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7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Mediocre Worship Leaders

You could be a beginner worship leader and grow into a skilled music minister. You could be an awesome worship leader and still find room to improve (that’s one of the reasons that makes you awesome in the first place!).

In either case, it’s a pleasure to worship with you.

Then there are the mediocre ones—I’m sure you’ve met them, ‘cos they seem to be around. They are the ones who kill our expectations of an engaging worship session, display almost next-to-nothing levels of creativity and tightly embrace ‘ordinary’ like their closest friend without letting go…ever!

Mediocrity is the result when worship leaders are satisfied with what they already have and have no desire to go deeper.

More often than not, they display these 7 traits—so here’s what you should be avoiding:

The 7 Characteristics of Mediocre Worship Leaders

1. Mediocre worship leaders pray

irregularly. They do not build or maintain a consistent daily personal prayer life. It’s 15 minutes today, 7 minutes tomorrow, zero for the next 2 days, start again next week and so on. Their knowledge of scripture comprises mostly stuff they’ve heard from others. They don’t invest much in personal study of the Word either.

2. Mediocre worship leaders are worshippers

only in public and rarely in private. They only perceive worship as an on-stage activity or ministry and not as a way of life. They are unwilling to pay a price for their calling and generally lack vision. They don’t have a long-term Kingdom perspective too.

3. Mediocre worship leaders strive to be like Jesus

by remaining the same yesterday, today and forever—I mean musically. They know 6 chords and 2 strumming patterns when they begin to lead worship. 10 years later, their skill remains at the same 6 chords and 2 strumming patterns. Consistency is their motto and goal.

4. Mediocre worship leaders love

staying mediocre by somehow believing they are expert worship leaders. In fact they think they are so good that they learn only from themselves! They never recognize a need for training and avoid taking constructive feedback.

5. Mediocre worship leaders are spontaneous

which is why they change or create set-lists while on stage (They have trouble hearing the Holy Spirit outside the stage)—’planning’ and ‘rehearsing’ are absent in their vocabulary. If by some miracle they actually plan beforehand, it happens only at the last minute. They also possess a patent for this ‘work ethic’ called ATSL (As The Spirit Leads).

6. Mediocre worship leaders are highly skilled

in being predictable. They start the 1st song and you can predict the rest of the set-list immediately. Such is their over-use of songs and beating them to death. They are poor in staying updated and remain obsolete in the eyes of everyone but themselves.

7. Mediocre worship leaders are evangelists

of more mediocrity. They enjoy mediocre songs that lack richness or lyrical depth. They sing what people want to sing, not what people need to be singing. Some of them also get into leadership roles and influence genuinely good worship leaders to become like them, thereby ensuring their legacy of the ordinary continues.

“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself” – Arthur Conan Doyle

 

Your turn to share: What are your best tips to infuse excellence in Worship?

4 Comments

  1. Mikael Reale
    March 26, 2017 @ 12:35 pm

    Hello, some truth in that but also a lot lies.
    You make quite a severe judgment on thing and you do not even sign your post ;(
    I have been, according to your posts, a mediocre worship leader on two point. I’m spontaneous and refuse to make list for 20 of the 30 years of leading worship. And after this 30 years, I learn to simplify some of the song I wrote back to “poor melody line and 3 or 4 chords songs” as I realized with experience that most of the people i the church were just unable to flow with when it start to be just to complicated for there skill. I rather lead the people of God in the mountain than go there alone, (or with a couple of musicians) and let the other look at me as such a great musician ! I’m not here for a concert, but to help people to enter in the holy of holies.
    Excuse my broken english, it’s not my first language.
    Mikael REALE (a mediocre french worship leader)

    Reply

    • Worship Blog
      April 17, 2017 @ 11:50 am

      Thank u for your comment Mikael, appreciate your feedback!

      If you are consistently looking to serve your people by using songs that are within their vocal ability, that’s not mediocrity, agreed 🙂

      However, spontaneity is not greater than planning, the Holy Spirit inspires both. When working as a band, prayerfully planning your set lists is always the better option.

      Reply

      • Mikael Reale
        April 17, 2017 @ 12:49 pm

        I guess that the best option is the one that suit you to give your best to the Lord. I prepare myself as a worshiper, some other pray and make list. When we play in a band we spent a lot of time together, practicing but also in fellowship. We learn to flow together in the Spirit. I guess there is no better option but the one that God give you to apply.
        Bless you.
        Mikaël

        Reply

        • Worship Blog
          April 24, 2017 @ 3:06 pm

          A band that regularly meets to rehearse, fellowship and prepare is not a mediocre band by any means Mikael 🙂

          Why don’t you write a guest post here about your band rehearsal/fellowship/flowing in the Spirit experiences? Things like what worked well, what can be improved, tips etc.

          Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Mediocre Worship Leaders

You could be a beginner worship leader and grow into a skilled music minister. You could be an awesome worship leader and still find room to improve (that’s one of the reasons that makes you awesome in the first place!).

In either case, it’s a pleasure to worship with you.

Then there are the mediocre ones—I’m sure you’ve met them, ‘cos they seem to be around. They are the ones who kill our expectations of an engaging worship session, display almost next-to-nothing levels of creativity and tightly embrace ‘ordinary’ like their closest friend without letting go…ever!

Mediocrity is the result when worship leaders are satisfied with what they already have and have no desire to go deeper.

More often than not, they display these 7 traits—so here’s what you should be avoiding:

The 7 Characteristics of Mediocre Worship Leaders

1. Mediocre worship leaders pray

irregularly. They do not build or maintain a consistent daily personal prayer life. It’s 15 minutes today, 7 minutes tomorrow, zero for the next 2 days, start again next week and so on. Their knowledge of scripture comprises mostly stuff they’ve heard from others. They don’t invest much in personal study of the Word either.

2. Mediocre worship leaders are worshippers

only in public and rarely in private. They only perceive worship as an on-stage activity or ministry and not as a way of life. They are unwilling to pay a price for their calling and generally lack vision. They don’t have a long-term Kingdom perspective too.

3. Mediocre worship leaders strive to be like Jesus

by remaining the same yesterday, today and forever—I mean musically. They know 6 chords and 2 strumming patterns when they begin to lead worship. 10 years later, their skill remains at the same 6 chords and 2 strumming patterns. Consistency is their motto and goal.

4. Mediocre worship leaders love

staying mediocre by somehow believing they are expert worship leaders. In fact they think they are so good that they learn only from themselves! They never recognize a need for training and avoid taking constructive feedback.

5. Mediocre worship leaders are spontaneous

which is why they change or create set-lists while on stage (They have trouble hearing the Holy Spirit outside the stage)—’planning’ and ‘rehearsing’ are absent in their vocabulary. If by some miracle they actually plan beforehand, it happens only at the last minute. They also possess a patent for this ‘work ethic’ called ATSL (As The Spirit Leads).

6. Mediocre worship leaders are highly skilled

in being predictable. They start the 1st song and you can predict the rest of the set-list immediately. Such is their over-use of songs and beating them to death. They are poor in staying updated and remain obsolete in the eyes of everyone but themselves.

7. Mediocre worship leaders are evangelists

of more mediocrity. They enjoy mediocre songs that lack richness or lyrical depth. They sing what people want to sing, not what people need to be singing. Some of them also get into leadership roles and influence genuinely good worship leaders to become like them, thereby ensuring their legacy of the ordinary continues.

“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself” – Arthur Conan Doyle

 

Your turn to share: What are your best tips to infuse excellence in Worship?

4 Comments

  1. Mikael Reale
    March 26, 2017 @ 12:35 pm

    Hello, some truth in that but also a lot lies.
    You make quite a severe judgment on thing and you do not even sign your post ;(
    I have been, according to your posts, a mediocre worship leader on two point. I’m spontaneous and refuse to make list for 20 of the 30 years of leading worship. And after this 30 years, I learn to simplify some of the song I wrote back to “poor melody line and 3 or 4 chords songs” as I realized with experience that most of the people i the church were just unable to flow with when it start to be just to complicated for there skill. I rather lead the people of God in the mountain than go there alone, (or with a couple of musicians) and let the other look at me as such a great musician ! I’m not here for a concert, but to help people to enter in the holy of holies.
    Excuse my broken english, it’s not my first language.
    Mikael REALE (a mediocre french worship leader)

    Reply

    • Worship Blog
      April 17, 2017 @ 11:50 am

      Thank u for your comment Mikael, appreciate your feedback!

      If you are consistently looking to serve your people by using songs that are within their vocal ability, that’s not mediocrity, agreed 🙂

      However, spontaneity is not greater than planning, the Holy Spirit inspires both. When working as a band, prayerfully planning your set lists is always the better option.

      Reply

      • Mikael Reale
        April 17, 2017 @ 12:49 pm

        I guess that the best option is the one that suit you to give your best to the Lord. I prepare myself as a worshiper, some other pray and make list. When we play in a band we spent a lot of time together, practicing but also in fellowship. We learn to flow together in the Spirit. I guess there is no better option but the one that God give you to apply.
        Bless you.
        Mikaël

        Reply

        • Worship Blog
          April 24, 2017 @ 3:06 pm

          A band that regularly meets to rehearse, fellowship and prepare is not a mediocre band by any means Mikael 🙂

          Why don’t you write a guest post here about your band rehearsal/fellowship/flowing in the Spirit experiences? Things like what worked well, what can be improved, tips etc.

          Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *