monitor ), or they ’ re just looking at their hands the whole time , it doesn ’ t encourage the congregation to sing .
The Fix : A major fix for this issue is confidence . You and your team members need to lead with confidence . There are three root issues that cause this lack of confidence , resulting in stand zombies on the platform .
Lack of Preparation : Many players and singers who show little expression likely need more practice . They need to learn their music better to be more confident . If this is a problem for your team , we have resources at worshipteamcoach . com that can help .
Poor Platform Presence : You might hear the term “ stage presence ” in the performance world , and there are techniques we can learn from that , but platform presence goes beyond engaging an audience . For us , it ’ s about inviting people to worship with us . We ’ re not trying to create an audience ; we want to foster participation , not isolation .
We ’ re also modeling worship . We must be visual leaders , but we also need to shift the focus off ourselves so the congregation can focus on God . This might sound odd , but platform presence helps because it combines biblical expressions of worship with visual leadership skills . These are tools we use from the platform to engage those we ’ re leading in worship .
Once your team learns platform presence and gets comfortable with physical expressions of worship , they ’ ll be much more engaging and confident on the platform .
Insecurity : Some team members might know their music and have good platform presence , but they still struggle with confidence due to deepseated insecurities .
This isn ’ t something you can fix overnight , but you can start addressing it now . Encourage your team members to be confident in their role if they ’ re called to be on the worship team . One reason they can be confident is that you and your church leadership have given them the authority to be on the platform and lead . This may not have been explicitly stated , but it ’ s implied . Even if they ’ re playing an instrument or singing as a background vocalist , they hold a leadership role .
More importantly , they have authority as children of God . They need to walk in that confidence . Addressing confidence and insecurity issues is challenging but start the conversation with your team . Look up scriptures that reinforce their identity in Christ . As they grow in confidence , they ’ ll be able to worship God more freely and be more visually engaging for the congregation .
MISTAKE # 2 : SONGS ARE TOO HIGH
One worship leader once received a note from a congregant that read , “ You ’ re making my throat burn ; the songs are too high .” While this might be an exaggerated response , it highlights a real issue — having songs in keys that are too high ( or too low ) can cause problems .
As a worship leader , you must balance choosing a key that ’ s comfortable for the average church attendee with a key that suits your or another leader ’ s voice . You or the person leading the song need to sing it with strength , but it also needs to be congregation friendly .
At almost every conference and workshop , I hear the question , “ What is the right key for the congregation ?” So , let me tell you : the right key for the congregation is the right key for the congregation . There are no one-sizefits-all answers , no magic keys that work for everyone . ( Although , starting with the “ C to shining C ” framework is a good idea .)
The Fix : You need to consider the melodic line of the song , the highest and lowest notes , and find a key that fits as comfortably as possible for everyone , especially the men in your church .
Mike Harland , in his book Worship Essentials , says the following : “ In a generation where engaging men in the life of the church is already difficult , we should not make it more challenging by singing songs most of them can ’ t sing .”
He continues : “ I challenge you to watch any family at church . If the father sings , they all will sing . If Mom participates , the daughter will as well . If he or she prays , they all will pray . If they give , the children will give too . But if Dad has his arms folded and remains passive , the whole family will likely yawn all the way through the service .”
When in doubt , find an average male singer in your congregation and test the key with him . For example , one of our coaching clients uses a gentleman named Dave in their congregation . If Dave can sing the song comfortably and with enthusiasm , then most of the other men will be able to sing it too .
Stay Tuned : Those are the first two mistakes that might be keeping your church from singing . Stay tuned for next month ’ s article , where we ’ ll dive into Part 2 .
Matt Miller Matt lives in Cincinnati , OH with his wife Kara and their daughter Melody . He ’ s the Head Coach of WorshipTeamCoach . com and WorshipWorkshop . com , two sites that help worship leaders make every Sunday exceptional . If you want to explore coaching or mentoring with the WorshipTeamCoach team visit this page . WorshipTeamCoach . com WorshipWorkshop . com
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