader our sense of worth. Whether we realize it or not, we all wrestle with this. This is why we feel hurt when someone comments something critical about our leadership or why we feel so happy when someone says something encouraging. Every worship leader needs to remind themselves that the Lord loves us with or without our ability to lead worship. To stay humble on stage is to recognize your role, leading people to the throne. It should be our goal to step out of the way for the Lord to move. It should be our goal that people don't see us in a worship service, but that they encounter Christ. We are simply God's vessels. I once heard it said to me this way: Worship leaders should be like a mirror that reflects the glory of God back to Him. If people only see our faces, then we are doing something wrong. 

4. How do you not get tired of a specific song? 

This is another hard question, but it's so important. Sometimes we have those songs that we have done so many times that we are just tired of them, but they are still speaking to the congregation. This is a hard place to be in. As a worship leader, it is our job to handle our heart issues or heart posture before we ever step up on the platform. If you know you are doing a song that has grown stale in your heart, bring it to the Lord. Ask Him to renew your spirit and take away any frustration or bitterness you have in your heart toward the song. In addition, if I find myself tired of a song, I try to read through the lyrics and find a new way my present situation relates to them. Ultimately, connecting with the Lord offstage during the week isn't just a concept. It needs to be a daily action. You need to sit with Jesus offstage. If we don't handle our heart posture, worship leading can become a ritual when it's meant to be relational. If we are so focused on just getting through a song because we are tired of doing it, we fall into a ritual. But if you switch your focus to singing a song to a person, it becomes relational. The key to conquering burnout is to recognize you're singing to Jesus Christ which means that when we lead, it's not just the same old thing. It's a completely new and living moment with the Lord. 

Being a worship leader requires self-denial. It is our job to serve the congregation. It's our job to pick the songs that speak to what the church is walking through or the pastor's guidance. It's not about picking our favorite songs because they're fun and they speak to us. Just because a song isn't speaking to you doesn't mean it's not speaking to the church. The goal isn't to get through the song set list, it's to get people to experience Christ. If we are only picking songs that we like without consulting our spiritual leaders or the Lord, we leave the congregation behind. We might be worshipping our hearts out on the stage, but if we only pick the songs we like or the songs that are speaking to us, we can't fulfill the role the Lord has placed us in. Worship leading is an act of service, surrender, and sacrifice. 

5. How do you determine where the spirit is leading in the moment? 

This is something I'm still trying to figure out, and it's truly something that just comes with experience. There have been times that I have heard the Lord speak so clearly during a worship set telling me to keep the moment going. However, sometimes I'm in this in-between where I am not hearing the Lord speak directly. In that case, I read the room. I watch how the Lord is working within the congregation, and ask the Lord in the moment to prompt me wherever He wants me to go. I think worship leaders sometimes feel pressure to create or fabricate their own moments. When in reality, we just need to join in with the moment that the Lord has already set in place. Every moment in the presence of God is a worship moment whether the congregation has their hands raised or they are standing still in His presence. Our role as the worship leader is to connect with the worship that's happening around us and invite others to do the same. 

I think the hardest thing I have to do as a worship leader is bring a moment to a close. So often, we will be deep in worship, and I find myself undone in the Lord's presence. Yet, I sense the Spirit's prompting to close out a moment. Selfishly, I want to stay in this moment forever. Yet, I know I must put my own desires aside so that the congregation has time to be taught. In moments like this, I am reminded of Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. They wanted to set up camp in the presence of God, understandably so. Yet, Jesus knew they still had work to do. They couldn't stay up there because they were called to teach and tell others about the Messiah. There is nothing inherently wrong with the desire to dwell in the Lord's presence. After all, I believe that's just our hearts longing for our true home. But as worship leaders, we need to listen to the Spirit's promptings so that the church can be taught and be in fellowship with one another too. 

So worship leaders, more than you aim to be a better worship leader, aim to grow deeper in your relationship with Christ. It's not just about singing songs on stage. It's about creating a space where people can truly connect with God and each other. Whether it's picking the right songs, managing the worship team, handling the technical stuff, or staying humble and focused on Jesus, there's so much more to it. We won't always get it right, and that's okay. May I encourage you by saying that you are more than your last worship set. You are more than the number of people in your congregation. If only one person was in attendance, but you helped them in their walk with the Lord, it would have been worth it. Keep walking in faith and keep leading well. 

May your roots run deep, and your faith remain strong! As always, Stay Rooted, my friends! <3