How To Suck Rock Star Dreams Out Of Worship Leading

[This is Beth Parker the extremely talented Music Minister at FBC Middlesboro, KY]

When I was a kid I did not want to grow up and be a music minister.
I didn’t want to stand behind the pulpit and wave my arms back and forth directing the pianist and choir and congregation as we sung Crown Him With Many Crowns. Mr. Beaver did a fantastic job but no thank you.
But what I did want to be was a rock star.
And I didn’t want to have to read music either…
Lo and behold look what happened!
Evangelical church gave thousands of kids their dreams and made up this new staff position called “Worship Leader”.
Now kids across the world can achieve their dreams of rock stardom AND working on church staff.

[This is the amazing band at Granger Community Church at their student camp a few weeks back]

I kid.

Kinda.

I actually connect and LOVE leading worship with fantastic production and bands to rock the crap out of you.
It is my life, what I get paid to do, and I’m really good at it.
But I think there are ways to do this worship leading thing while bouncing any glory you may feel back onto the face of Jesus.
And to be honest, it’s not always easy.

1. If you lead worship for the adults, you also lead worship for the kids.
When kids get second best in churches it fires me up.
The best worship leaders should be leading worship for the 7 year olds and 12 year olds as well as the 27 year olds.

2. The Lobby Is The New Green Room.
I’ve said it before…If the only time the people see you in on stage, then you are a performer, not a minister.

3. Replace Yourself.
Let’s face it. You are not always going to be “IT”.
Thank God. Because you don’t want to see me at 70 trying to dance like I was 30.
The truth is that God has given us gifts and talents to not only use on stage but to pour into the next generation of worship leaders.
There is a 13 year old kid who is gonna be way better than you. Find them. Pour into them. And watch them shine.

4. Be authentic on stage.
If I have had a crappy week, or me and the wife have had a huge fight and it has affected me emotionally, I’m not scared to tell the crowd. I weave it into the transitions when appropriate but it makes me human to them and not perfect rock star worship guy with no problems.

5. BE IN THE WORD.
Let’s face it. When a worship leader reads the Bible you can tell.
There are less stories about their kids and more about Jesus.
And being saturated in the Word of God creates humility and reflects Jesus.
This alone takes the rock star out of Worship Leading.

Talk to me Ragamuffins…
Los

Andrew

i laughed out loud when i read your introduction! i’m a young worship leader (26) and i feel this pull often towards making everything really neat and cool so that it reflects upon my tastes and talent. it’s not wrong for people to look up to you or think you’re a good singer, but it is unholy to want the praise and worship of your congregation for yourself.
Thea Nelson

“If the only time people see you is onstage, then you’re a performer, not a minister.” Seriously important words–especially for people who may inadvertently avoid the very ones they’re called to serve in the name of being introverts. Thanks for this!
http://waynewrz.wordpress.com Wayne W.

Great reminder. Love number 5. So important to have the Word in us so that it can flow through us.
http://www.philiphamrick.com Philip Hamrick

Love this, Los. I think reflecting praise toward Jesus is the only way to stay humble on some of the stages we find ourselves on.
http://benjamino.wordpress.com Ben Abee

Rt on dude. I love reading your blog. This is something I struggle with. Not personally but as a musician, not feeling like jus a performer. I feel like we should definitely all walk as ministers of the Gospel especially in a church. We should also keep each other accountable on the “team” in a loving but honest way. Thnx bro!!
Emily M

Can we agree that the statement: “If the only time the people see you in on stage, then you are a performer, not a minister” applies not just to worship leaders, but to senior pastors as well?
To walk through the lobby of our church and not only see the worship team but the pastoral staff and their spouses out talking with people is one of the most inviting things about our church, I think. When you are a visitor, it speaks volumes about the open, inviting nature of your church on a whole.
http://tackelbox.wordpress.com Keith

This is a constant balance I try to maintain. I grew up wanting to be a rock star, had a band that opened for some national recording artists, shopped the demo & played showcases. Then God got a hold of me.

