It’s not like God goes anywhere. He’s always present. And yet we don’t always experience his presence.

We must practice and learn the art of entering into the presence of God.

Otherwise how can we lead others there?

As a worship leader, there is (or should be) a reason why you’ve been given the responsibility of leading people.

We are never to be irritated or frustrated that people don’t engage in worship. Instead we should teach them how. That’s why you’re there of course.

Be strategic about using moments throughout a worship service to invite and teach people how they can connect with God.

It needs to be done swiftly and succinctly though rather than long verbal essays.

Context is everything. Leading a small group with an acoustic guitar is different to an epic youth conference.

No need to force anything into being. Gently lead people towards Jesus in the context you are in.

Some of the most powerful moments can be experienced if we can simply fix our eyes on Jesus. Use and embrace the atmosphere you have.

You fumbling over the words is a distraction. You playing the wrong chords is a distraction. You looking grumpy is a distraction. Changing the key of a song in the soundcheck is going to create some potential distractions. And so on.

Leadership begins with preparation. Most of worship leading is actually rather unglamorous. So do the BTS (Behind The Scenes) well.

Don’t feel like you have to rush straight into the next thing. And don’t feel so tied to the schedule that you begin to worship it (instead of God lol).

If you feel the Holy Spirit doing something, go with it. Even if it’s a bit awkward.

Pause. Wait. Listen. Stop.

God is found in the gaps.

Get lost in the moment. Lose yourself in the presence of God. Cast your cares onto him. Don’t simply try to be authentic. Actually love Jesus.

Playing guitar is hard. Singing and playing guitar is even harder. Singing and playing guitar and leading people into worship is still even harder.

If you’re not good enough to do the base layers without thinking (like when you drive a car), your mind is distracted by technicalities and you will struggle to focus on what the Holy Spirit is doing.

Discipline yourself to get better.

Imagine what could happen when every person on team aligns their heart, soul, mind and strength to worship Jesus.

Everybody involved is leading worship, not just those leading songs or visible at the front. God loves unity and alignment. Working hard to encourage the gift of others is the work no one sees but has a huge impact on the future.

Share with a friend using the buttons below. You might also be interested in a Worship Leading Workshop.

Don’t assume you’re not in the wrong. Don’t make the mistake of not properly listening.

And in the moment, definitely don’t make the other person feel like they need to repeat it.

What can you do to learn from this critique? How can you grow as a person?

Make this less about your response to an attack and more about an opportunity to grow.

No one likes to be criticised but we should be grateful for those who are willing to enter the awkwardness it can bring. Assume the best of intentions (even if they’re not there).

Not all critique is fair, good or right. Once we’ve gleaned for the good and practical, we can now consider whether it comes from a helpful place.

Make a mental note for future.

Don’t go and moan to a friend who will always back your perspective. Instead ask a good friend if this was fair and what you could do to use this as a learning opportunity.

If you have genuinely made a mistake then own it. And if there’s something you an do better then admit it.

Note that even if most of the criticism is wrong, you can still acknowledge the bit that is fair.

You can bring a spirit of humility without agreeing to things that are untrue. People will always sense insincerity too so be sure not to over-apologise.

This is a learning opportunity so treat as one. Make changes and then make space for getting future feedback to check your progression.

Criticism is never easy but it’s essential to forming our character. Share with a friend using the buttons below.

It’s important that leaders don’t move too fast. Moving fast gets things done (good) but often at the expense of people (bad).

In other words, not everyone is able to keep up with the pace and so there is a natural drop out.

This is a team game and leaders naturally carry a lot of weight. But if a leader can’t be honest about how they’re handling life then they are set up badly for the future.

You don’t have to be vulnerable with everyone (obviously) and there needs to be a maturity in how we guard our hearts. But it’s important that there are key people on the team who we can share the emotional load of the journey.

The Bible says that a person is tested by being praised. Success is often a double-edged sword for a leader and it’s only natural to slightly relax and rest upon the laurels of the accomplishments of old.

But failure to deal with the seeds of pride will inevitably cut short future success. Don’t let success define you, instead give both the failure and the successes of life over to God.

The more experience you have, the more you start to see the patterns. Leadership always involves a lot of disappointment – it’s part of the job.

But so is dealing with it. If we project our past disappointment onto our future relationships then we end up in a place called cynicism.

Interestingly enough, both thinking of ourselves as better than others is pride and thinking of ourselves as less than others is also pride.

Either way, we are attaching our significance to what we do as opposed to who God is. Comparison stops us from running in our lane but it also kills innovation because we’re always copying someone else.

It’s funny how taking a day of rest can be such a chore to a leader. But God literally places the Sabbath as the fourth commandment – ahead of not murdering people, stealing stuff or committing adultery.

When we break the Sabbath, it’s because we don’t respect our limitations. Which in turn means we show little regard for the boundaries of others.

Friendship takes time which is why many leaders don’t prioritise it. But when the job stops, who’s still with you?

Friendship is one of the great joys of life – people who want to be around you for you being you, not for the influence, favour or opportunities that you can open up for them.

Entitlement starts in the little things and ends in the big things. A leader starts to become entitled when they start to feel resentful about how much they do for others.

It’s the product of creating an image of a super leader – start to actually believe we are superior.

The first step to change is awareness. Send this post to someone who cares about you and start a conversation.

It stops me from being a spectator. Or worse a critic.

It costs me something. That’s what true worship is.

I become accountable to others. Transformation happens in the context of community not isolation.

I can encourage others. My presence will be a blessing.

I experience the presence of God. And it’s different than on my own.

But most importantly, it is an act of obedience. Share this with someone to encourage them to get back to the house of God this weekend.