Stepping into the bright stage lights to lead our congregation in worship, I felt the weight of expectations.

Every detail had been rehearsed and coordinated. Yet I couldn’t shake a nagging question: Am I really leading worship or merely performing?

I understand the pressure to create a polished, culturally relevant experience. Above all, however, I want to encounter God’s presence and see others doing the same.

For worship leaders, balancing this tension is a constant challenge. It’s easy to equate success with flawless execution or raised hands, but leading genuine worship requires humility, intention, and a focus on God.

Prioritizing presence over performance requires six paradigm shifts.

1. Servant Hearts

Every church leader should have a humble, servant’s heart — including worship team members.

Worship is about magnifying God, not elevating human beings. Keeping that reality front and center is essential.

To cultivate this mindset, I set aside a portion of our rehearsal time for seeking God and praying for the congregation.

Our worship team also gathers for a time of prayer before each service, asking God to work through us and draw people closer to Him.

Prayer shifts our perspective from performance to presence, reinforcing that our role is revering God and serving His people.

I also encourage my team to circulate and talk with congregants before and after services. This small gesture is a reminder that we’re not above those we lead. We are all part of the same community of worshippers.

2. God Moments

To lead others into God’s presence, worship leaders and team members must first experience His presence.

Because authentic worship flows from a personal connection with God, it’s crucial that team members encounter Him before stepping on the platform.

A worship team that seeks God together is not just preparing for a service but developing a heart for worship.

I encourage team members to reflect on the set list during the week, specifically praying over each song and asking God to prepare them to minister through it.

This personal time with God helps us internalize the lyrics and intercede for the people who will hear the words. In this way, our worship becomes a shared offering to God.

I also encourage personal devotional times throughout the week, reminding team members of the value in spending time alone with God.

When everyone is actively pursuing God on and off the stage, the authenticity of our worship shines through.

Leading by example is the best way to invite the congregation into a genuine, communal experience with God.

3. Scriptural Foundation

A worship team should proclaim and reflect God’s Word.

That means not only choosing song lyrics that are theologically sound, but also including Scripture in team preparations, conversations, and interactions.

I open each rehearsal with a short, focused Bible reading. It might be a passage that connects with a song we’re learning, or a psalm about worship.

Grounding our preparation in Scripture shifts the focus from just practicing music to honoring God. It sets a tone of reverence, reminding each of us why we worship.

I sometimes ask team members to share short devotionals or biblical insights during rehearsals.

These moments are powerful, providing opportunities for engaging with Scripture and ministering to one another.

When each person is interacting with God’s Word, it keeps us connected to His heart.

4. Team Discipleship

Authentic worship isn’t just expressed through music or gestures. It’s seen in life transformation.

The goal of worship should be inspiring a lasting response, not just an immediate one.

For worship to be life shaping, it must be rooted in discipleship, helping team members grow spiritually and model Christlikeness on and off stage.

Building discipleship into our culture might mean encouraging team members to serve together during church outreach events or meeting in small groups throughout the month for prayer, Bible study and community.

Such activities deepen relationships within the team and remind us that worship is a lifestyle, not just an event.

Encouraging discipleship helps team members see their roles as not just musical, but ministerial.

Investing in one another’s spiritual growth creates a team that worships out of a genuine relationship with God.

This example also helps the congregation view worship as more than singing, but a calling to live like Jesus.

Discipleship helps team members and the entire church community learn to worship God with their lives.

5. Yielded Excellence

A desire for excellence can be a double-edged sword.

While offering our best honors God, it’s easy to slip into performance mode, where technical precision overshadows genuine worship.

The pursuit of excellence can be an expression of devotion — but only when the focus remains on God.

We carefully plan our services, while keeping in mind that some of the most powerful worship moments happen when we set aside the agenda and respond to what God is doing in the room.

Even during rehearsals, I encourage team members to make space for spontaneous expressions of worship.

This makes us sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. In these unplanned moments, the team can focus less on flawless execution and more on yielding to God.

I regularly follow up with team members after services to ask about their personal worship experiences.

These reflection times allow us to discuss what felt authentic and where we might have unintentionally performed.

Honest feedback reminds us that musical excellence must serve a higher purpose: leading people into genuine worship experiences.

6. Life Change

The real measure of worship isn’t the number of hands raised, but the life change that is taking place.

While it’s easy to think a great set means people are visibly responding, true worship results in people becoming more like Jesus — a process that continues long after the service ends.

As Matt Boswell says in Doxology and Theology, “Worship is formative. Every time we gather, we are being formed into the image of Christ, or deformed into the image of the world.”

That’s why the goal of worship should be inspiring a lasting response, not just an immediate one.

Throughout the week, I evaluate how the service went by asking myself questions such as these: Did the lyrics point people to God’s truth? Did worshippers connect with Jesus in a personal way? Am I hearing stories or seeing signs of life change?

Checking in with team members and pastors for their perspectives also helps me gauge how the worship is resonating.

Looking for evidence of life transformation keeps the emphasis on moving people closer to God rather than just moving them emotionally.

As worship leaders, our ultimate calling is creating space for people to encounter God’s presence, not just hear a performance.

When we prioritize God’s presence over our performance, we invite the congregation into a worship experience that is both transformative and deeply personal.

Only then does worship become what it was always meant to be: an encounter with the living God, who moves in ways we can’t plan but are privileged to witness.

This article appears in the Winter 2025 issue of Influence magazine.