I'm The New Worship Leader, Now What?

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A successful worship leader embraces these fundamental practices. Check out these five practices of a successful worship leader that can get pushed aside. Sometimes, the “very importants” can inadvertently be moved to the back burner because they aren’t urgent or timely tasks. Yet, your success may very well hinge on how well you integrate these fundamentals into your life.

If you are the new worship leader or have been given the task of stepping in as worship leader, this post is for you!

Have you ever found yourself on a new journey, maybe a new job role, and years down the road, you thought, “I wish I had known this…. When I started.” This blog post talks about some of those things. Often, when our role changes or we start something new, the job requires us to focus on getting the task done. New worship leaders jump into making song lists, having practices, and leading the songs on a Sunday morning.

Of course, that needs to happen. That’s one of the reasons we were put into that role – to get the job done. However, let’s not talk here about WHAT needs to be done, but focus a little more on the HOW and maybe even some WHYs.

This post will talk about some key foundational blocks that aren’t necessarily displayed on the stage but are integral to helping build strength and longevity in your leadership and your team.

Practice

Practice is more than just doing something over and over again until you get it right. It’s not just about getting a song right. It’s a process to improve competence, skill, and expertise.

Artists paint often. Ice skaters do their routines over and over again before the performance. Fishermen practice new techniques and use new lures. Event planners practice as they play through events in their minds over and over, envisioning different set-ups, safety protocols, and ways to help lines move faster.

Many people shiver when they hear the word “practice.” They dread repeating the song over and over just so they can have it right on Sunday morning.

First, practice should be a part of your lifestyle. Not because you want to do it “right,” but because you want to do it to the best of your ability. You want to improve your level of skill and ability.

Second, the more you practice, the more confident you can feel when singing or playing the song on Sunday morning. When you feel comfortable and confident, it can allow you to focus on things other than the chords and notes. Being confident in musicality can help you have the freedom to focus on praising and worshiping God, your Lord.

Sometimes, people can feel as though they can ride on the coattails of their talent or personality. While we can do that once in a while, or if we’re called upon at the last minute, it’s not a healthy practice to consistently live in those moments.

Hang Out With God

Spend time with God. In prayer. In worship. In reading the Bible. Sing or play praises to Him. Jesus said He’d never leave you; so invite Him into your day.

You can get to know Him better as you develop your relationship with the Lord. Getting a deeper understanding of who someone is happens naturally as relationships develop. Think about the differences in the depths of a relationship between a first-date couple, an engaged couple, and a couple who have been married 30 years.

We can gain a greater and deeper understanding of God’s greatness, promises, faithfulness, and grace as our relationship with the Lord develops. This can build a deeper connection and create a stronger, richer relationship. The more we know about the Lord, the greater and richer our worship experience can be.

How can you lead people in worshipping the Lord if you, yourself, don’t have an active relationship with Him? How can you worship someone you don’t know?

Think about it. Can you call out to a stranger at the end of a store aisle and say, “You are amazing! I adore you. I admire you. You have my utmost respect.” I guess you could, but would your words be heartfelt? Could you say them and truly, with conviction, mean them? Of course not.

Worshipers can’t authentically and effectively lead people to worship if they don’t know the God they are worshiping. How honest you can be in worship, or how authentic, doesn’t depend on how many years you’ve been a Christian but on the quality of time you spend with God.

Don’t Evaluate Based On “That Other Church”

Your church isn’t “that other church,” and you aren’t “that other worship leader.” Most people say they understand that. But what we don’t always understand is this: You aren’t supposed to be like that other church or worship leader. You and your small church have different gifts than the other church, and your community needs you to walk in what the Lord has called you to do.

There is something so unique about worship that can set anyone up for success: it’s a matter of the heart, not of skill and charisma. Anyone in any church, large or small, can be successful in worship as they focus on their heart first, then the instruments and musicality.

