When I first started leading worship, the compliments rolled in on a continual basis. After a year of leading worship at the same church, things changed.
I found myself struggling with insecurity because no one seemed to be appreciating what I was doing anymore.
At this point, some may be thinking, "Just suck it up. It is not about you anyways!" Well, you couldn't be more right.
As a worship leader, it is not about receiving compliments or getting recognized. What we are called to do is simply lead people into worship, a face-to-face encounter with Jesus.
However, as it turns out, we are all human and have imperfections. So, my desire is to help you learn how to push past all insecurity.
The truth is, your church hears you all the time. Just like everything else in life, no matter how good you are as a musician, it becomes the norm so there is no longer a need to acknowledge it as being special.
Have you ever noticed the attention a new vocalist will get when they join the team?
This has the potential of causing even more insecurity for those who have been on the team for awhile. But just like everything else, the excitement will die down and they will suffer the same result as you.
People get used to the skill and see it as a normal part of everyday life.
Take a minute to let that soak in. This truth will set you free. No longer do you have to worry as to whether or not the people in your church think you are the best musician.
Simply be who God has called you to be.
You don't have to sound like someone else to be a good musician. You can and should be the one and only you.
Get comfortable in who you are as a musician. Confidence in who you are called to be will enable God to use you to your fullest potential.
As a worship leader, you also have the responsibility of helping your team members overcome insecurity. What are some things you do to lead a confident team?
(Answer in the comments below.)
Two things that this shouldn't stop us doing are:
* We should continue to thank the other members of the band and ensure that they are feeling secure and thanked.
* We should continue to aim for better - if our sound is the same every week, then we are not trying to improve. Learning new skills, adding new sounds, learning new instruments, diversifying - all helps to continue that vibrancy and continual refreshing.
Great post - thank you. I hadn't seen your posts coming up on my feed, but now realise that's because you'd moved to a different URL for posting your blogs. Will try to catch up now!
Thanks for the comment Matt, and great points. I wrote a post awhile ago about making sure your worship team feels appreciated. It is so easy to get stuck on pointing out everything that needs to be 'fixed' while failing to tell them what they are doing right. It takes an effort to continually thank and encourage the band members, but the results are well worth it!
Absolutely. Always thank the band members and let them know when they've improved a skill. Some people might not feel good enough when thwy first join your team.
Very encouraging thanks for your insight!
Thank you! I love reading about your blogs. I am not a worship leader but, I do sing in the worship team . This helps me out but, I always tend to struggle with accepting where I am at in my singing improvements. I have been singing in the worship team for 1 1/2 years now and I feel like I should have it down to be able to lead in a couple of songs on Sunday service but, I usually only can lead in one. I feel like I can't reach the tones the songs are in and still have stage fright. Sometimes I feel like maybe singing is not what God wants me to do. I pray about this things and I am ok for a while but, then they resurface again. Sorry for this long reply if you have any advice I would love to hear it . Thank you so much may God bless you for all you do !
Hey Elizabeth. You can always improve your range by practicing on a regular basis (30 min per day) with songs that go slightly out of your range. This daily practice will also build up stamina for your voice, so you can last through more than one song without struggling.
That being said, I think every singer should focus on sining in a range where they are comfortable. If the song gets too high for too long, then lower the key. Do what you can to expand your range, but in the end, be yourself without hesitation or comparing your voice to others who have a wider range.
One of the best ways to fight insecurity is to have the pastor or elders attend a rehearsal/gathering once a quarter. This 20-30 minutes before rehearsal is spent building up the team, vision casting, discussing scripture and prayer. I have found that hearing praise and encouragement from our pastor builds the moral and confidence of the team. Personally, I meet with my pastor and elders regularly to receive both encouragement and feedback from them
Great tip!
This was a good article! Can you touch on another part of the insecurities? What comes because of the things the congregation will say to you. I thought it was just me, but many other worship leaders express the same thing. Our church members say some thoughtless things to us and about us personally. Who sings better, comments on our clothes, our hairstyles, stage presence. I have had a few speechless moments myself. It weighs on you. 🙁
I can definitely see how this could wear on you, Kimberly. Unfortunately, I can't really think of a way to shut up the opinionated people...so I have learned to ignore them. I used to be a graphic designer - talk about getting negative feedback. It used to really hurt my feelings, then I learned that others are entitled to have their own opinions and that they generally aren't an attack on me as a person.
Build yourself up by continually reminding yourself of who God says you are. Don't let man tear you down.
I tend to have high expectations of our worship band, probably because I expect a lot out of myself. This can have unintended consequences...insecurity for one. If a band member is feeling insecure about something I'm asking them to do I've been known to encourage them to take some risk. However, I give them permission to screw up a little. Obviously that's not the goal or what we're after but it sure takes the pressure off and I find this help with growth in their gift.
I love letting the team know that we are all "in it together" - that's it not at all up to or about me, as the leader. Sure, there are different roles that each one fulfills but at the end of the day: it doesn't matter whether we are on stage, off stage, leading or backing. We are all called to be lovers and worshipers of God - wherever we are.
I have found that if I seek Him in the "secret place", it makes a huge difference in the "public place." We can work hard at improving technical skills - and we should! King David believed firmly in playing and singing with excellence but without the anointing, it will fall flat.
As a team, I want us to be encouraged to work hard at sounding great, but even more important: is spending time with God and finding out who He says we are, being affirmed by Him. The more we behold Him, the more we become like Him. <3
Love this!