should be used sparingly . I know it feels amazing to cut loose vocally . But it ' s not about our musical fulfillment . It ' s about leading the congregation . ( Feel free to hate me , you extraordinary singers who love to do vocal acrobatic stunts that make the rest of jealous . I can handle it .)
2 . Remember that you have men in your congregation . Even as a lower tenor , I sing higher than most men in my church are willing to sing . When a worship leader jumps an octave , many men stop singing . Consider having a second male voice who stays an octave below , and make sure his voice is up in the mix .
A vocalist singing an octave below the melody isn ' t the most ideal vocal arrangement technique . But if it keeps your men singing , who cares ?
3 . Nail the entrances . I ' ve whiffed the entrance to a verse or chorus more than I care to admit . It was always a preparation issue . If a leader hesitates on an entrance during rehearsal , he or she will likely do the same in a service . Take time to run that section a few times to create confidence . ( And then push that person to practice more on their own .)
4 . Lead visually . Whenever another singer is taking over vocal leadership , don ' t just rely on the strength of her voice or the sound tech ' s quickness on the fader . Take command visually .
Here are two practical actions to make this happen . First , as the current leader is finishing his section , he steps back and looks over to the person about to sing . That tells the congregation , " Look at her ." Second , the new leader needs to physically step closer to the congregation as she begins . It doesn ' t take much . Just one step forward can clue people into who ' s now leading .
SERVING THE WIDE MIDDLE If your congregation is like most , there ' s a fraction who will never sing . On the other end of the spectrum , there ' s a fraction who will always sing . Some of those never-stop singers are musically gifted , but most are people who
" make a joyful noise " regardless if they know the song or can find the melody . ( I love these people .)
In the wide middle between the never-sings and the always-sings are the people who want to sing but need to be led . Serve them by intentionally removing the barriers that interrupt their musical worship to the Lord .
And through all this , you ' ll need to remind your singers of this : our musical fulfillment as a vocal team takes a backseat to helping the congregation sing with all their heart , soul , mind , and strength .
Jon Nicol Jon ’ s the founder of WorshipWorkshop . com and WorshipTeamCoach . com , two sites that help worship leaders build strong teams and lead engaging worship . He lives and serves in Lexington , Ohio with his wife Shannon and their four kids . WorshipWorkshop . com WorshipTeamCoach . com