So last time I was talking about being a scaredy cat when it comes to leading worship. What scares me about it? Well, what have we been talking about. A gifted worship leader has the ability to manipulate the emotions of those he leads in worship. Don’t believe me? It is something you should be aware of. Music is emotional, people respond emotionally to music, a worship leader (or any kind of leader of music) controls what music is played, when it is played, how long the singing time is, how many pieces, how many upbeat or slow pieces and when those are played, and makes on-the-fly decisions based on the crowds reactions. Yes, the leader can look at the crowd, see the emotional effects of the music, and make a decision on how to proceed based on whether or not he wants to continue in that emotion or move on.
Do you feel manipulated yet? You probably have been. And this is what scares me as a worship leader. It is a great responsibility. We live in a generation of manipulators.
16 “How shall I describe this generation? These people are like a group of children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,
17 ‘We played wedding songs, and you weren’t happy, so we played funeral songs, but you weren’t sad.’ Matthew 11:16-17
The world works very hard to manipulate, and Christians can get caught up in it, even by trying to do the right thing.
So am I saying that singing in worship shouldn’t affect peoples emotions? No! Of course it will affect peoples emotions. What I am saying is that as worship leaders we must be aware of that and not take advantage of it. How? How do we properly lead people into worship and allow them to experience the fullness of it emotions included, without manipulating those emotions. How indeed! This is one of the questions that lingers with me. The answer is stewardship.
We already talked some about stewardship. Stewardship of your gift and your ability to guide people emotionally in worship is vital for a worship leader. Where is the line? Is there a line? Pray for discernment. Pray that you will lead as the Lord directs you to. What if I dont’ hear from the Lord while I’m leading? Tough question.
I’m gonna shift gears a little next time and talk about the actual leading part of worship.
