MULTITRACKS
PEOPLE OVER PRODUCTION : HOW TO NOT LOSE YOURSELF WHILE UTILIZING TECHNOLOGY IN WORSHIP | Joshua Taliaferro
In the gospel of John , Jesus says to his apostles “ Peace I leave with you ; my peace I give you . I do not give to you as the world gives . Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid .” I find that verse to be so comforting and empowering at the same time . When we have a relationship with Jesus , we are given the gift of peace from the Spirit of the living God . As worship leaders , we have the opportunity every week to usher in peace during our times of worship with our congregation . We have the honor and privilege to lead our church in worship which reminds them of the peace only Jesus can bring and opens their hearts to the relentless love of God .
However , isn ’ t it true that we don ’ t always allow the same for ourselves during these times of worship ? Here ’ s the scenario : You spent all week prepping your set , you sent out charts , mixes , and notes to the music director , you talked to your lighting designer , you made slides in Pro-Presenter , you showed up early to rehearse , you are now playing to a click track and don ’ t want to throw off the band , you ’ ve been praying for this time of worship all week and want it to be meaningful and intentional and with all of that noise going on in your head your heart forgets to stop and encounter the same peace you ’ re currently helping your congregation find . Ever been there ? I think we all have .
Being a worship leader is like walking a tightrope every week . If you focus on anything other than Jesus , spiritual vertigo will kick in and you will plummet into a never-ending cycle of perfectionism and worry . So how do we walk that tightrope ? Where is the balance ? How do we find peace while everything is riding on us to be perfect ? Does high-level production free us up to worship or limit us from worshipping ? If you ’ ve ever asked yourself these questions , then I hope to help find some answers and consequently help you re-engage with the peace of Jesus on Sunday Mornings .
PART 1 : PEOPLE FIRST , PRODUCTION SECOND .
Like all other questions in life , we find our answers in the Bible . One of my favorite passages is found in 1 Kings 19 . Elijah , thinking he ’ s going to be killed , flees for his life to Mount Horeb . There he encounters even more chaos through fire , earthquakes , and tornados — however ; following the chaos he hears the Lord ask him in a gentle whisper , “ What are you doing here Elijah ?” The Lord reminds him that his life was never in danger , and he has 7,000 Israelites who are still faithful ! The question you always have to ask yourself as a worship leader is simple : what are you doing here ?
Our first job as worship leaders is to lead people in worship of the King . Jesus is the focus , and we are simply a vessel for His purpose . In order for anything else to work , we have to remember that Jesus is the center of attention — not us . Production is an amazing tool we can use to amplify our praise . The worship team is an
40 October 2023 Subscribe for Free ...