WORSHIP LEADERS
HOW TO LOVE YOUR WORSHIP SONGS( EVEN IF YOU HATE THEM) | Matt Miller
Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash
A GUIDE FOR WORSHIP LEADERS WHO’ VE SUNG‘ HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD’ ONE TOO MANY TIMES
This Song Again? Every few months, a worship team member will inevitably sigh,“ Omigosh— we’ re doing this song again!?” And the answer is always the same: Yes. Yes, we are. And yes, we’ ll probably be doing it again next week, too.
Here’ s the thing: Just when we, as worship leaders, start getting tired of a song, the congregation is finally starting to catch on. We sing these songs 10 – 20 times more than the average worshiper( and that’ s probably an understatement). Between rehearsals, soundchecks, and multiple services, we are in the trenches of these tunes.
But what happens when you’ re stuck in an eternal loop of the same four chords? Can we still worship authentically when we feel like we’ ve sung“ How Great Is Our God” a thousand times? The answer is yes! Here are six ways to keep your passion high and lead with heart— even when you feel like you’ re trapped in a worship time vortex.
1. Remember: It’ s Not About Personal Fulfillment Worship is not about us; it’ s about helping the congregation connect with God. Worship songs are tools, not toys. Just like a carpenter doesn’ t need to love his hammer every day, we don’ t need to feel personally moved by every song. Our role is to lead others into worship, not to curate a playlist of our personal favorites.
If we’ re too focused on our own fulfillment, we risk frustrating the congregation and turning worship into an ongoing“ Guess That New Song” contest. Worship isn’ t a personal performance; it’ s an opportunity to help others enter into God’ s presence, even if the song itself isn’ t“ doing it” for us at the moment.
2. When the Music Fades … Familiarity often breeds apathy— or at least some serious yawning. When a song no longer stirs your heart, take a step back and engage with it differently. Read the lyrics. Pray through them. Study the scriptures that inspired the song. Sometimes, moving beyond the melody can help you rediscover the depth of the song and reengage with its purpose.
Let’ s be real: after singing a song a hundred times, we can easily slip into autopilot. But when you connect with the words on a deeper level, it can reignite your passion for that song— and restore your ability to lead it with fresh energy. It’ s not about the music; it’ s about the message. And sometimes, stepping back from
the music lets us focus more on the meaning.
3. Worship With the Songs You Wish You Were Singing As worship leaders, we’ re often the ones responsible for curating the setlist each week, but that doesn’ t mean we should neglect our own personal worship time. Your relationship with God isn’ t confined to Sundays, and your private worship time is just as important as leading in front of a congregation.
Use your personal worship time to explore songs that speak to you— even if they never make it into the Sunday setlist. Worship isn’ t confined to what’ s sung at church. If you feel spiritually nourished by a newer song, belt it out in your car, during your quiet time, or even in the shower. Worship is personal, and we can stay engaged with our faith through songs that speak to our hearts— whether or not they make it into the worship rotation.
So, go ahead. Play that brand-new Elevation Worship anthem or that deep-cut Maverick City song on repeat. If it stirs your heart, worship with it privately. When you stay connected to God in your personal worship, it helps you bring that connection into your corporate leadership, even when the congregation is singing“ How Great Is Our God” for the millionth time.
28 April 2025 Subscribe for Free...