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WEEK 7 – When you are a worship leader… you represent your
church on stage and off stage
Want to hear something scary about leading worship? When people see you, they identify
you with your church.
You aren’t just Allen or Phil or Tammy…
You are Allen – that guy who plays bass on the worship team at (INSERT YOUR CHURCH
NAME HERE).
You are Phil – that guy who plays electric guitar on the worship team at (INSERT YOUR
CHURCH NAME HERE).
You are Tammy – that girl who has an awesome voice and sings on Sundays at (INSERT
YOUR CHURCH NAME HERE).
People associate you with your church.
You are viewed as a leader in your church because we are ALL worship leaders.
And leaders represent their organization.
That means that your actions represent your church.
It’s easy to recognize that truth when you are at church on stage leading worship – of
course you represent your church on Sunday mornings.
So, what do you do in response to that truth? Hopefully, you take that representation
seriously and conduct yourself in a manner that you believe represents your church well.
You prepare in advance so that you can lead with excellence.
You recognize the leadership potential you have whether you’re singing lead on a song or
playing keyboard in the background.
You model worship for the people of your church.
It’s easy to remember to do those things when you are ON stage.
But the truth is… you don’t just represent your church when you are ON stage leading
worship.
As a worship leader, you represent your church ON stage and OFF stage.
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Not only do you represent your church while playing your instrument BUT also when
you’re standing in the lobby before and after service.
Not only do you represent your church while singing harmony during your service BUT
also when you’re in the church parking lot putting your kids in their car seats.
Not only do you represent your church while walking back up on stage at the end of your
pastor’s message BUT also when you’re at the grocery story on a Tuesday evening because
you ran out of butter.
You represent your church ON stage and OFF stage.
… and let’s be honest… that’s scary!
That’s a big responsibility.
You aren’t just responsible for representing your church for a few hours on a Sunday
morning but for 168 hours during the week.
Yikes! And you thought you just signed up for a rehearsal and a Sunday morning…
This realization isn’t meant to scare you. Nobody perfectly represents their church or the
(capital C) Church all the time.
Not the people surrounding you right now…
Not your worship team leader…
Not even your pastor!
Thankfully, God extends grace to us over and over again when we fail to represent His
Church to the best of our ability.
But this realization that you represent your church ON stage and OFF stage is meant to
show you the true responsibility you have as a leader in your church.
As much as possible, you should filter your decisions through the lens of “does this
represent my church well?” (… and ultimately “does this represent the (capital C) Church
well?”
That’s an easy filter to use on Sunday mornings when you’re AT church.
But how are you doing throughout the week?
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How are you doing in your preparation for worship? Those moments when you get the
set list for Sunday and have the opportunity to start to practice…
How are you doing at your small group? Those moments where you have the opportunity
to build relationships with the people you’ll be leading on Sunday…
How are you doing at your job on a Wednesday afternoon? Those moments where you
have the chance to speak life into your coworkers…
How are you doing when you go to pick your kids up from school? Those moments where
you get to represent your church to your family…
Those are the moments where it’s hard to remember that you represent your church.
Remember: you have a high calling as a worship leader in your church.
You aren’t just a musician who plays a few songs on Sunday morning.
You are a leader… because we are ALL worship leaders.
And leaders represent their organization ON stage and OFF stage.
QUESTIONS:
1. Does the fact that you represent your church throughout the entire week SCARE
YOU or EXCITE YOU? Why?
2. Let’s be a little bit vulnerable for a second: what’s one way you’ve FAILED to
properly represent your church over these past few weeks?
3. What’s one way you’ve seen another worship team member represent your church
WELL over these past few weeks? Encourage them!
4. What is one way you can better represent your church on Sunday mornings?
5. What is one way you can better represent your church throughout the week?
