The Other "hat" of the worship leader

A challenge issued to my own worship leadership...

Do I look CRAZY?

It’s the thing that pops in your head nearly every time you hit the stage. What are people thinking when they see me up here? Can I be too energetic? Will people think I’m crazy? 

Stage presence is such a huge part of what we do each week. HUGE. Music is really important... I don’t have to tell you that. We spend a lot more time on our rhythm and our sound than we do on our smiles. But don’t ever think it’s not important. Here is a gut check... the congregation, for the most part, will feel inclined to respond with about 60% of the energy that we do. No pressure. 

When you come to the stage, you bring your life with you. The moments that you spend on stage are not separate from the moments that you live in your car, in line at Beans and Cream, and on the phone with your best friend. You are the same person. I believe the difference lies in the message. In our everyday moments our message is sometimes happy, sometimes sad, even angry. We can and will say any number of things in those moments. When we are on stage, however, our message is almost always one of praise.  Singing words of praise to the God of the Universe. Recognizing how we must become less and He must become greater (John 3:30)

When we sing scripture or lift up phrases like “...if this life I lose, I will follow You” we are really saying something! If we are listening to ourselves at all, it will affect us. It will interact with our emotions. It might cause us to smile, it might cause us to lift our hands... and that’s okay. 

We should be comfortable on the platform. We should smile. We should clap our hands (at the appropriate time, on two and four :) We should lift our hands. I think God wants us to be sincere. Reacting. Affected. Moved... as we worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and invite others to do that same. 

Let’s all work on this together. We all know it’s a process that takes time. This is the part worship leadership that we tend to forget about. This is just a gentle reminder. Have fun!

Planning Center Music Stand

This is hands down one of the most efficient tools for worship leaders. Planning Center Online has been my trusted partner for years. This truly takes it to the next level. 

Planning Center Music Stand iPad Walkthrough from Planning Center on Vimeo.

The First 90

What's the first thing you do in your worship service?

That is a question that every church should answer and re-answer as often as you evaluate your program. As people who put on programs weekly and sometimes more often than that, we are quite familiar with the importance of a quality first and last impression aren't we? We know that what we start and finish with earns favor with the listener and has the potential to keep them plugged into a statement until they decide to come back. 

But are we more concerned with keeping a statement or a brand in their mind than we are with their comfort in that service? 

The first 90 is a new element at Mt. Vernon that we have pieced together with hopes that any new guest has all of their "comfort questions" answered before anything else. 

For me, the concept is most effectively displayed in a dinner party. It doesn't always happen there, but any good hostess will welcome you at the door of the home and provide all of the answers that you need to survive until further instructions. 

"Welcome guys! You can place your coats inside the guest bedroom. Just to your right you will find the bathroom  and on your way back, grab a drink out of the cooler! Make yourself at home!"

You know going into it that you can ask all of the questions. You can find something to drink, you can leave your coat in the car. But isn't it just a little bit more comforting knowing the answers?

For us, the first 90 is an opportunity to ensure every week that guests know the answers to the questions they don't want to ask.