TWLL #38: Becoming More Childlike When You Lead Worship

read time: under 5 minutes

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In recent years I think there’s been an increased reach for musical excellence in worship.  

This is a good thing in some ways, because Scripture itself places an emphasis on excellence, and in a practical sense the more solid the music is, the easier it can be for the room to engage in worship.

But sometimes when you have an emphasis on excellence, a professional attitude or vibe can also slip in. 

It can be subtle, but it shows up when a worship leader and/or team becomes overly focused on the production/execution side of things.  

The general atmosphere becomes a bit more high pressure, because we’re trying so hard to maintain a polished sound/image for the room we're leading.

And yes maybe we’re more solid musically— but maybe we’ve also become more reserved in how we carry our hearts…and maybe we’ve even lost sight of the fact that we’re singing to and for our Abba more than anyone else.

With this in mind, here are a handful of characteristics that I think can steer us away from professionalism, and into a more childlike spirit.

A Sense Of Wonder

Have you noticed how excited a young child gets when they find something they enjoy?  Even something as simple as a balloon or a sticker?

To an adult it might be nothing- but to a child it's new, it's alive, and they’re totally wrapped up in it.

Really it's a sense of wonder, and that sense of wonder is what I'm after when I lead worship. 

I want to approach the same old song and sing it to Jesus with a vitality and freshness that comes from being in awe of Him.

I want to be wrapped up in the power of beholding Him and responding to Him with my worship.

A Sense Of Freedom

Young children don't have a developed sense of awareness, which means they'll say and do things completely unworried of how it might be perceived by others.  

It's a beautiful freedom they carry with them wherever they go.

When I lead worship, yes I don’t want to be unaware of the room I'm leading- but I also don't want to lead worship and hold back because I'm worried about what the room might think.

I want to lead worship freely, unhindered by the fear of how the room might perceive me.  In other words, I want to be real and authentic when I lead worship.

Heart On My Sleeve

Practically, leading worship freely means I want to wear my heart on my sleeve when I sing to Jesus.

If I’m leading a room of 5, 50, or 500 people, I want to offer Jesus the real me.

The genuine passion and emotion that's in my heart for Him- I want that to come out when I lift up my voice.  No reservations, no walls, just an open door to express my love for Him.

Faith Like A Child

When young children believe something, their belief is total.  They 100% believe it.  

Within a young child’s belief is a lack of cynicism or 2nd guessing.  They simply believe, and that settles it for them.

When I lead worship, I want that kind of childlike faith.  I want to fully believe that as I lift my voice and sing to Him, Jesus can and will do what He wants to do.

I want to believe for Him to renew hearts, to strengthen the weak, and to comfort the hurting as we worship.

Conclusion

But what about the “how” in all of this?  The characteristics mentioned might point us in the right direction, but how do we walk it out?

How do we become less professional and more childlike in our lives and in our worship leading?

I think of two things.

One— stare at and study the life of the Man who has the ageless heart of a child.  Jesus is the model, when it comes to being more childlike.

Two— ask Him for help.  Shaping, and re-shaping hearts is what He does.  If you ask Him, He will lead and walk with you on the journey of becoming more childlike.

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Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you: 

1. The Summer Songwriter Zoom Group.  This summer about 12 of us will be meeting once a week for an hour on Zoom, to walk through the process of learning to write songs out of connection with Jesus.  If you're wanting to grow as a songwriter, email me at [email protected] for details on content, cost, and schedule for the group!

2. The Connection-Based Spontaneous Worship Course.  If spontaneous worship has been a struggle, you might want to check out Connection-Based Spontaneous Worship.  It's a self-guided, self-paced course that empowers you to lead spontaneous worship with confidence, enables your musicians to flow with you, and helps your room engage.