Worship Leader Resolutions: 2016

1Happy 2016, worship leaders!

It’s a new year, full of new potential, new opportunities, new emails from that one person in your congregation (you know who I’m talking about), and new songs that will be old and forgotten by 2017.

I will be adopting these worship leader new year’s resolutions in the months ahead, and I (cue the octave jump) STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU DO THE SAME.

1. New song sandwiches
In order to accommodate the high volume of new worship songs being released every week, I am going to begin introducing two new songs at once, but pretending it’s just one new song, when in reality, it’s a new song sandwich.
– Beginning: New song A (part 1).
– Middle: New song B.
– Ending: New song A (part 2).
– Optional reprise: Intermingled blend of new song A (part 1), and new song B (part 2).

2. Smart-lasers
It’s not enough to shine lasers on the worship team. And it’s not enough to shine lasers on the congregation. Those lasers need to be smart enough lasers to shine directly into the hearts of people who just aren’t into it and wake them up. Shine, lasers, shine.

3. Explore the space
Every song needs at least a four-minute instrumental break. At least.

4. More shofars
Speaking of instrumental breaks that will usher in unparalleled revival, it is time to reclaim the shofar and give it it’s deserved prominence in every single song. Sho far? So. Good.

5. Stage extensions
Ever seen how Taylor Swift has that cool stage that lets her walk out into the middle of the audience in her shows? That’s got “congregational engagement” written all over it. Droopy-eyed early service? Tuned-out teens? Dance out onto that stage extension and shake it off.

6. A new approach to octave jumps
You will not find a greater advocate for the absolute necessity of an octave jump in every song than me. I don’t think a song without an octave jump is even worth singing. But simple octave jumps are just not enough anymore. They have lost their power. It’s time to embrace a new approach to octave jumps. Follow me here, and follow me closely. I am copyrighting this approach as “The FaceMelter”:
– Step 1: Start first verse down an octave.
– Step 2: Jump octave on the SECOND WORD. This will surprise people. Excellent.
– Step 3: Third word? Back down to original octave.
– Step 4: At the very first beat of the first chorus: Initiate a half-step modulation.
– Step 5: Next verse, modulate another 2.5 steps.
– Step 6: This is when you step on the gas. Jump octave.
– Step 7: Jump it again. Can’t do it? Try harder.
– Step 8: Back down to original key.
– Step 9: Drummer modulates a whole step. Tell him to ask the pianist what this is.
– Step 10: Sho-far solo. Recharge lasers.

THIS RESOLUTION SPONSORED BY DRUMMERS:
7. Put the flutists in a plexiglas cage
For too long, flutists have had SUCH an easy time. They’re polite, they’re unobtrusive, their instrument can fit in their pocket, and in the event of a water landing, their instrument can also be used as a snorkel. It’s time to surround them with plexiglas, absorption panels, plexiglas extenders, an absorption ceiling, and a little more plexiglas just for good measure. Throw in a little fan to blow their music off the music stand. And stuff their flute with two pillows. Control those rebel flutists!

8. New catchphrases
Worship leader: do not underestimate the power of an effective catchphrase. Suggestions:
– Opener: I’m here… you’re here… it’s singing time!
– Song transition: And now let’s break it down.
– Ice breaker: Find that person next to you and hug em’ real good.
– Before the sermon: And now let’s put on our listening ears.
– At the dismissal: Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter!
– Classic (one of my faves): You are now free to move about the cabin of praise!

9. Growling
There is never a good excuse for a worship leader not to growl at least four times during a worship set.

10. Conga lines
The worship renewal of the 1970s was characterized by the prominence of conga lines. Time to bring those babies back. Conga lines + new song sandwiches + shofars + lasers + The FaceMelter + catchphrases + growling + stage extensions? You’re a good good worship leader! It’s who you are.

Happy new year! Go hug a flutist.

 

Quick Tips for Surviving Christmas as Worship Leader

How can a worship leader survive the incredibly busy Christmas season? Expectations abound from every angle: from our families, our congregations, and our own hearts.

Some quick tips for worship leaders at Christmas:

Keep looking at Jesus
This is all about him and for him.

Don’t complicate things too much
For the most part, the people coming to your services over the next few days just want to sing carols and hear the Christmas story. Let them!

Ask people to pray for you
Humble yourself and ask for prayer. You need it!

Beware your own expectations
You may find yourself wanting to one-up last year’s services, or prove something to someone, or prove something to yourself. Don’t worry about proving anything. Just point to Jesus.

