Worship Leader Fake
So while in Sin City this weekend Angela asked me…
“So Carlos. When a worship leader is on stage, and they have sung the same songs 3 services in a row, and they are smiling and lifting their hands and doing the same thing they did 2 hours before, WHAT ARE THEY REALLY DOING? Are they really worshipping or just acting like it?”
That was a really loose quote. So forgive me Angela, but you get the point.
I have my answer.
But I would like to hear some of yours before I fill in the blank…
Los
I don’t know the answer because I’ve never been a worship leader, but I’ve wondered the same thing before. I would think, though, that if someone loves Jesus they can always worship Him no matter how many times they’ve sung a song.
I think its really an attitude of the heart, if you truly mean and believe in what you are singing, then its fine, but if its just going thorugh the motions then i think its wrong
by the third or fourth or fiftieth time time around, the worship leader is using his God-giftedness to lead people into God’s presence, preparing willing hearts to receive the Word of God
but i think by the third or fourth time, the worship leader might start to wonder “should I get the rooty-tooty-fresh and fruity at IHOP or the grand slam at Denny’s?” while leading people into God’s throne room…
I believe worship has very little to do with us and everything to do with Him. So, we could sing the same song over and over for eternity and we should still lift our hands and smile. His sacrifice and His love for us didn’t change, why would ours because we got bored with a simple man made tune?
I have been holding my wifes same hand for 6 years and I still get goose bumps.
Personally… it’s easier for me to really dig into the worship time during the third service than it is during the first service… seems like I get past all the “ok, don’t forget that Dmin13sus5 chord in the bridge, oh crap, does the drummer remember that we’re playing an extra measure before the last chorus???”
By the third service… we pretty much have all that down and can just make music…
yeah, i believe worship has little to do with us on stage. we are the tools God uses to engage others. when we are on stage… engaging with the crowd, i personally, can’t help but become engaged as well. the repetiveness of it does come into play… we do 4 services at our main campus, but i think that if we pray before and ask God to help us be authentic… then we will be.
but the last service we’ve got it down “technically” and are unhindered. which is pretty amazing.
So, here’s my take:
In the first service the worship leaders are really worshipping.
In the second service, they lift their arms high so that some of the sweat (It’s HOT up there “on stage”!) will evaporate.
In the third service, those leaders really bring it! They lift their arms even higher and offer the sweat stains as evidence to the 80% of passively attending, non-involved church members. It is unarguable proof that they are part of “THE TWENTY PERCENT” eagerly working their butts off for God!
And you know that those people in the pews will be happy to approve an increase in the worship budget next year if it means they can stay right where they are, in the monogrammed pew spots, watching “the show” from a comfortable distance…
I’m with Dustin on the wife analogy.
from a drummer with multiple service experience for quite some time… the first is always joked as “practice” , the second is the wake-up .. and the third is the real deal. ok, so that’s not always correct but is often joked about.
i feel its a matter of heart. many times i feel the same attitude in my heart for all three. sometimes for only two. most of the time for all three. we are human and incapable of the same emotion 24 hours a day. but in the end if our hearts are in the state of doing it for Gods service and not our own, it doesnt matter what mood you’re in, you play your best and realize the glory is not yours.
psalm 33:3
psalm 150:5
Worship is not about the songs, it’s about us as a people connecting with the Living God. At our church, it seems that the “older believers” (people who have been walking with the Lord longer or a part of our church longer) come to the early service and many times it’s hard to get them to engage and so I feel like I really have to model what it looks like to engage with Jesus. The second service, though, has a lot of new believers and so they tend to sing louder and as a whole be more expressive. It’s often easier for me to feed off of them in the 2nd service than in the 1st.
Reminds me a bit of Revelation 4. John’s picture of heaven includes some freaky beasts and 24 elders around the throne. In the vision, they spend their time (eternity) singing just 1 song. Holy, Holy, Holy…(not even a Redman tune…can you believe it?…who get’s the CCLI on that?). I think they’re just getting a new picture of who God is each time. He’s so multi-dimensional, we could see something new each time we look. I think that’s one of our greatest roles, looking for new revelation. I never get bored. Never get tired. I fall in love with Jesus all over again each time.
I guess that’s what makes me weird.
Being married to someone who is on stage worshiping on a regular basis I have a little bit of understanding for what those who are on stage go through. She always tells me that she has to be very intentional about focusing on God because it can always become a routine if you let it, just like anything else in life. It is not easy, nor is it a perfect process but being a part of a church who seeks to be authentic, it has to be a priority to be as focused on God as possible every time they get on stage. In answer to the question, I would say I don’t know, how could I, but I can also say that I believe at our church most of the time the answer is yes because they strive to be real. Its a great question and even more a great challenge for all of us to always strive for authenticity in our worship.
This is such a great question! And great comments.
We have 2 services, but we do a ‘dry run’ that morning as well so we play the songs 3 times on one morning. I loved the drummer’s comment re: 1st – Warm Up 2nd – Real Deal Holyfield. We joke about the same thing.
I LOVE the wife comment! That’s actually totally right on the money.
Our service seems a bit different since the 1st is represented by mostly people who volunteer during the 2nd service and typically are familiar with one another and comfortable so they need little if anything other than us to start playing their favorite song.
The 2nd service is mostly new-comers to the church or visitors and need more ‘leading’ if you will.
So both services are unique and require a different approach to them.
HOWEVER, I can’t so easily say “Its not all about the songs.” By the time we have a new tune in a regular rotation I’ve played it like a hundred times! Listening to the CD, playing it by myself, learning other musician’s parts, listening to other versions, introducing it to the band, rehearsing it with the band, THEN introducing it to the congregation and so a few weeks later oftentimes that song that was once inspiring and motivating has lost some of its sheen. Sometimes its difficult.
If I may be so honest, selfishly honest at that, 1 service is really about me. Not that I’ve forgotten about corporate worship and who’s there but its more of a time for me to really indulge myself in what the Spirit is doing and my reflection on God. The other service is one more focused on the people in the congregation. Not that I’ve forgotten about me but its more about them this time. I don’t know if this is right or not but that’s how I approach each service.
When I used to lead, I had to approach each service with an open mind and heart, praying for God to be pleased with our offering and asking what/if he wanted me to communicate or what he wanted to hear through that time in music. I had to take a few minutes before the second service to refocus. I used to stumble over trying to lead the same way each service and then would kick myself for not saying the right thing that came across so clearly 1st service. Duh, just tune in for what’s happening during 2nd service. I have sung songs that I’m technically bored with but tried to get past the desire for emotion and simply praise. Or prior to that I try to find a way for the words to be fresh again.
I think that worship has everything to do with us. I also think that it has everything to do with God just a little bit more.
However, we’re human and prone to depravity and that will mean that what is in our minds during worship is important.
Once I read a book on spiritual disciplines. The author said that many of us “tune in” when we pray and “tune out” when others pray. He considered “tuning in” while others pray an important spiritual discipline to cultivate. And so it is with the minds of worship leaders.
We’re all in the same boat, and do think about all sorts of things while singing and leading. To take the wife analogy one step further…when you’re on a date and telling her how beautiful she is, what is on your mind? What about when you’re simply conversing while waiting for the food? My wife likes my attention and often times I suck at giving it to her…but I think it’s possible to change.
I struggle with this every week. But for the most part, I find I’m most tuned in during the first service. I find that I begin thinking about replicating what I did in the first service during subsequent services, rather than focusing on what I’m doing RIGHT NOW!
Joe. Good to see you man. Invite me up to Seattle to drink some coffee. Are you guys having a conference soon?
Los