Leading Worship At A Conference

copyright 2009 Geoff Wood Photography http://geoffwoodphotography.com/ @geoffwoodphoto

Leading worship at a conference can feel like being in charge of cooking at an Iron Chef competition. In the back of your head there’s a feeling that you’d like to give a good showing, and the feeling that people expect a good showing. Having attended many conferences, I admit there’s often a prevailing temptation to judge and critique the band and leader, or at the very least crane your neck to see what pedals they’re using. At it’s worst, the time of worship through song can turn into a performance from the band to crossed-arms smirks of Simon Cowells.

Let’s call a spade a spade. Almost everyone there leads ministry, many of those ministries dealing with Sunday morning corporate worship. It’s not only a job, but a calling and a passion, so we would naturally be interested in what’s happening on stage. Due to the community focus of the local church and responsibilities of leading, it’s rare we’re able to visit other churches. Considering these factors, the temptation to watch and brainstorm is understandable. Personally, I’ll allow observation during certain times, usually one unfamiliar song, or during a song that’s so familiar it’s accompanied with a burned-out feeling. Limiting this time allows you to faithfully engage in worship and still satisfy that natural curiosity.

Here are several things to consider when leading worship at a conference:

Jesus Christ Is The Leader, Not You

Worship leaders are not modern-day priests, leading people into the presence of God. This is the work of Christ, who has “entered once for all into the holy places” (Hebrews 9:12). According to Hebrews 9, the atoning blood of Christ has secured our redemption and torn down the wall of the curtain separating us from the presence of God. To lead worship with the thought that it’s on you to conjure up God’s presence or that you have special access to God and it’s good for everyone that you’re there so they can hear from and sing to God is not only arrogant but blasphemous to what Christ has done on our behalf. Read Hebrews and discover what Christ has done and is doing; it will free you from such pressure.

Choose Songs People Will Know

This is a difficult task, especially if you don’t keep up with the latest trends in contemporary worship. You also don’t want to choose mediocre songs just because they are familiar to people. The majority of people at conferences have a church background of some sort, so consider hymns over the contemporary songs. For the Advance Conference, we’re kicking off both sessions with older hymns that are fairly well-known; “How Great Thou Art” and “My Hope Is Built”. We’ve rewritten the arrangements in order to add more melody and groove but kept the familiar aspects of each. Some newer songs are okay, if they are both familiar and excellent. For example, “In Christ Alone” is a monster of a song, and there’s a reason it’s become so popular.

Introduce Original Songs Carefully

Not every church does original music, and oftentimes any new song they introduce has already been purchased from the Christian bookstore by many people in the congregation. Introduce original songs carefully; the last thing you want to do is draw people out of an atmosphere of worship, and launching straight into a new song or over-explaining can have the same effect as a giant record needle scratching. Ask yourself this: why are you doing an original song? Is it so people know you do original music at your church, or are you attempting to further your personal agenda by getting your name out there? Is the song on par with hymns and popular contemporary songs? Is it easily singable beyond the context of your own church? Last year we introduced “Into The Arms” by @ThadCockrell, who led a @V21Church band, and for months after I received emails asking for a recording. This year we’re playing “Holy Is The Name” by V21 band leader Mike Simons, which I think is on par with every other song we’re playing, and I anticipate more emails about this one.

Pray

Good gosh, have you prayed about this? There’s so much planning that goes into leading worship at a conference, much more than the established rhythm of a Sunday service. Prayer is often left to the last minute or disregarded altogether. If Jesus Christ is the leader and facilitator of our worship, and we’re gathering to sing to Him, lift up His name, hear from Him, and confess our sins through Him, why would we not ask Him to lead us? Simply gathering a bunch of Christians who are excited to be at a conference and who like to sing loud to a group of talented musicians does not equate worship. Pray that God would lead and move beyond what you have planned. And pray that He would guide you in planning. Despite all the practical considerations, the best laid-plans are foolish and useless without the leadership and guiding of the Holy Spirit.