WORSHIP LEADERS
SIX MISTAKES THAT KEEP YOUR CHURCH FROM SINGING ( PART 1 ) | Matt Miller
As a worship leader , do you ever feel like you ’ re leading worship for a group of department store mannequins , statues , or maybe even a room full of zombies ? I call them screen zombies . They ’ re the people who stand there , staring at the screen with a blank , almost lifeless expression .
In many congregations , we see these lethargic faces on Sunday mornings — people who just stare at the screen . Sometimes you see their lips moving , sometimes you don ’ t . If you ’ re like me , you know exactly where the unengaged or grouchy-looking people sit , and it can mess with your focus while leading . Conversely , we also have those who encourage us with their active participation in worship , and we naturally gravitate toward them .
Now , we can ’ t judge what ’ s happening in the hearts of those who seem disengaged or grouchy . They might be deeply connecting with Jesus or hearing from God . We simply don ’ t know . But as worship team members and leaders , our job isn ’ t to force people to sing or worship . Instead , we aim to create an environment that encourages participation in musical worship .
THE PROBLEM : DISCOURAGING PARTICIPATION
The problem is that just as we can encourage participation , we can also discourage it . In this article , I ’ ll dig into some common mistakes we make as leaders and team members that might be keeping our churches from singing . These mistakes could be contributing to the abundance of screen zombies in your congregation .
I ’ ll outline each mistake , explain why it ’ s damaging to our church and its impact on congregational singing , and offer solutions to fix it . Chances are , you or your team members are committing at least one of these mistakes each week . The good news is that most of these mistakes are relatively simple to correct . So , let ’ s dig in .
MISTAKE # 1 : STAND ZOMBIES
If you have screen zombies in the pews , you probably have stand zombies on the platform . Stand zombies are team members who stare at their music stands ( or iPads , tablets , etc .) just like the congregation stares at the screens . Enthusiasm for singing is contagious , but so is apathy . When your platform team buries their heads in their music stands , or their eyes are glued to the stage display monitor ( confidence
36 September 2024 Subscribe for Free ...