AUTHOR’S NOTE: This series on worship leader strategies gives systems and suggestions on how to better organize worship ministries as it pertains to planning, training, and practically leading congregations in musical worship. Like most strategy-oriented discussion in ministry, there are no fix-all solutions, but these strategies are suggestions that should help others organize their ministries to better serve their leaders, volunteers, and general congregations.
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We all know the Sundays (or Wednesdays, or Thursdays, or Saturdays) that we just don’t want to lead worship. We just don’t want to run rehearsal. We just don’t want to minister to others. Pray with them, share encouragement with them, serve them in some way. We just don’t want to. There’s a great church leader where I live (in Omaha) that was the first person I heard say the concept of “faith it ’til you make it.” I have no idea if he thought of that or stole it from someone else, but Ron Dotzler from Abide Omaha was the first person to share it with me.
Ron would go on to say something like this: those hard Sundays where you just aren’t “feeling it” need some sort of remedy. There’s so much pressure as a christian, especially as a church leader, to have it all together. To be extroverted, to be excited, and so much more. The band-aid solution? Fake it. Just pretend that everything is OK. I know plenty of worship leaders who fake it all the time. But what an unhealthy and ultimately unbiblical way to lead our people!
“Faithing” it might look similar to faking it: you still don’t really want to be there, you still don’t want to welcome people, and so on and so forth. The perspective, however, is completely different. Instead of forcing and faking your way through so that you can finish the day and go back to being your “true” self- defeated and grumpy- you actually have faith that God will change your heart and the Holy Spirit will empower you to care and to love and to serve.
For me, sometimes I lead worship at churches that I would rather not be visiting. I might love the people, the staff, or whatever, but maybe I’m missing my home church. Maybe I didn’t want to get up that morning. Maybe I’m not a fan of the denomination. The remedy that I’ve taken is to have faith that God will equip me to do great ministry that not only serves these congregations, but that also softens my heart towards them, their leaders, etc. I have faith that God will not only work through me but also in me. This is what is means to faith it until you make it… or rather until God has “made it” inside of your heart, renewing and restoring you to who He designed you to be.
Did this help you as a worship leader? I’d love your feedback! Feel free to comment below with your thoughts or how you and your church organizes your songs! Have a question you’d like me to tackle for “Worship Leader Strategies”? Comment with those below as well, or shoot me an email!
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Kevin McClure has been leading worship in the local church for over 10 years in different capacities of student and adult ministries. As a songwriter, musical artist, and worship leader he has had the honor of touring the United States both as a performer and worship leader over the better part of the last decade. With a heart to see believers learn how to take the act of worship beyond the setting of a group gathering, Kevin is incredibly intentional with his time on and offstage to help teach the practice of worship as a lifestyle. Kevin lives in Omaha, Nebraska with his bride Hailey and his two daughters, Everleigh (8) and Eliska (2). His favorite food is coffee (lifesource), loves bonfires, and is convinced that Jesus is a Chicago Cubs fan.
Kevin McClure 