Dear Worship Leaders and Worship Pastors,

The way we lead worship should send the hearts of our congregation on a collision course with the heart of God, and if lives aren’t being changed DURING worship, it’s re-evaluation time.

Good music alone never saved anyone, set anyone free of addiction, restored hope to a dying heart, or healed anyone of cancer. No, only an encounter with a powerful, living God can do that. As a worship leader, we are to lead people into what they were designed to naturally do, glorify the King and encounter the Father of Love.

Our mood or the mood of our congregation should never play a factor in preparation for or the outcome of a worship service. Worship begins with thanksgiving and ends up with declaration, proclamation, and (ultimately) glorification.

“I think worship starts with simple thankfulness. Being thankful for all that God has given us from the smallest to the greatest.” - Brian Johnson

We are not “Musical Emotional Rally-ers” nor are we simply “Hype Builders.” No, if anything, we should be “Bridge Builders,” who are artists at disappearing. The act of true worship is already emotional enough, so it’s vital that we, as worship leaders/pastors, are capable of leading our congregation to focus on HIM and NOT us. We must allow the Holy Spirit to teach us how to bridge the hands, hearts, and minds of the 50-50,000 people we’re leading with the hands, heart, and mind of the Father.

Whether we like to think so or not, it is possible for people to spend all their “emotional” energy on being impressed with our performance (or unimpressed with the lack there of) rather than God.

WARNING! THIS IS REAL TOUGH: Without asking, listen and TAKE NOTE to what your church, your leaders, your band members…etc. are saying about your worship times because it is indicative to the heart and motive behind your focus. (i.e. They will talk more about how good the music is more than they will about having an actual encounter with a real God if your focus is more along the lines of a performing artist.)

[Important to Note: God is MORE about our heart for Him than anything else, but this is NO excuse for lazy, lack of talent! What kind of sacrifice are we bringing?)

The American culture is tired of boring church services, and it doesn’t need another rock-star. Our culture needs men and woman who can put David to shame with how passionate their hearts are to see the Glory of God on earth, and with how skillfully they do so.

God MUST be able to look at us and say, “Now, that’s a man or woman after my own heart.”