Remember Christmas will come again
So you might not get everything exactly right this year. There’s always next year. Christmas always comes again.

Listen to this
If this doesn’t make you laugh – and you know you need a laugh right about now – then I don’t know what else will.

Merry Christmas!

A Week of Doing the Same Thing in Lots of Different Ways (And Places)

This past week was one of the wildest worship leading weeks of my life. And through it all, I was reminded of how Jesus-centered worship leading can work in a variety of settings, and for a variety of groups.

In addition to our normal Sunday morning services (both of which are communion services, with band, choir, organ, singers, and 12-14 songs per service on average), and family-style Sunday school in between those services (where we gather our families together for worship/teaching/fun/snacks, and I lead about 10 minutes worth of family-friendly worship), and our Sunday evening service (shorter, more informal, a small/acoustic worship team leading 5-6 songs), there were several extra opportunities last week that stretched me in new ways, and simultaneously wore me out and charged me up.

On Wednesday I led the music for the largest funeral I’ve ever been a part of. A young dad, only 39 years old, succumbed to a three-year battle with cancer, and our church hosted the service for him, since he and his wife had been married here about 15 years earlier. I would estimate between 900-1,000 people crammed into our sanctuary, which is only supposed to seat about 830. The singing was loud, the pain was real, the grief overwhelming, but the gospel was preached and proclaimed. From the pulpit, from the family (including the widow who spoke), from the liturgy, and from the music, Jesus was exalted. Jesus was lifted up as the way to eternal life.

On Thursday morning I was invited to lead worship and speak for a large media company whose offices are just a few blocks from the White House. A gentlemen has been leading a bible study there for 20 years, and invited me to come to the last one he’d be organizing before he moves on. In the room was a mixture of Christians, atheists, secular Jews, and people who just wanted to hear some carols. I brought my church’s drummer with me, and we played through a mixture of Christmas carols, interspersed with some readings from Scripture, and then I shared for about 4-5 minutes about the good news of Jesus that we celebrate this time of year. There was an incredible sense of receptivity and openness in the room. We sang and lifted up Jesus as the Good News, in the middle of a conference room in the nation’s capital.

And then last night my church hosted its third-annual “Carols by Glowstick”. This is one of our big “front porch” (i.e. outreach) events where we invite friends and neighbors to pack the sanctuary (with its windows blacked-out and lights turned down), wave a couple thousand glow sticks around, sing carols, hear a brief gospel message, and then celebrate afterwards with cookies, cider, hot chocolate, fire pits, and more cookies. The place was packed. We had fun: singing fun/silly songs, having a visit from Santa and his dancing reindeer, and being led in Christmas calisthenics by two elves wrapped in Christmas lights. And we heard the best news of all: hearing the Christmas story from Scripture, and also through the classic Christmas carols that proclaim that story so well. We laughed, shouted, waved glow sticks, and celebrated Jesus as the Light of the World.

In just one week, I had the privilege of helping point people to Jesus across a wide spectrum of occasions: from the usual Sunday services, to our Tuesday staff meeting, to an incredibly difficult funeral, to a seeker-filled “bible study” in D.C., to our Friday night Alpha course with many non-Christians present, to “Carols by Glowstick” where we progressed from “Jingle Bells” to “Joy to the World” in less than an hour. Whiplash is one way to put it. Gratefulness is another.

I’m grateful to have a front-row seat to witness the power of the gospel, and the power of gospel-centered music, to bring real joy, real hope, and real cause for singing in a variety of settings, and for a variety of groups. From little kids to older grandparents, from happy newlyweds to grieving widows, from lifelong Christians to hostile atheists: Jesus is the best thing, and the only lasting thing, I can offer them as a worship leader.

There’s still a lot to do between now and the end of December. A lot of services, rehearsals, arranging, planning, sound-checking, and music-making. It’s indeed a wild month. But, praise God, my main job through it all is to say the same thing: “O come, let us adore Him: Christ the Lord”.

When Your Worship Team is Small (Really Small)

1In my post “Four Types of Worship Teams“, I advocated that worship leaders seek to model their worship teams after the picture of the body that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 12. This way we avoid the traps/pitfalls/discouragements that come from teams whose members are just filling slots on a schedule, or being in a band for the sake of being in a band, or always trying to get to the top so they can be seen as contributing something important.

