Worship Leaders: worship is not about you. It’s not about how great you can sing or play. It’s not about how trendy your jeans are. It’s not even about how catchy and memorable your worship “hooks” are.
Worship is about God. Bringing Him glory. Reflecting HIS image. Overflowing the blessings of HIS “living water” out for others.
But LEADING worship does involve you. It involves your mind, your body, and your spirit.
Worship leaders, stepping in front of people to help create spaces for worship to happen DOES involve you! Whether it’s a small group around a campfire, a mega-church full of thousands of people, or a van full of kids on the highway, using music to help others joyfully express their worship to God includes you, and in some cases depends on you.
The worship itself is a work of the Holy Spirit, of God Himself. He invites us into the process of making Himself known throughout the earth. You see, God doesn’t NEED us to worship Him, He’s God. He allows us in to His heart and into His thoughts. But the WORSHIP part is still all HIM!
The encouragement, the calls to worship, the skillful music, and well-arranged performances, well, those are our parts. As a “performer” of music that sets the table for worship, we should make our performances the BEST they could possibly be so that actual WORSHIP does happen and is not hindered BY OUR PERFORMANCES.
See this post about how performance is actually not a bad word when it comes to worship.
Here are 10 Ways that leading worship is NOT ABOUT YOU and also ABOUT YOU at the same time:
- It’s not about your personal journey, though your personal journey directly affects the quality of your leadership.
- It’s not about your personal connection, though your personal connection directly affects the example you set as a worshiper.
- It’s not about the “depth” of your personal worship experience, though the depth of your personal worship experience determines whether or not you can lead your people into a deeper experience of worship.
- It’s not about your “worshiping with total abandon” but at the same time, if you never worship with total abandon, how can you help others reach that place?
- It’s not about your preferences, though your preferences will be used by God to help create an atmosphere of worship for your congregation.
- It’s not about your musical expertise, talent, or chops on your instrument, but your pursuit of those things will help you become a better leader.
- It’s not about your taste in music, though your taste in music is a good place to lead from.
- It’s not about your theology, though your theology (or lack) of could define your leadership (or lack of).
- It’s not about your stage presence, but your stage presence could help inspire and lead others to a posture of worship.
- It’s not about you at all, but since God chooses to make Himself known through ordinary people like us, it IS all about you.
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Russ Hutto is the Associate Director of Worship & Media at St. Simons Community Church, where he mentors, oversees and helps lead Family and Student worship environments. He is also the content curator and editor here at The Worship Community.
