File #5

“Do you have any advice for a young worship leader?”

Photo by Scott Broome on Unsplash

The longer I do this the less I feel like I understand what it is I’m doing as a worship leader.

What a mystery it is that we engage with - the belief that God meets us inside the vocal expression of our longings.

What a bizarre thing to believe that any human is really leading that.

Which should bring us to a place of astonishment and humility, rather than grasping for attention.

I actually don’t have any problem with the idea of performing and enjoying the spotlight…I just think it doesn’t belong in the context of worship. Be a rockstar. Go for it. With God’s blessing. But just don’t make a spectacle of yourself in the sanctuary. (And I say that as someone who has made that mistake 1000 times - I’ve been HIRED to make that mistake.)

Worship isn’t a place to fulfil musical ambitions. It’s a place to relax in the presence of God and in the company of your church.

Worshippers should hold on to amateur status for as long as possible. It’s not a career. We’ve made it one somehow. But that’s like setting up merch tables in the temple. It’s at best a confusing compromise.

If you want a career in music, play shows. That’s what I do. I play shows and I’m transparent about that. Sure, I bring my spirituality into those shows. They are worship-FUL at times. But it’s not a worship service. You can tell because you bought a ticket. Worship is free and inclusive.

On a practical level, here are some tips that make a Sunday morning go more smoothly and allow you to be maximally helpful in your role:

• Learn the words. Singing to a monitor isn’t leading. It’s karaoke. You need to be free to look around. Which leads to my next point…

• Keep your eyes open. Your job and eventually your skill is one of reading the room. Impossible with your eyes closed.

• This isn’t your time of worship - it’s your time to facilitate others. Stay tuned in to your role as facilitator. The waiter doesn’t sit down and feast at the restaurant. It’s about curating someone else’s experience.

• Concisely explain why the song you’re singing might matter to the congregation. Give them an entry point. Think of saying something that fits over 4 bars of music. That’ll stop it turning into a boring mini sermon.

• Project confidence. A mic stand is way too skinny to hide behind so you might as well just own it. Don’t project your awkwardness on the congregation. It will make everyone feel like you! Plus it’s just distracting.

• Have a game plan. Script anything that might need to be scripted. Spontaneity is not spirituality. More often it’s just laziness. Respect the stage you’re on. If you have a script, you may want deviate from time to time, but that’s not the same as just “going where the spirit leads you” which is just Christian-ese for being unprepared.

This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but they are trustworthy guidelines.

The last thing I’ll say is this: your value isn’t tied up in this. God loves you at 100 percent capacity off the platform. He doesn’t love you for your abilities or for your usefulness or for your “holiness”. He just loves you. So relax and enjoy it - it’s fun to play music.

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Things I’m into RN:

The Silver Chair by CS Lewis:

If you have a few hours to spare, this deeper cut of the Narnia series has real heart. It discusses the nature of keeping your faith in the middle of darkness, and powerfully examines the role of the stories we tell ourselves in the actual outcomes we experience. Is it better to believe in a beautiful world that doesn’t ultimately exist than it is to live as a cynic and a skeptic? Cool questions.

Elwood sweats

I’m writing this while wearing a top to toe Elwood sweatsuit and on a damp, misty Sunday, it’s everything I need.

Elwood store

A Quality Piece on My Album Honest in The Dispatch