5 Relationships Every Worship Leader Must Cultivate
I have a concern for the future of the local church in regards to its worship leaders. No, it’s not that we aren’t singing hymns of the past. Nor is it that modern worship songs aren’t theologically deep enough and too repetitive. It also has nothing to do with what our young worship leaders are wearing. It most certainly also is not that most of our services now involve technology and high quality theatrical lighting. In fact, personally, I think we spend way too much time and energy being overly critical of our younger generation on this kind of stuff because it’s different than how we were raised.
No, my concern is one that goes unseen but is certainly felt. It is a matter, that when neglected, will lead to times of corporate worship being empty, ineffective, powerless, and worst of all… void of God’s presence. It is something far less compelling for worship leaders to work on than guitar riffs, vocal chops, and killer drum rhythms. This takes an equal amount of dedication and commitment but is often put on the back burner or even ignored completely.
What am I speaking of? I’m talking about relationships, five relationships to be exact. Having spent the last 20 years as a worship pastor, working at three very unique and different types of churches, I’ve grown to appreciate and realize the direct connection between these relationships and my effectiveness as a worship leader. While our churches are filled with young and talented worship leaders, there seems to be a void of emphasis and understanding when it comes to something so significantly related to our times of connecting the congregation with the presence of the Lord.
Here are five relationships that every worship leader must cultivate to be effective.
Their relationship with Jesus.
While this may seem like a “no brainer,” it unfortunately is one that often goes neglected. I fear many worship leaders spend more hours and energy in becoming a better musician than they do spending time in prayer, devotion, and private worship to become a better follower of Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, excellence is very important and God deserves our best. You can have the most sincere heart in the world and spend hours praying and reading Scripture, but if you’re not gifted and equipped to lead musically, you shouldn’t be a worship leader. Both the heart and the art matter in worship. In fact, Psalm 33:3 says “Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully the harp, and sing with joy.” I find it dishonoring to God when we minimize the importance of quality in the art that we offer in praise. With that said, no level of quality or excellence is strong enough make up for a lack of anointing.As a worship leader, your sole job is to take people into the presence of the Living God. You can’t take people on a journey to where you’ve never been. If worship leaders aren’t continually filling their hearts and minds with God’s Word, having regular communion and dialogue with Jesus, spending personal and private times in His presence, it is like have a blind tour guide leading you somewhere they’ve never seen. They can only describe it through the eyes of someone else.
Even further to the point, worship leaders must live out their relationship with Jesus. The Apostle Paul gives us one of the best definitions of worship in Romans 12:1 when he writes, “give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” If we are going to be graced with the title of worship leader, then our lives sure as heck better be the kind of life HE will find acceptable… a life that is a living and holy sacrifice.
Their relationship with their spouse and kids.
This is one that is tough to learn when first entering into full-time ministry. Yet it is equally critical to the worship leader’s effectiveness. Too often the quality of our art is more important the quality of our homes. We, again, will invest countless hours making sure everything for our services on Sunday are flawless, only to leave church and go home to a marriage that has been ignored. Lord help us. How can we expect to lead those in our congregation when we can’t even lead those we live with? Are we naïve enough to think that God will bless and anoint us for His service when we are overlooking and undervaluing the marital covenant we made with God and our spouse? Is it worth our kids growing up despising the church because their dad or mom spent more time at rehearsals than with them?I have news for you. There is nothing God honoring in working hours upon hours for the Kingdom at the cost of your marriage and kids. In fact, in the New Testament church, leaders were expected to demonstrate the ability to lead their homes before they were considered eligible to be in leadership (Titus 1:5-9, I Timothy 3:1-13). How a worship leader relates to his spouse couldn’t be more central to his or her effectiveness in leading God’s people in worship. Why? Because God designed marriage to be a picture of how Christ relates to the church (Ephesians 5:31-33). A husband’s relationship with his wife should be a demonstration of how Christ loves and treats us, His people. A wife’s relationship with her husband should exemplify the respect and honor that we, His people, hold for Jesus. Marriage is the ultimate ministry. Worship leaders who overlook the importance of marriage and parenting, truly don’t understand the God they are leading people to in worship.
Their relationship with the senior pastor or senior leadership.
This one can make or break a church. There probably is not a more closely connected staff relationship in the church than the senior pastor and the worship pastor or worship leader. It is the worship leader’s role to prepare the people to receive the hearing of God’s Word. Did you catch that? It is your job to prepare, not perform. If the worship leader is doing his job effectively (leading people into God’s presence), it will make the senior pastor’s job easier. Their hearts will be opened to receive the message that God has given to the preacher.If there’s one thing I have learned that senior pastors desire from their worship leaders, outside of Godly character, it’s trust. Trust is everything. With trust, you will normally find an incredible amount of creative freedom and latitude in planning and programming the worship experience. Without it, both the senior pastor and worship leader will be frustrated beyond imagination and it won’t be long until change occurs. And by the way, that change usually involves the worship leader, not the senior pastor.
I’ve worked for three distinctively different types of senior pastors in my life. In fact, I’m not sure each one could be any more different from the other. With that said, to this day, I’m honored to have a wonderful relationship with each of them. I’m sure there were moments when I frustrated them; in fact I know there were. However, in every senior pastor, regardless of their personality, they look for trust. Worship leaders build the trust with the senior pastor by:
Having a teachable spirit.
Demonstrating that you understand the vision and mission of the church.
.Not using the platform or church to promote your own agenda or career
Asking what you can do to better support him/her.
Being loyal through thick and thin.
Showing that you realize there are other departments in the church other than the “worship department.”
Serving with excellence in all that you do.
Being organized, on time, and reliable.
Their relationship with the worship team.
Most worship leaders are probably best at maintaining this relationship, the one with their fellow artists. It’s a lot easier to foster relationships with people who are like-minded. Let’s face it; artists thrive in a creative environment with other artists. We just “get” each other and the rest of the world simply doesn’t understand.However, as a worship leader, it is your responsibility that this team of creative people effectively leads together. Having a “relationship” with the team is more than just building friendships. As the their leader, it means keeping them focused on the task at hand and the purpose of what their responsibilities are. As a worship leader, I must continually point them to Jesus and remind them about what it means to “live a life” of worship off the platform. It is important that I build unity among the team and not allow ego or pride to sneak its way onto the platform. It’s imperative that I address issues of sin on the team and hold them accountable to a Godly lifestyle.
At our church, we unapologetically audition and interview ever potential worship team member. The audition is to confirm whether or not the person is gifted with the ability to play or sing with excellence. However, the interview is purposed to get a glimpse into their heart and thinking. It is our opportunity to identify any concerns that might cause disunity or potential issues once on the team. We look for gifted musicians who have a desire to serve the local church and who believe in our church’s vision and mission. We look for artists who love Jesus and simply desire to honor Him through the gift He’s given them. If you’re a rock star or drama queen, I don’t care how talented you are… we’ll pass. I take the responsibility of protecting the unity of our worship team extremely seriously, because relationships are everything.
Their relationship with the congregation.
Every worship leader has a relationship with the congregation of their church whether they realize or not. Much like the relationship with the senior pastor or senior leadership, it is one filled with either trust or uncertainty. When worship leaders have the faith and confidence of the congregation, they will boldly follow his or her lead. They will learn new songs, they will engage, they will look past mistakes and awkward moments, they will sing, they will lift their hands, they will clap, they will worship because they trust you as a leader. They have an assurance that you will lead them directly to the throne room of Heaven!Isn’t that the whole purpose of being a worship leader? How can we expect people to follow us if there isn’t trust in the relationship? When I hear worship leaders complain about the apathy of their congregations in worship, I often wonder if it is because they’ve lost the confidence or trust of the people.
I believe worship leaders can build and establish a healthy relationship with their congregation. In turn, this will lead to more meaningful and powerful times of corporate worship. When we, as leaders, stop acting like rock stars among the people and get out from our green rooms, it’s a fantastic step in the right direction. If you’re a worship leader, let me ask you this. Does your congregation see you in the service when you’re not on stage leading? Do you ever worship with your people while someone else leads? Are you serving with the body of Christ in times that don’t involve the stage and lights?
One of my favorite things to do after a service is to be in our lobby at church. That’s where the people are. I feel I can be a much better worship leader if I know the people I’m leading. If I know their stories, know their hurts, know their circumstances, know their family situations, and just know their hearts; it makes me better at my job. It makes me better at leading them to the One who can bring peace and hope. It makes it easier to identify songs that will resonate with their souls. It makes it easier for me to look them in their eye as I encourage them to sing to the God of the universe.
Keep looking up,
Pastor Alan Hannah
Pastor Alan is the lead pastor of Allegheny Center Alliance Church. To find out more about ACAC, go here.
