There has always been a lot of debate about which of the two is better - being spontaneous or calculated in worship leading. However, I don't see how you can truly be effective without a little bit of both!
Once the theme has been established (from our liturgical calendar) and the worship planning committee has placed songs and other worship elements in place, I begin planning the worship experience; I do it with my guitar or at a piano. I play through the parts of the songs and transitions to feel the journey that this worship experience is going to take me, my team and my congregation on. I feel the ebbs and flows that come from the peaks and valleys of the music. It allows me to feel where silence may be needed, where prayer may be needed or where a few words of testimony might further drive home the point. All these elements are essential to creating an effective worship experience for your congregation but too often overlooked or over-planned, creating a distraction to worship rather than a bridge from one important element to the next.
To create experiences that lead people to Jesus in an authentic manner, you must be both spontaneous and calculated. You must go through the worship experience yourself and feel the ups and downs, the praises and yearnings. You must be inspired by the Holy Spirit and the songs themselves and allow them to reach people fully. By experiencing the worship on your own, you will know how you can effectively lead it. By being present in the worship experience you will be in tune with the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the needs of the congregation and the abilities of the worship team.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Communicating "the Why"
I think many of us have lost sight of "why we do what we do." That's not something that is boding well for the church. It's a message that was known by the wisest leader God ever appointed, Solomon who said, "Where there is no vision, the people perish..."
I recently watched a seminar on leadership by Simon Sinek (Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action | Video on TED.com) that articulates the importance of casting a vision in leadership. The refrain he repeated throughout this 18 minute talk was, "people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." Now, I'm not selling anything per se. We're asking people to "buy-in" with their spirituality, emotion and commitment though.
Most churches communicate in this direction - we are a church (what); we do things this way (how); so you can go to heaven and evangelize others (why).
Instead, shouldn't we communicate in this order? We want to be a part of God's kingdom and invite others (why); so we do things this way (how) and by the way, we are a church (what). Make sense?
People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
Let's apply this to worship. I've said for a long time, "what you win people with, you win them to" (credit to Andrea Anderson who has also long said this). You can't do worship good enough to give someone a spiritual experience that leads them to Jesus. So why put the focus on that? A great worship service, in and of itself is only a foundation for leading someone to Jesus. The worship experience has to be an authentic expression of that faith.
People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
Here's how I apply this to the worship ministry at my church, New Hope Adventist Church.
People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
It's time to start communicating the "why" for our congregations and let the "why" redefine us. It should define us from top to bottom. It should shape every ministry, initiative and campaign that takes root in our church. If people perish without a vision, then they must thrive where it is present.
I recently watched a seminar on leadership by Simon Sinek (Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action | Video on TED.com) that articulates the importance of casting a vision in leadership. The refrain he repeated throughout this 18 minute talk was, "people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." Now, I'm not selling anything per se. We're asking people to "buy-in" with their spirituality, emotion and commitment though.
Most churches communicate in this direction - we are a church (what); we do things this way (how); so you can go to heaven and evangelize others (why).
Instead, shouldn't we communicate in this order? We want to be a part of God's kingdom and invite others (why); so we do things this way (how) and by the way, we are a church (what). Make sense?
People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
Let's apply this to worship. I've said for a long time, "what you win people with, you win them to" (credit to Andrea Anderson who has also long said this). You can't do worship good enough to give someone a spiritual experience that leads them to Jesus. So why put the focus on that? A great worship service, in and of itself is only a foundation for leading someone to Jesus. The worship experience has to be an authentic expression of that faith.
People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
Here's how I apply this to the worship ministry at my church, New Hope Adventist Church.
We want our congregation and attendees to experience transformational worship and know Jesus. (Why)
We use artistic expressions that people know and love to communicate biblical truth and lead them into a spiritual experience. (How)
We are the worship ministry, which is made up of music, technical arts, dance and first impact. (What)
People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
It's time to start communicating the "why" for our congregations and let the "why" redefine us. It should define us from top to bottom. It should shape every ministry, initiative and campaign that takes root in our church. If people perish without a vision, then they must thrive where it is present.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)