Emotions In Worship

Should we encourage our people to be emotive in corporate worship?

Should we be encouraged when our people respond emotively in corporate worship?

Worship flows continually from the inward place of heart and soul. Because we only see the outside, we judge as those who can only use external measurements to determine authentic, genuine worship. Even the ways that we view these external demonstrations of worship have been culturally conditioned. Shaped by the values of our theological stream, our country of origin, the specific local body, and our families of origin. But God sees the heart. God weighs the motives. God is intimately acquainted with the overlooked corners of every individual.

While outward expressions may not be an accurate indicator of true worship, I think it is right and good that the truths we sing and celebrate move us physically and emotionally. I believe that for at least two reasons:

1. God is worthy of our worship - whole-bodied, undignified, self-giving worship.

2. Because our songs and expressions of praise are not just for ourselves, but for our brothers and sisters. When we gather, we sing to God, yes, but we also sing to one another. When I struggle to believe what is true, I am often held up by the borrowed faith of the family of God. When we live in relationship with one another, we know our family's stories, struggles, and joys, and know that these songs emerge from a hard-fought place.

Should we encourage our people to be emotive in worship? Perhaps. But maybe more importantly, we should encourage our people to be selfless in worship - to consider that their response and engagement is not just for them, not just for God, but for one another. That is the real encouragement.

Leading From The Congregation

One of the things I say most frequently to my team: we lead more off of the platform than on the platform.

For me, there are at least three things that I am trying to help my team understand with this language, first, that each member is a worship leader. Whether they are a musician, vocalist, sound person, running lyrics or lights, or the person who has assembled the set list and is leading the congregation verbally - each person is a worship leader. Second, it matters what we do, where we are, and how we are responding after we step off a platform, out from behind our instruments, and the way we engage in the rest of the gathering. And third, that each team member carries the responsibility of worship leader even on weekends where we are not serving on the platform.


Here are some considerations when it comes to leading worship from the congregation:

Presence.

This means after we serve on the platform, we go and sit through the sermon as a member of the congregation. That our presence is visible not just during ‘our part,’ but that we are identifying ourselves, and being identified, as sheep - not just as shepherds. Our presence in the gathering matters not only on the weekends where we serve up front, but also during those weeks where we are not. My personal conviction is that our team should be primarily made up of people who call this specific congregation their home church, and therefore would be attending this home church even if they were not serving on the team. If team members are only present at church on weekends that they are serving, it would beg the question, why?

Posture

As a follower of Jesus, and as a worship leader I want to be fully integrated. I do not want to have a ‘stage-self’ and an ‘off-stage-self.’ If I see myself as a worship leader, as someone who is carrying the culture of the team in a visible role, or among the people, there should be no division in the way that I posture myself, and respond leading up front or in the congregation. If you raise your hands on the platform, raise your hands in the congregation.

Engagement

What we do in subtle and significant ways communicates what we value. If musicians ‘do their job,’ walk off the stage to back stage, a backroom, or a coffee shop - what does that communicate to the congregation? If we are to be leaders - servant leaders specifically - we must model what is important and valuable for our people, by being engaged in the life of the church outside of our role, responsibility, and jobs. Sit in the sermon, pursue new people, be connected to community, listen, learn, grow, and then pour out from a place of being deeply rooted as a member - not just of the worship team - but of your church.

Another way that you as a leader can encourage your team to lead from the congregation, is providing new music that you will be introducing to the entire team - perhaps even elders, and ministry leaders, so that when you introduce a new song, it is not just the musicians serving that particular week that will know the music, but those people who can also lead from the congregation. We have a responsibility to equip and lift the eyes of our team to the significance of their role - not just in it’s forward facing nature, but in ways they can lead and shape the culture from the congregation as well.