Thoughts on Worship and Worship Leaders

Over the past 3 years I've visited about 50 new churches around the Washington Baltimore area. These are observations I've had:
1. Across the board I've felt that the worship leaders and bands have done a good job with the music. They sound good which inspires the people. I have been encouraged.

2. I have felt that the A/V quality in most churches has been very good in spite of the challenges that many portable churches experience.

3. Most worship leaders have learned to lead the music well. Unfortunately they have not been trained to lead the people well. The result often means there is a good performance from the front and most of the people in the congregation just stand there and do not sing. At one church I had a hard time finding anyone singing.

4. When a worship leader does not express a personality from up front he/she does not draw the people into the worship or endear the people to the leader. In so many evangelical churches we have swung the pendulum so far that the worship leader does not connect with the people at all.

5. Most worship leaders are tenors or baritones. Most men are bass singers, especially on a Sunday morning when then are still draggy from sleeping in. The result is that most songs are sung in a higher key than I can sing. So I drop a register or keep skipping bank and forth between registers. Or I don't sing. One church was led by a lady who is a low alto. They had the opposite problem. The singing was so low that it created a hushed sound as apposed to a positive energetic sound. Then I visited a church with both. One song was sung in to high a key and the next song was sung in too low a key. LOL

You may think I am being too picky here. But paying attention to the key that a song is sung in does affect how well the people enter into the worship experience.

We have Accelerate coaching networks for senior leaders. Now several worship leaders are expressing an interest in starting a coaching network for them to connect with and encourage each other. I am praying and looking for an experienced worship leader to facilitate and coach a group.

If you are interested in an Accelerate coaching network for worship leaders let me know.