LEADERSHIP
7 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT BEING A WORSHIP LEADER | Manuel Luz
I ’ ve been a worship pastor for a long time , and I ’ ve realized there are a lot of misconceptions about what worship leaders do . Here are seven things you might not know about being a worship leader .
1 . THIS IS HARD WORK A mother once asked her little son what he wanted to be when he grew up . The boy answered enthusiastically , “ A garbage man !” Puzzled , the mom asked why . The boy replied , “ Because they only work on Wednesdays .”
Many people have a misconception that the worship leader just straps on a guitar on Sunday morning and starts to sing , and everything just kind of flows out of this God-bathed spirituality . After all , how hard is it to play the typical worship song anyway ?
The gritty reality is that worship leading is a lot of work . Our roles often include music director , technical manager , lead vocalist , instrumentalist , scheduler , spiritual leader , and friend . He ’ s the guy who unlocks the doors in the morning and rolls up the cords after everyone goes home . Then there ’ s the emotional exhaustion that goes along with the imperfect , time-consuming , and often messy process of pastoring people . No wonder one of the universal practices of the worship leader is the Sunday afternoon nap !
2 . THIS JOB CAN GET PRETTY WEIRD In my role as worship pastor , I ’ ve written parody songs , dressed in an animal costume , hung disco balls , washed dishes , consoled the homeless and the well-to-do , written plays and liturgies , pounded nails and dug trenches , danced in tights ( not my idea !), baptized in a freezing river , designed buildings and logos , and set theater lights from 30-foot rafters . I ’ ve led worship conferences from Europe to Asia , convalescent homes and prison chapels , funerals and weddings , even street corners and water parks .
Last Lent , we had the idea to create a 16-foot sandbox at the front of our stage to signify a walk in the desert . As I delivered 500 pounds of sand into our auditorium and spread it on our stage , I had a singular thought : I might have the weirdest job in the world .
3 . WE ARE ( MOSTLY ) NORMAL Worship leaders are often a little off-center . After all , we ’ re musicians and creatives , with artistic dispositions and complex temperaments . If there are tattoos in the sanctuary , chances are the worship leader is the one with them .
At the same time , we ’ re just like anyone else . We have fears and doubts , goals and aspirations , secret dreams and hidden angst . We juggle the need for acceptance and approval with the desire to be humble . We are driven by insecurity and anxiety more than you realize . And ultimately , we want what everyone wants — love and grace and community and significance . We aren ’ t perfect . Please don ’ t expect us to be .
4 . IT ’ S NOT JUST ABOUT THE MUSIC Many people equate worship with music these days . And that ’ s unfortunate . Most worship leaders are concerned with the overall flow of the service , sweating out the details of technical issues , liturgical and sacramental acts , visual and video elements , even stagecraft . And we serve the speaking pastor , creating meaningful responsive elements to the sermon when possible . While corporate worship is mostly expressed through music , it is so much more .
5 . WE SEE YOU When we lead worship , we can see you . We can tell when you ’ re texting , nodding off , or disengaged . Your body language speaks to us : The teenager who doesn ’ t want to be there , the married couple disconnected from one another , the toddler crawling under the pew . But we also see when you are alive to the reality of God in the room . When the congregation is passionate and engaged in worship , arms raised and voices strong , it is a great encouragement to us — deep in our souls .
6 . SOMETIMES WE LEAD WORSHIP EVEN WHEN WE DON ’ T FEEL LIKE IT Yes , we sing and close our eyes and strum our guitars , and we earnestly seek the presence and power of God during worship . And we hope to encourage you to do the same . But the reality is , sometimes our hearts aren ’ t in it . Sometimes God may feel far away from us , or we are distracted by some issue , or we are simply going through a dry time in our spiritual walk . It happens to everyone , so why shouldn ’ t it happen to the worship leader ?
When that happens to me , I remind myself that the quality of our worship is not dependent on my feelings . This may seem counter-intuitive , but worship is ultimately not a function of my personal satisfaction . After all , God is real regardless . If the object of our worship is God , then worship has more to do with how we make Him feel than how I personally feel about Him .
It is in those dry times that I lean more on the Truth of God than the experience of God . In other words , I worship more with my head than my heart . And that ’ s okay , because God is still glorified , still lifted up , still praised as an act of genuine obedience and submission . Thankfully , this doesn ’ t happen to me very often . And I thank our gracious God for that .
7 . WE LOVE THE CHURCH It ’ s true . We worship leaders love the church . Not just the theoretical church , but the actual wartsand-all church — the people who show up each Sunday and graciously allow us the privilege of leading them . It is an amazing calling , one which we don ’ t take lightly . We are thankful that you allow us this sacred opportunity — week after .
Manuel Luz Author , musician , inventor , and worship pastor in northern California ( Manuelluz . com and walkaboutdrum . com ). Check out his upcoming book , HONEST WORSHIP ( InterVarsity Press ). manuelluz . com
86 June 2018 WorshipMusician . com