{"id":6511,"date":"2011-08-12T17:17:24","date_gmt":"2011-08-12T17:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/?p=6511"},"modified":"2019-07-31T11:07:46","modified_gmt":"2019-07-31T11:07:46","slug":"tongue-tied-worship-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/tongue-tied-worship-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Tongue-tied Worship Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"
Tongue-tied Worship Leaders<\/div>\n
-Guest post by Micah Chollar (Jason\u2019s brother)<\/div>\n
If there were two words I could delete from today\u2019s worship leader vocabulary it would be \u201cjust\u201d and \u201ccontinue\u201d.<\/div>\n
Have you noticed there seems to be a growing trend of worship leaders who are quite gifted musically yet lack the ability to communicate any coherent thoughts through speech? \u00a0This has been a gradual shift from a few decades ago when the worship leader used to be quite eloquent. \u00a0His responsibilities used to comprise selecting hymns, starting off each verse on the right note at the right time (as the accompanying instrument would often slow down and hold the note between verses) and perhaps most importantly, to MC the whole event with verbal segue between songs. (For those too young to remember, just listen to the intro of the DC Talk song \u201cFree at Last\u201d to hear an example.) \u00a0In today\u2019s setting, the new stereotype for a worship leader seems to be that of the artistic instrumentalist who is very comfortable on an instrument, decent enough to sing out a chorus with backing vocalists and marginal at public speaking. \u00a0Whether or not he\/she can say anything intelligent between songs seems to be irrelevant. \u00a0Oftentimes when they do try to say something or offer up a prayer, it seems very deer-in-headlightish with lots of verbal pauses, \u2018ummm\u2019s, \u2018just\u2019s, and \u2018continue\u2019s.<\/div>\n
(e.g. \u201cUmmm.. let\u2019s just.. um.. let\u2019s just really continue to worship God with this next song\u201d)<\/div>\n
Upon discussing this with my wife, she quoted the old adage that it\u2019s better to be thought of as a fool than to open one\u2019s mouth and remove all doubt. \u00a0I agree with her in part, but it saddens me to see that the tub seems to contain neither baby nor bathwater anymore.<\/div>\n
Before I go any further, allow me to confess that I have been the incoherent, deer-in-headlight, \u2018ummm-ing\u2019 worship leader myself. \u00a0A few years ago I recognized it to be an area of weakness and by God\u2019s grace have found helpful ways of improving. \u00a0Here are a few lessons that I have gathered along the way:<\/div>\n
Have something useful to say.<\/div>\n
I believe leading worship is more than just being a musician. \u00a0By speaking you not only welcome people, but you show them who you are and that you mean what you sing. \u00a0People will have a deeper trust and be able to connect with you, with the team, with the music, and \u2013 the ultimate goal \u2013 with God. \u00a0If you have nothing to say at all, you will remain an unknown to people and it will feel shallow. \u00a0Can\u2019t think of anything? \u00a0You\u2019re probably not reading enough or having enough stimulating conversations with godly friends. \u00a0There\u2019s your problem. \u00a0Fix that and you will find yourself having to pick which of several exciting thoughts you really want to share with the church.<\/div>\n
Limit how often you speak, as well as for how long.<\/div>\n
Everybody\u2019s had to sit through the 5 sermonettes in between songs and then sit through the sermon at some point or another. \u00a0Too much of a good thing. \u00a0As a rule of thumb, I usually only speak once to welcome people, once to focus their attention on the content of the worship time (at a strategic point in the music), and once as a prayer at the end. \u00a0In many churches the welcome and the prayer are handled by other people (elders, pastor, etc). \u00a0In those cases, I only speak once for the whole service, so I make sure it counts.<\/div>\n
Prepare your thoughts in advance.<\/div>\n
Just because some people are good at off-the-cuff improv, doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s the best way for everyone. \u00a0Better to have a prepared thought come across as a bit less than spontaneous than to not even prepare and sound like you have no idea what to say. \u00a0With practice delivering prepared ideas, you\u2019ll actually develop the ability to articulate a thought without preparation. \u00a0It\u2019s a bit counter-intuitive, but true nonetheless.<\/div>\n
Practice what you want to say \u2013 out loud, preferably in front of someone you trust.<\/div>\n
You might find that the one cool thought you had isn\u2019t quite as easy to explain as it sounded in your mind. \u00a0Or maybe trying to tell that story about what happened to you during the week would end up really making you sound like a motard, or worse yet \u2013 offend someone. \u00a0(\u201cSo the waitress at Hooters turns to me and says..\u201d)<\/div>\n
In execution, focus on what it is you want to say, not on the fact that EVERYBODY is staring at you.<\/div>\n
They want you to succeed. \u00a0If you\u2019re comfortable up there, they can relax too.<\/div>\n
(I could tell stories to explain each one of these little lessons. \u00a0Some involved me while others are things I have had the misfortune to endure as a pew-warmer.)<\/div>\n
Well delivered, thoughtful words, observations and prayers can make a big difference in a worship experience. \u00a0It\u2019s a part of the craft that often gets overlooked. \u00a0Putting in some effort can yield great results to the budding worship leader.<\/div>\n
Now let\u2019s just continue to lead God\u2019s people in worship that is befitting the King of Glory!<\/div>\n

