Author: Jamie Brown

Practical Ways Worship Leaders Can Build Trust – Pt. 1

At every stage of a worship leader’s ministry – when he’s first starting out at a church, when he’s attempting to change something, when he’s in the middle of a difficult season, or when he’s just faithfully serving a congregation for the eighth year in a row – building and maintaining trust with the congregation is key to his effectiveness.

A worship leader will be stuck spinning his wheels until he earns the trust of the people he’s been called to serve. Here are some practical suggestions of ways worship leaders can do this:

Watch What You Wear
It actually matters a good deal what you wear when you’re up front. If you’re underdressed, you’re running the risk of sending the message that you’re disrespectful and/or immature. If you’re overdressed, you might inadvertently come across as unapproachable. If you wear clothes that are inappropriately tight, or distractingly designed, you’ll become too much of a focus. Try to dress safely, predictably, and even boringly. If most men are wearing ties, then you should wear a tie. If most people are in jeans, you should be in jeans too. Dress appropriately for the congregation you’re leading. It will show them that you’re professional.

When You Can, Share Meals
If you’re leading worship at a service or event where a meal is served, seize that opportunity to sit down next to people you don’t know well and strike up a conversation. It will show them that you care, and it will help you get to know the people you’re leading.

Be There Consistently
It’s hard for a congregation to learn to trust a worship leader when he or she hardly ever leads. Regular, weekly, consistent leadership allows people to get used to your style, your voice, and your personality, and it lets you develop a relationship with them. It will show them you’re dependable.

Show Them You’re Safe
This is especially important when you’re first starting to lead worship at a church, or leading worship for a group of people who have never seen you before. Once you demonstrate that you’re not going to do anything crazy, that you’re prepared, and that you know where you’re going, their defenses will come down. It will show them you’re stable.

Anticipate Their Anxiety
Worship leaders can’t (and shouldn’t) attempt to read the congregation’s mind – but we should always be putting ourselves in their shoes and anticipating where they might start feeling anxious.

For example, I know that on a typical Sunday morning at my church, people are used to singing for about 20 – 25 minutes at the beginning of a service. There’s no reason for me to explain this every week. But if on a particular Sunday we wanted to have a longer time of singing that lasted for 40 – 45 minutes, it would be wise for one of the pastors or me to say something about why we were singing for longer than usual. If we didn’t, people might start to wonder after half an hour if we were ever going to stop!

Anticipate the congregation’s anxiety so you can help dissipate the congregation’s anxiety. It will show them you care for them.

I’ll share some more ways to build trust tomorrow.

Cold Turkey for Easter

This past weekend I decided it was time to break my addiction to chord charts. Yes, it was Easter weekend and I was leading the music at five services, but after the first service on Saturday night I realized that if I wanted to play the piano more creatively and lead the band and congregation more skillfully, it was the right time to do it.

So with the exception of a song we did that was Psalm 98 set to music, I led four Sunday services with no music in front of me.

I knew the chords. Once in a while I would forget how a certain chord progression was supposed to go, but since I wasn’t the only one playing, I just relied on the band in those moments until they jogged my memory.

I (mostly) knew the words. Every now and then I’d glance at the screen if I forget how the next verse of a song started, but most of the time I didn’t need to.

I knew which ones I didn’t know well. Like I said before, there was one song I didn’t know well enough to lead from memory, so I made sure I had music in front of me for that one. But as for the other songs, I didn’t need the music, so I went without. And I was fine.

I was able to play more creatively and sensitively because I wasn’t compulsively staring at a piece of paper the entire time. Being freed to play from my heart allowed me to try different things, play less, and enjoy it more.

And I was able to lead the band and congregation more skillfully because my attention wasn’t being directed towards a chord chart as often. I could look around, make eye contact with band members, and concentrate more on what we were singing and what God was doing.

I’m going to continue working on trying to break my addiction to chord charts. I’ll need to make sure I’m comfortable and familiar with the songs’ chords and lyrics, and be smart enough to know which songs I shouldn’t attempt to lead from memory. But I’ve gotten much too accustomed to not simply referring to chord charts occasionally – but staring at them mindlessly and unnecessarily. It’s a bad and unhealthy habit.

Of course it’s a good idea to rehearse with the music in front of you so you can learn it. And then once the service starts it’s probably smart to have it close by. But if at all possible, get comfortable enough with whatever songs you’re leading that you could get through them competently even if a gust of wind knocked your music stand down.

Now, if you’ll be less effective at leading your worship team and congregation, and play less skillfully if you don’t have music in front of you, then you should probably keep the music in front of you. But perhaps you can start by leading one song without music – or one verse or chorus – whatever you can do.

But if your affection for chord charts is limiting your effectiveness as a worship leader, then it’s probably a good idea to learn how to live without them.

Are You Dreading Easter?

The rehearsals.

The expectations.