Then I went through a point of wondering if I would ever be in a band again with the right motives hecause as of the mid 90′s Stryper was not the style to be and honestly CCM was not something that excited me.
I actually posted on my blog back in 09′ a little musical journey I went on here: https://tackelbox.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/bass-playing-the-start-and-finish-to-a-season-of-life/

All that to say 3 years after helping launch the church I am at now with guitar driven modern worship I still constantly try to keep my focus on where it should always be, on Christ. Thanks for your reminders/point of view.
http://www.coastalcommunitychurch.org Wes

I enjoy a lot of your comments here (nothing more important than your one about the necessity of God’s Word). However, I believe you don’t need to let your crappy emotions show through to be authentic. Leading in worship can be our chance to rise above our circumstance and go to the place in our heart that remembers the love Christ has lavished upon us… even if I’ve had a recent argument with my wife. We don’t fake it… we simply remember our attitude is contagious and reflects something deeper than how our day/week is going. It reflects the depth of our security in the value God has placed on our lives through the sacrifice of his Son. Just my half a penny worth of thoughts….
http://jasoncurlee.wordpress.com Jason Curlee

really good stuff in there Los….loved it…great word
Jeff

Number 4. I was once authentic on Facebook after a flub in worship. I completely lost my place during a song and sang the wrong lyrics, then dropped out for a bit. After that I went to Facebook and told my church family I was sorry, but I had been distracted. Earned a trip to my supervisors office and was played a message from the senior pastor that “the young man needs to learn a thing or two about professionalism.” :\

Los

Quit while you can

http://aaronwmusic.wordpress.com Aaron Williams

Love this post Los. “The lobby is the new green room”. I’ll def share that with my team.
Glenn Snyder

great list
I think You forgot the two-fold responsibility as a worship leader.
We’re not only leading, but teaching by example HOW to worship. We don’t want to teach “worship the rockstar” or “you can only worship with electric guitars and tight jeans”

Two fold because some of us are not aware of the bad examples we may be teaching

Glenn Snyder

Whoops… That’s what i get responding from my cell

Glenn Snyder

great list
I think You forgot the two-fold responsibility as a worship leader.
We’re not only leading, but teaching by example HOW to worship. We don’t want to teach “worship the rockstar” or “you can only worship with electric guitars and tight jeans”

Two fold because some of us are not aware of the bad examples we may be teaching others, helping them to become possible false worshipers. AND we’ll be held accountable when we face Jesus for any bad or good leading/teaching we do.

Thanks for bringing up this topic. Many ministry leaders and worship leaders don’t think about the heavenly privilege it is to lead and why its important to fight to keep it pure
Savannah

Leading worship is a dream of mine. I’ve held the rockstar role and its nothing like singing for Jesus. Is the church you lead worship at in Nashville? I am looking for a church around there currently. Thanks!
http://joyfield.org Ian Smith

Replace yourself–wisdom here!
http://www.spiritofthescripture.com Joshua Tilghman

Great advice! One of the first churches I attended was big on worship, and they gave the kids the freedom to express their love for Jesus through rock music, and it drew so many new kids into the church. Some expressed their concerns that it was a bad idea, but these kids really tried to keep everything about Jesus and they handled the glory well by redirecting it off themselves.
http://onceforalldelivered.blogspot.com/ Todd Van Voorst

I found this very insightful. Thank you for putting thought into this and allowing God through the Holy Spirit to grant wisdom as to how best use your gifts and serve the church, not just your rock star dreams (not excluding them either per se, but not making them primary)
Anne Kait

Love getting insight from others thru the blog and all of the comments posted regarding those who’ve been there, are there, or why they don’t want to go there:) Thank you!
Joshua

Thanks for speaking the truth about rocking faces for Jesus to any age. As a guitar player for my youth at my church here in so cal, there is great divide in the main stage worship team and the attention they get to there stage and sound set up versus what we get…the left overs, for the youth team. None the less, I have learned to not be bitter and to enjoy the crap out of singing praises to Jesus with the future generation of out church. Thanks for calling out the great divide
http://www.adamandjenn.blogspot.com Jenn

I volunteered at VBS last week and one of the song’s credits said “Carlos Whittaker”. I wanted to tell someone that I read your blog, but I highly doubt the third graders in my group would have a) known what a blog was and b) cared (no offense). haha
http://matrixlajon.wordpress.com/ Matrix Lajon

Excellent post. Very good points.
http://www.thesaltlick.tv Peter Gowesky

I agree with your post. Good stuff. I wanted to also share with you a post I read this morning about the same stuff from a really talented worship leader @aussiedave. His blog, http://www.morethan20minutes.com, has a great article there today. Check it out, “Worship Leader: Why I’ve stopped listening to you when you talk” http://liquidchurch.typepad.com/more_than_20_minutes/2012/07/worship-leader-why-ive-stopped-listening-to-you-when-you-talk.html
http://athomewithgod.wordpress.com Elaine

Thanks for your comments and points. I’m glad you got to find where worship leader and rock-star intersect.
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How To Suck Rock Star Dreams Out Of Worship Leading

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