\"tongue-tied\"<\/a>If there were two words I could delete from today\u2019s worship leader vocabulary it would be \u201cjust\u201d and \u201ccontinue\u201d.<\/p>\n

Have you noticed there seems to be a growing trend of worship leaders who are quite gifted musically yet lack the ability to communicate any coherent thoughts through speech? \u00a0This has been a gradual shift from a few decades ago when the worship leader used to be quite eloquent. \u00a0His responsibilities used to comprise selecting hymns, starting off each verse on the right note at the right time (as the accompanying instrument would often slow down and hold the note between verses) and perhaps most importantly, to MC the whole event with verbal segue between songs. (For those too young to remember, just listen to the intro of the DC Talk song \u201cFree at Last\u201d to hear an example.) \u00a0In today\u2019s setting, the new stereotype for a worship leader seems to be that of the artistic instrumentalist who is very comfortable on an instrument, decent enough to sing out a chorus with backing vocalists and marginal at public speaking. \u00a0Whether or not he\/she can say anything intelligent between songs seems to be irrelevant. \u00a0Oftentimes when they do try to say something or offer up a prayer, it seems very deer-in-headlightish with lots of verbal pauses, \u2018ummm\u2019s, \u2018just\u2019s, and \u2018continue\u2019s.<\/p>\n

(e.g. \u201cUmmm.. let\u2019s just.. um.. let\u2019s just really continue to worship God with this next song\u201d)<\/p>\n

Upon discussing this with my wife, she quoted the old adage that it\u2019s better to be thought of as a fool than to open one\u2019s mouth and remove all doubt. \u00a0I agree with her in part, but it saddens me to see that the tub seems to contain neither baby nor bathwater anymore.<\/p>\n

Before I go any further, allow me to confess that I have been the incoherent, deer-in-headlight, \u2018ummm-ing\u2019 worship leader myself. \u00a0A few years ago I recognized it to be an area of weakness and by God\u2019s grace have found helpful ways of improving. \u00a0Here are a few lessons that I have gathered along the way:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Have something useful to say.
    \n<\/strong>I believe leading worship is more than just being a musician. \u00a0By speaking you not only welcome people, but you show them who you are and that you mean what you sing. \u00a0People will have a deeper trust and be able to connect with you, with the team, with the music, and \u2013 the ultimate goal \u2013 with God. \u00a0If you have nothing to say at all, you will remain an unknown to people and it will feel shallow. \u00a0Can\u2019t think of anything? \u00a0You\u2019re probably not reading enough or having enough stimulating conversations with godly friends. \u00a0There\u2019s your problem. \u00a0Fix that and you will find yourself having to pick which of several exciting thoughts you really want to share with the church.<\/li>\n
  2. Limit how often you speak, as well as for how long.
    \n<\/strong>Everybody\u2019s had to sit through the 5 sermonettes in between songs and then sit through the sermon at some point or another. \u00a0Too much of a good thing. \u00a0As a rule of thumb, I usually only speak once to welcome people, once to focus their attention on the content of the worship time (at a strategic point in the music), and once as a prayer at the end. \u00a0In many churches the welcome and the prayer are handled by other people (elders, pastor, etc). \u00a0In those cases, I only speak once for the whole service, so I make sure it counts.<\/li>\n
  3. Prepare your thoughts in advance.
    \n<\/strong>Just because some people are good at off-the-cuff improv, doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s the best way for everyone. \u00a0Better to have a prepared thought come across as a bit less than spontaneous than to not even prepare and sound like you have no idea what to say. \u00a0With practice delivering prepared ideas, you\u2019ll actually develop the ability to articulate a thought without preparation. \u00a0It\u2019s a bit counter-intuitive, but true nonetheless.<\/li>\n
  4. Practice what you want to say \u2013 out loud, preferably in front of someone you trust.
    \n<\/strong>You might find that the one cool thought you had isn\u2019t quite as easy to explain as it sounded in your mind. \u00a0Or maybe trying to tell that story about what happened to you during the week would end up really making you sound like a motard, or worse yet \u2013 offend someone. \u00a0(\u201cSo the waitress at Hooters turns to me and says..\u201d)<\/li>\n
  5. In execution, focus on what it is you want to say, not on the fact that EVERYBODY is staring at you.
    \n<\/strong>They want you to succeed. \u00a0If you\u2019re comfortable up there, they can relax too.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    (I could tell stories to explain each one of these little lessons. \u00a0Some involved me while others are things I have had the misfortune to endure as a pew-warmer.)<\/p>\n