The extra services.

The visitors.

The planning and preparation.

The full week of services: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, etc.

It’s during this week – one of the biggest and busiest of the year for people who work at churches and/or lead worship in some capacity – when it can all get to be a bit overwhelming. We long for the ho-hum summer Sundays of mid-July or August when everything is normal and the pressure is dialed down.

If we’re not careful, we can get calloused. Just get it over with. Just get through it. Wear a tie, sing some traditional hymns, throw in some newer songs, throw in some razzle dazzle somewhere in there, and then take Monday off.

So, my worship leader friend, with the biggest Sunday of the year quickly approaching, here’s a quick heart check: am I dreading Easter?

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:14 and 17:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain…” “… your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Easter is a big deal. But not in the way church musicians think.

We can think it’s a big deal because it’s when the most people attend church all year-long, everything is nicely decorated with flowers, we have extra services, and people expect the music to be a bit more special. We feel the pressure of having to perform, and having to impress.

Easter becomes our time to shine and so we dread it.

But Easter is a big deal for a different reason: without it, our “preaching would be in vain“, our faith would be “futile“, and we would “still be in (our) sins“. By his death, Jesus has destroyed death, and by his resurrection he has won for us everlasting life. Jesus is victorious over death! We proclaim and worship a risen and victorious King!

And that King is who we exist to make shine this Easter Sunday, and every other Sunday, and every other day of our life.

Every rehearsal, every flower arrangement, every hymn, and every bit of preparation is all for the shining forth of Jesus this Easter Sunday.

And if we’re dreading this day and hoping to just get it over with – perhaps it might be an indication that between now and then we need to seriously pray for the Holy Spirit to rekindle a flame of passion in us for the glory and honor of Jesus. And perhaps, whether we realize it or not, we’ve fallen into the trap of thinking Easter is when we have to put on a good show.

We’re not in this line of work to put on a good show. We’re in this line of work to point to a great Savior.

Prepare and rehearse well this week. Get some good sleep on Saturday night. Pour yourself into your services this Sunday. May Jesus shine brightly in our hearts and in our services. Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Don’t Take it Personally

Inevitably, those of us involved in leading worship will encounter criticism. And at some point, this criticism might be along the lines of: contemporary music is evil. Or, drums are of the devil. Or, I can’t stand that kind of music. Or, electric guitars were designed by aliens to one day destroy the earth.

OK, maybe not that last one, but you know what I’m saying.

There are many godly, sincere, good people who believe that contemporary music or anything related to it (drums, guitars, projecting lyrics, synthesizers, etc.) is not appropriate for use in church. Some of these people articulate their objections respectfully and kindly, while others are less generous in their distaste for the genre.

It can be difficult for contemporary musicians and those who believe that contemporary music can and should be used for God’s glory to know how to respond to the line of thinking that says just the opposite.

The number one mistake I have made when being faced with the argument that contemporary music is evil has been to take it personally.

In my mind, it goes like this: They don’t like acoustic guitars, I play acoustic guitar, therefore they don’t like me, and now I don’t like them.

Or: They think the rock beat is evil, I think they’re wrong, therefore they think I’m ignorant, and now I think they’re smug. And I still don’t like them.

And so on and so on. Now we have different members of the body of Christ who don’t really understand where the other is coming from, who are taking it all personally, and who can’t talk with each other.

I’ve read the books and listened to the arguments that seek to portray contemporary music as demonic at its core, or thoroughly inferior, or designed for the purposes of rebellion, or as the enemy of those who prefer traditional hymnody and classical music. I’m convinced they’re misguided on all counts, and that a biblical perspective on music encourages endless variety, stylistic pluralism, skillful execution, and spiritual discernment all for the glory of God.

But instead of hearing the criticism and responding with Christ-like patience and Spirit-enabled charity, I so often find myself responding out of sinful pride, and seeking to defensively protect my turf. It’s silly. I take it personally and in so doing, ensure that nothing fruitful happens.

To my fellow worship leaders, and contemporary musicians, let me encourage us to respond in three ways:

Understand where they’re coming from. Listen to their arguments, read their books, consider their concerns, and try to see them as God sees them.

Dialogue with them. We can learn from them, they can learn from us. It really shouldn’t be an “us versus them” thing anyway. Whatever we can do to stay unified by the Gospel, let’s do it.

Don’t take their concerns personally. It’s not about you, even if they think it is. Even in the face of mean-spirited criticism, respond with grace and understanding.

Justified or not, contemporary musicians have a reputation of being insensitive, untrained, not well-read, oblivious, callous, and boastful. When we’re presented with critique or criticism, we just shrug our shoulders, murmur under our breath, and turn the amps up louder. This is not good.

Instead, may we seek to be as approachable as possible, informed, aware of the sensitivities around us, and surprisingly willing to dialogue. Who knows, maybe electric guitars really are an alien invention…