D E VOTI O NA L
"I
Thermostats
will come to the level of your expectation." Those were the words I heard the Lord speak to me as I was on the stage, looking out over the crowd during our Sunday worship. This came during a time that the Lord had been dealing with me concerning the role of the worship leader. He was making a shift in me. Recently, however, a hunger started to rise. I had a burden to understand the role of the worship leader in a dramatically new way. During this study, I had been challenging my team's perspective. I told them that they are the thermostats for the service. When one thinks of a thermostat, you think of the object in your home that sets the temperature and atmosphere of your house. I encouraged my team that they are the thermostats of our house [Church]. David said in Psalm 69:9, "Passion for Your house has consumed me." Here’s the thing, the temperature and atmosphere should be set every service by the worship team. Either we can fix it high with expectation and faith or we can just go through the motions and, if not careful, hide behind our setlists. I have found that as worship leaders, we should be the leaders of the service, not the congregation. Let me explain...the atmosphere of faith and expectation should be what we present every time we step onto the platform. 10 W O R S H I P L E A D E R | W O R S H I P L E A D E R .C O M | VO L . 28, N O. 2
Everyone that is on the stage, whether a singer, musician, choir member, or synth player is leading worship. One is the head of the worship ministry. However, we are all also leading worship by the way we sing and with the passion and faith we attach to it. Years ago, when I was traveling with a band, I remember having either great shows or terrible shows. It all hinged on the movement and energy of the crowd. If the crowd was into it, then the show was great! If the crowd was dead, then the show was a bust. We would get off the stage "lick our wounds" in the dressing room and be so bummed because we didn't see the response we wanted. We were so driven by the crowd's passion, energy, and abandonment, that it fueled what we did and how we played on stage. Sadly, I have seen worship teams act the same way. Leading worship is entirely the opposite. The worship team should fuel the service, bring the energy and faith, set the passion, show the abandonment, and lead with an expectation that God can do the impossible. We don't feed off them; we have the honor and privilege of leading them. Major difference. I would love to say that every time I step on the stage, the congregation is ready to worship with arms lifted toward the ceiling. The truth is, people are hurting, dealing with things, and carrying issues into the building. That's why they need us to lead