You know the feeling. You head into the 2nd chorus of the song. You finally open your eyes and look at the people you're leading and... all you see are blank stares.
Here are 2 EASY ways to lose your congregation in worship:
1 | Pick song keys that only you can sing in
Consider for a moment if you were leading a hike up a mountain.
You gather the group you're leading at the trail head, give them a brief summary of what you'll be doing, then you say, "follow me!"
You follow the trail and slowly ascend. Then, all of the sudden after two minutes of hiking, you take off at a dead sprint!
You run at breakneck speeds following the trail you've already hiked a time or two before - eyes focused on the blazes along the way - never looking behind you.
When you get to the summit, you turn around and realize... you're all alone!
Your physical conditioning allowed you to reach the summit in record time but, in the process, you lost the group you were supposed to lead!
This happens all the time in worship leading. Your MUSICAL conditioning allows you to achieve what you want to achieve musically in worship but your congregation is not made up of musicians. It's made up of average people.
So, when you max out your musical skill while leading worship, you end up leaving your church behind.
One of the most tangible ways this takes place is in your song keys.
You are a trained musician. You can sing notes people in your church can't sing.
BUT, when you sing a high G, you sprint up the mountain and leave your church in the dust.
2 | Pick songs YOU want to sing
To expand on the hiking analogy, imagine you gather a group at a different mountain.
You're super excited and can't wait for the hike - it's going to be a great day!
The only problem? No one you're leading actually likes hiking - they want to go home, sit on the couch, eat chicken wings, and watch football.
Once again, you make it to the top of the mountain only to realize that you're all alone. Not because you ran too fast this time but because no one wanted to go where you were going.
This happens in worship leading through our song selection.
Pick songs that lead people where they want or need to go.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
5 Tips to Instantly Improve Your Worship Leading
FREE AUDIO TRAINING: Discover 5 simple tips that will instantly improve your worship leading.