Worship Leaders – Music Can Get In The Way Of Worship

Here’s a paradox for worship leaders – sometimes, the music gets in the way of worship. Sometimes, the best thing a band can do for the worship experience is to stop what they’re doing – either partially, or completely. In my last two decades as a worship leader, I’ve had the privilege of working with some amazing musicians. They are professional, capable, and have a lot to offer to any moment that something special is needed. And executing a song? They nail it – the pushes, the rises, the falls, the musical elements – like masters.

I also have many peers who are simultaneously worship leaders and producers. They know how to build a song, sonically, from the ground up. They can arrange and paint that same song in many different ways, and can shift styles like most of us change clothes. But the music can get in the way of the worship. A professional musician can miss reading the moment. And worse yet, a worship leader can fall into executing the songs instead of leading the worship. Read More

What ever the style of music that your church uses--contemporary, traditional, blended, those leading worship need to learn the value of silence. The praise band, music group, or organist does not need to fill the empty spaces or gaps in the service with music. There is a place for silence in the service--for a deep, profound silence.