The Beauty In Smaller Worship Teams

Establishing unity is easier with fewer people on the team
People can really learn to flow in the freedom of worship with a smaller team
They can offer a greater sense of intimacy during the worship part of a church service
A smaller team can be much easier to manage
Relationships among team members are usually already in place
You can flow in a greater level of trust with smaller numbers on your team

God gave you and your church different gifts because there are more people who need to know Him than are able to be reached by that other church. Every leader and church has a unique personality that can reach specific people that other churches can’t.

Don’t get distracted from what God has given you and called you to do by comparing yourself to “that other…” True success rarely happens when one tries to be someone they aren’t. Make the most of what God gave you.

If you are the only singer and have no musicians, you can have an amazing, intimate time with the Lord in your small church. If you have more than one on your team, you, too, can have a great time of intimate worship at your church. Share the points in this post with them. These points can help your team press into deeper worship during your practices and service.

Be Authentic … Be Who You Are

If you smile at home when you worship and sing a certain line, then you can smile at church when you sing that line. As we demonstrate authentic worship, it can help others know they can be themselves.

Don’t try to put on airs or pretend to worship in a way that really isn’t who you are. The Lord knows when we aren’t being authentic. He knows when we just go through the motions. The Bible records in Isaiah 29:13, “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”

As human beings, we can make choices. Make the choice to be authentic. It’s okay when you are having a rough day to worship differently. However you worship – whether quieter or more energetic, God is still worthy of all you can give Him.

Worship Is A Matter Of The Heart

Avoid going through the motions. Avoid trying to act like someone you aren’t. WHY? Because worship is a matter of the heart, not the just actions we do or the words we say. We do a disservice to the congregation when we model being a fake for the sake of worship. In fact, it’s not true worship if you are faking it.

Everyone can have moments or a challenging season when they don’t feel like worshiping, and that’s okay. When that happens, press into God. Spend time with Him. If you need to take time off, then share with your pastor your need. If you have a small team or you play an integral part on the team, reach out to another church in town and ask if they have someone who can join your team for a service or two. Invite a local music group to lead your congregation in worship. Or, play a worship CD or video for the song service.

Authentic worship can

Encourage the congregation
Invite the presence of God in a different way
Strengthen your music team

Worship is a matter of the heart. We worship as a response to the love God has for us. We worship. It has to do with reverence, awe, and adoration. We don’t pick up these things at the supermarket. They develop during the course of our relationship with God.

It’s not just singing. It’s not just a ritual or a ceremony. It’s when we treasure God above everything else. It’s letting Him know we delight in HIm. We value Him. We declare, in our words, thoughts, or actions, that He is worthy of our affections and everything we can give Him.

Put Your Trust In God

Whether you volunteered, were asked, or were “voluntold,” you are in the position of worship leader for your small church. Your tasks may include choosing songs, picking song keys, managing the schedule of vocalists and musicians, creating lyrics, and more.

In all that you do, put your trust in God. pray often, seek His face, and ask for His help. Then, follow His leading. Trust you are hearing from Him, and He is leading your steps. God knows who will be at your small church service. He knows what songs will best minister to your people. He knows the songs He would love to hear. He even knows “that one song” that will help Miss Martha make it through the day as she watches your church livestream the week after her husband passed away.

Ask the Lord and then trust Him to open doors and opportunities for you to increase in skill and wisdom in what you’ve been given. Invite God to be part of your daily life and allow Him to guide you in this endeavor of worship leading at your small church.

You’re The Worship Leader, Embrace These Practices

Remember, don’t neglect the important because it doesn’t have a deadline. These practices can help you have greater success and a more fulfilling experience as a small church worship leader.

Practice
Hang Out With God
Don’t Evaluate Based On “That Other Church”
Be Authentic … Be Who You Are
Put Your Trust In God

Remember the reason you practice. The more confident you can be in your musicality, but more freedom you can have to focus your heart, mind, and soul on praising and worshiping Your Lord, the King of Kings.

Seek after God. We want to know about His works and wonders, of course. But more than that, we should strive to know Him personally and let Him into our daily lives. He gave you gifts and talents that probably aren’t the same ones He gave the person down the road. He did this on purpose, and the more you get to know Him, the more you may understand His plans and purposes. Just be who you are and trust Him. Let God guide you and lead you in this worship leader position and in your personal life.

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