If the People Aren’t Engaged, Are You Really Leading?
I was in a church service a few weeks ago, ready to enjoy the corporate worship. The people of that church really love God, but I noticed something odd. Most of the people in the congregation weren’t singing. Let me describe what it was like. The auditorium lights were low, the audio speakers were all in the front of the auditorium with sound coming only from the front, the song lyrics weren’t displayed early enough, and every member of the worship team was occupied in their own worship or musical experience. The congregation was disengaged.
I’ve talked about this before, where the worship leader’s eyes are closed, the musicians are looking at the music, and as a worshiper, you feel like they’re in their own little worship world and you’re not a part of it.
Maybe you’re thinking, well everyone is responsible to worship God individually, and at church we just do it together. Okay, I get that, but we need to understand the fundamental truth that as worship leaders, it’s our job to lead.
That means that you know your music, you’ve memorized the lyrics, you’re engaged in worshiping, but you are primarily leading others in worship. Your eye contact, vocal cues, song lyrics being displayed before the words should be sung, all of that is needed to create an environment where the congregation, whether live or virtual, know that you know what is going to be sung or said that will bless and honor God.
Yes, you are a worshiper, but you are also a leader. So lead.
Lead the band, interpret the flow of what the Holy Spirit wants you to do, look at the people, smile, and be purposeful about your hand gestures and facial expressions. Be engaging. Be present.
Yes, you may feel overwhelmed by your love for God as you lead, but remember, you’re there to provide an opportunity for other believers to express their love for God personally and corporately.
It’s a big responsibility. It means that you need to step up and communicate to the band, to the singers, to the audio-visual team, and to the congregation.
During that service that I attended, I thought about what I would do in that particular situation with the audio restrictions—the sound only coming from the front at mid to low height for the speakers. One of my thoughts was that in a situation like that, you could ask singers (and their families) who aren’t on the stage schedule for that week to sit in the middle and back of the auditorium. They don’t need to sing overly loudly, but if they vocally participate as if they were leading—being sensitive to the flow and direction from the worship leader—they will create a type of live surround sound that will encourage the congregation. People in the congregation will be less self-conscious when they’re singing if they hear some good voices near them. Hearing music from the speakers is good, but hearing live vocals from someone who sings well coming from behind or on the side can be dynamic.
I also know that not everyone knows the words to every song, so sending the words to the screen earlier than when they are needed will avoid any tech delay and help the congregation to know what’s coming next. By the way, the person who is sending those lyrics would definitely like to know if you’ll be singing the bridge, chorus, or verse next. You’ll want to give them a vocal cue or hand gesture. Hopefully they will be watching and listening to you.
If you’re doing online services only, I have some great tips for maintaining engagement in a previous post.
We need to ask ourselves, “Why am I here and doing this ministry?” Obviously it’s to serve the Lord. But what service is it? It’s leadership. It’s servanthood, which means that you are serving both God and the people. So honor God with what you sing and say, and give the people your best attention and direction so they have the opportunity to be engaged. That’s why you’re there.