But what about when your worship team is really small? You’re scraping by from week to week with a kind gentlemen who knows three guitar chords, a fifth grader who wants to be able to play the drums, your pastor’s wife who can sing soprano, and a high school junior who’s an excellent french horn player.

You don’t look or sound like any of the worship teams you see online or hear on albums. An electric guitar has never crossed the threshold of your sanctuary. The newest song you sing was written in 2001 (and that’s pushing it!). You would be thrilled to add more musicians to the team. You would love to have the problem of having so many musicians that they’re all clamoring to play on Sundays. You wish you had a plethora of people to fill different musical slots.

But those aren’t problems you’re in any danger of dealing with really soon. Right now, you’re discouraged and your team is small. Really small.  Your main problem is trying to keep things afloat, and trying to bring together the limited amount of resources at your disposal to present something relatively cohesive from week to week. It’s not easy.

Remember these truths, oh worship leader with a small (really small) team:

God arranges the members of a body
To draw again from Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:18, don’t forget that “…God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose“. God doles out gifts and arranges members as he sees fit. Make as many invitations to musicians in your congregation to step forward, to audition, and to explore using their gifts in your team. Maybe you’ll get an overwhelming response. Maybe you’ll just get one 60-year-old who can play piano. See who God has placed in your midst. If he hasn’t given you what you want or need yet, then keep praying.

Newness and youth is an overrated idol
So your sound system hasn’t been updated since the 70s, the average age of your worship team is 70, the most people your church has ever had in attendance is 70, and the ideal era of worship songs for most people in your church is 1870. Don’t waste your time trying to be the man or woman who modernizes everything about your church. Focus first on faithfulness, listen well to the hearts of your people, and once your motives are to edify your church, move forward one step at a time. I think worship leaders worry way too much about newness and freshness and contemporariness. Of course we want our church and our ministries to be alive and vibrant, not dead and dormant, but don’t eschew rootedness for the futile pursuit of relevance.

Small worship teams can be incredibly fruitful
Maybe it’s just you on the platform with an old piano that your church can’t afford to tune. Or maybe there are four of you, and if you try to play anything faster than “Shout to the Lord”, the wheels fall off. Your ministry – and the ministry of a small worship team of just a few musicians – can be incredibly fruitful. Fruitfulness doesn’t come from numbers. Fruitfulness is a gift of the Spirit! And when God-empowered, Spirit-manifested, Jesus-centered gifts come together, regardless of the size, then beautiful and fruitful things can happen.

The people who sit in a small church meeting in a high school cafeteria need the same thing as the people sitting in padded seats in a megachurch. They need Jesus. There is absolutely no reason why a small worship team, even if it’s just one person singing along to worship songs off of YouTube, can’t very effectively and fruitfully exalt Jesus in his or congregation’s eyes. Don’t be discouraged if your team is small.

Finally, a practical encouragement:

Keep inviting
One of the most recent additions to the worship team at my church was at our church for about six months before he finally stepped forward. And I’m glad he did! He plays acoustic and bass guitar, and is a wonderfully gifted worship leader. He had heard my pleas for musicians, had read my blurbs in the church newsletter, and finally after hearing me invite people enough, he stepped forward. Never stop inviting those musicians-in-hiding in your church to step forward and explore using their gifts.

One last thing.

Even when you’re just trying to keep things afloat, or fill the slots on a schedule with a fairly small pool of resources, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re doing it in a vacuum, or that you’re the only worship leader who deals with these problems. The even greater news of 1 Corinthians 12 (verses 4-6) for Christians is that even though there are varieties of gifts, varieties of service, and varieties of activities, we’re all filled with the same Spirit, following the same Lord, and empowered by the same God, even as spread out and different-looking (and sounding) as we are.

Large teams and small teams (even when they’re really small) are all part of God’s grand design for his Body, the Church. This is good and encouraging news.

 

Four Types of Worship Teams

1This past Wednesday night we had the first “musicians gathering” at my church since I arrived 15 months ago. All of the different instrumentalists and singers who serve at our morning and/or evening services were invited, to what I intend to be the first in a regular/monthly series of get-togethers aimed at community-building, vision-casting, encouragement, and worship-culture shaping.

After munching on cookies and chips and salsa (the evening snack combo of champions), a rousing game of worship song charades, and a time of singing, I shared why we were all coming together like this. It’s definitely not because we all need more meetings, or more things to do, or more obligations. We’re coming together as worship leaders (I intentionally use that term broadly to include everyone who has a musical/audio/leadership role in a service) so that we can become a body.