    Well delivered, thoughtful words, observations and prayers can make a big difference in a worship experience. \u00a0It\u2019s a part of the craft that often gets overlooked. \u00a0Putting in some effort can yield great results to the budding worship leader.<\/p>\n

    Now let\u2019s just continue to lead God\u2019s people in worship that is befitting the King of Glory!<\/p>\n

    Guest post by Micah Chollar that first appear at Cedarhome.org<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Other posts you might like:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Ask the expert – What to say when leading worship<\/p>\n

    What to say when leading worship – What type are you?<\/a><\/p>\n

    So you’re going to be a worship leader?<\/a><\/p>\n

    Instead of leading worship from the front, start alongside your congregation<\/a><\/p>\n

    Top ten do\u2019s and don\u2019ts- Worship leaders<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

    From train wreck to nervous wr<\/a><\/span><\/strong>Let the church lead worship, not worship leaders<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Tongue-tied Worship Leaders -Guest post by Micah Chollar (Jason\u2019s brother) If there were two words I could delete from today\u2019s worship leader vocabulary it would be \u201cjust\u201d and \u201ccontinue\u201d. Have you noticed there seems to be a growing trend of worship leaders who are quite gifted musically yet lack the ability to communicate any coherent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5303,"featured_media":6512,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[98],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTongue-tied Worship Leaders | Musicademy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, nofollow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/tongue-tied-worship-leaders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tongue-tied Worship Leaders | Musicademy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tongue-tied Worship Leaders -Guest post by Micah Chollar (Jason\u2019s brother) If there were two words I could delete from today\u2019s worship leader vocabulary it would be \u201cjust\u201d and \u201ccontinue\u201d. Have you noticed there seems to be a growing trend of worship leaders who are quite gifted musically yet lack the ability to communicate any coherent […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/tongue-tied-worship-leaders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Musicademy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Musicademy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-08-12T17:17:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-07-31T11:07:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/drc0fhsrp02et.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/08123121\/tongue-tied.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"286\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Guest Blogger\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@musicademy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@musicademy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Guest Blogger\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/tongue-tied-worship-leaders\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/tongue-tied-worship-leaders\/\",\"name\":\"Tongue-tied Worship Leaders | Musicademy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-08-12T17:17:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-07-31T11:07:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e11130a6d8cefd1340009119102a557\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/tongue-tied-worship-leaders\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Musicademy\",\"description\":\"Award-winning training resources for church based musicians\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e11130a6d8cefd1340009119102a557\",\"name\":\"Guest Blogger\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.musicademy.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tongue-tied Worship Leaders | Musicademy","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"nofollow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/tongue-tied-worship-leaders\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tongue-tied Worship Leaders | Musicademy","og_description":"Tongue-tied Worship Leaders -Guest post by Micah Chollar (Jason\u2019s brother) If there were two words I could delete from today\u2019s worship leader vocabulary it would be \u201cjust\u201d and \u201ccontinue\u201d. 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