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3 Things Your Congregation Needs From You

Ever been caught in the middle of an awkward conversation?

You don’t know what to say; you feel trapped. You can’t wait for it to end.

Corporate worship can feel like this sometimes, right?

No, I’m not here to make fun of specific worship leaders. I’m not here to label you as awkward. But I do believe there is too much at stake for us to be a hindrance rather than a help to worship.

Your church doesn’t need you to be a rockstar. They don’t need you to be the best in world. They don’t even need you to impress them. They just need you to create a safe place.

Is Your Leadership Safe?

This last week I finished a fascinating book called This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin. He offers compelling, scientific proof about the power of music and how it affects our brains.

I didn’t read this book to improve my worship leading. I was simply curious about the topic and how it might help me as a teacher. But I couldn’t help but be challenged by a couple of points. I thought this was an incredibly powerful insight into why people trust the artists they love:

“Even when music doesn’t transport us to an emotional place that is transcendent, music can change our mood. We might be understandably reluctant, then, to let down our guard, to drop our emotional defenses, for just anyone. We will do so if the musicians and composer make us feel safe. We want to know that our vulnerability is not going to be exploited.”

Wow. So much to draw from this.

I think pastors and worship leaders need to be reminded how vulnerable worship is. It’s an act of complete self-denial—trusting in Christ as our source. It’s a killer of pride—not caring what other people think. It’s an awkward ritual to stand shoulder to shoulder with a room full of strangers and sing together—weird stuff.

Those of us in leadership can’t forget how awkward this really is for people. Sure, if you were raised in the church or have been a part of it for years, it feels natural. But there are a lot of people attending our churches for whom it is anything but natural.

We need to create a safe place for spectators to grow as worshipers.

Worship requires that we let down our guard and drop our emotional defenses. True worship is coming face to face with reality—face to face with the beauty of God.

But people won’t go to this vulnerable place if they don’t trust the leader—if they don’t feel safe.

Worship leader, let me ask you—is your leadership style safe or awkward? Pastoral or reckless? Face the facts—do you make people feel uncomfortable?

This type of honest gut check may just be what you need to become a better leader. The presence of God may be strong. Your team may sound amazing. But your church may not be engaging because they don’t feel safe doing so. There’s a lack of trust.

Three Things Your Congregation Needs From You

So what does a church need from their worship leader?

1. Realize the vulnerability you’re calling them into—Realize that there are a lot of different people at different points on their faith journey. Just because someone isn’t raising their hands doesn’t mean they’re not engaging. They may be engaging at the level they know how.

2. Be vulnerable yourself—You can’t expect people to abandon themselves in worship if you won’t. Or if you’re distant. Your vulnerability calls out to others, helping them become vulnerable too. This is why an engaged, real, passionate worship team is so important. We can’t lead if we’re not going anywhere.

Daniel Levitin makes a great point in his book:

“One of the reasons that we’re willing to make ourselves vulnerable to our favorite musicians is that they often make themselves vulnerable to us (or they convey vulnerability through their art). The power of art is that it can connect us to one another, and to larger truths about what it means to be alive and what it means to be human.”

3. Make people feel safe—Build trust with the people you lead. You build trust by being relatable, vulnerable and easy to follow. Don’t just perform for people. Don’t over-exhort. Encourage, challenge, shine a spotlight on the cross and get out of the way.

Maybe as you read this blog post about trust and safety you thought about the Chronicles of Narnia. There’s a conversation between Lucy and Mr. Beaver that is one of the most quoted of the entire series. Lucy, here, is inquiring about Aslan after hearing that he is a lion:

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about being safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Of course, following Jesus isn’t always safe. He calls us to take up our cross, to deny ourselves. But as a leader I want to lead people to Jesus, not myself. I want to draw attention to His perfection, not my performance.

Whether by my talent or my lack of it, I don’t want people to miss Jesus. Because when it’s all said and done, that is what every heart needs more than anything.