In my experience with worship teams (either as a member or a leader of one), and in my observations of the worship leading landscape these days, there seem to be four different types of worship teams. Four ways you can go. Four approaches to how to structure, view, and lead a team.

The first type of worship team is just filling slots.

You need a guitarist? Tom is your guitarist. You need another guitarist? Oh, now you have Frank as another guitarist. And this month you need to find another singer to fill a slot. Let’s ask Sally to fill that slot. What about a drummer for the third weekend of the month? That would be Brian’s slot. He’ll be the drummer.

In this type of worship team, its members are names in Planning Center, their contribution is to fill musical slots, and the worship leader’s job is to fill all the slots so that he can have what he needs. If Tom decides to leave the church, nobody on the team really knows or cares, because you just replace him with Andy. Or if your drummer Brian breaks his arm and can’t play drums, the team isn’t really concerned for Brian, but more concerned that they get another drummer to fill Brian’s slot.

No one is being particularly built up, or connected, or encouraged, or cared for. Everyone is a name on a schedule.

The second type of worship team is a band.

You choose a name. You have a lead singer. You have backup singers. You have band members who all look really angry. You tour. You record. You perform. You have photo shoots. You’re cool.

In this type of worship team, the members are mini-celebrities, and the worship leader is the chief-celebrity, who stands about one foot in front of the rest of the band in the photo shoot. When new or less-skilled musicians join your church, their only hope of being involved in the band is if they somehow reach that high bar and wear the right kind of clothes.

This kind of worship team is difficult for the average musician to be a part of. And it’s a challenge to maintain over the long-haul, as members leave, or the budget dries up, or a decade passes and musical fads pass you by.

The third type of worship team is a caste/echelon-system.

There are upper echelons: playing and/or singing in Sunday services. There are middle echelons: youth ministry, retreats, young adults. And there are lower echelons: children’s ministry, seniors, or home groups.

In this type of worship team, members are always trying to climb to the top. Even if it means pushing someone down to get there.

When a more strongly gifted musician joins the church, other musicians are threatened, and have to protect their place in their echelon. Members in the lower echelons don’t believe their gifts matter or are appreciated. And the worship leader is constantly managing egos, dealing with hurt feelings, avoiding giving honest assessment and placement of gifts in the team, and potentially making or breaking someone’s identity simply based on where he schedules people.

The fourth and final type of worship team is a body. And Paul paints a picture of it in 1 Corinthians 12.

To summarize: In a body, there are varieties of gifts and service, but the same Lord. There are different gifts given by the Spirit, but all empowered by that same Spirit. It’s one body, with many members. The different members (like feet and hands) need each other. The different members (like ears and eyes) belong to each other. God arranges the members as he chooses. The weaker members are indispensable. Honor is bestowed upon one another. There is no division. When one member suffers, all suffer. And when one member is honored, all rejoice together.

That’s the kind of worship team I want to build!

But in my first 15 months at Truro, I’ve been filling slots. I’ve been the new guy, getting a lay of the land, getting to know people, auditioning people, orienting myself, plugging holes, and trying to get through all of the major ups and downs that a ministry year contains. And that’s all I could do. But it’s not a long-term ministry model.

I’m not interested (and I know the musicians at my church aren’t either) in just filling slots. Or building a band with a brand. Or managing a caste/echelon system and all of the egos and politics and territories that come with it. That sounds miserable to me. Because it is!

Helping build (and build up) a body is the way to go. It’s a worship team model that will endure.

I would argue that this is the model that will last the longest, include the widest spectrum of ages/experience levels/skill levels, allow for an easier on-ramp for new and/or weaker members, be more sustainable by the congregation itself, last after a worship leader leaves and hands the baton to someone else, and have the kind of spiritual and organizational health that will model something beautiful, humble, and Christ-centered from the platform.

Random musical feet and hands and eyes in a congregation won’t just magically coalesce into the shape of a body like a weird sci-fi movie. God arranges the members, the Spirit empowers the members, and good pastors (and worship leaders) help the Spirit-empowered and God-arranged members function as a healthy body in the way that God designed for the glory of Jesus and the edification of his Church.

Worship leaders: let’s all commit to doing what we can to foster a community of worship leaders at our churches that functions like a body. It’s not always the easiest or most glamorous way to go, but it’s the most fruitful.