HELP!!! I'm Leading Worship For A Camera

Every single worship leader across the globe is facing the exact same challenge in their reality right now.  Over the past 9 weeks, there has been a catastrophic shift in how we lead.  

 One weekend we were leading worship in rooms of people and the next we were leading an empty room with a camera pointed in our face.

 The shift was sudden and abrupt.  Overnight, we leapt from leading a room of people to now leading a living room of people somewhere other than where we are.

 I don’t know about you, but this has been an adjustment.  It’s one I have had many conversations with worship leaders, young and old, about how to navigate.

If you’re struggling in this time, I want to reassure you.
If you’re unsure, I want to encourage you. 
You’re not a bad worship leader. 
This is not an indication that you should quit.

You have simply been trained and equipped to lead in one context and now you’re in a totally new one.  Sure, the room may look the same, but it is worlds apart from actual real people in the room with you.

Since we are all in it together, I wanted to take a few minutes and share some of the things I have found helpful in navigating this new phenomenon.  

 The truth is, we don’t know how long this is going to last.  But one thing I can say with almost near certainty, is that this will forever change how we lead people in worship in the future.  

Let’s learn from it and let it change us for the better. 

Most of my life I have been leading people in worship. Pick the venue - a Sunday, Wednesday, retreat or camp, you’ve probably used the same langue I have to describe it.  I’ve commonly said “I’m leading worship.”   

And though that may be true, it’s maybe part of the reason that we are facing a crisis as worship leaders. 

 You see, we have focused on leading worship and leading songs MORE than we have focused on our role and responsibility of LEADING PEOPLE.

 What we should have been saying and preparing for is not leading worship but to say “I’m leading PEOPLE in worship.”

At the core of your role is this fundamental truth - as a worship leader, we lead PEOPLE, not SONGS. 

The role of a worship leader is actually a fairly new role and title.  In the Bible there is worship.  And in the Bible there are leaders.  But the role of worship leader as we modernly know it, a song leader and worship band is a relatively new phenomenon.  

Which leads me to the reason I wanted to unpack this in the first place. 

 We have now entered yet another new role that is also not spelled out in the Bible.  While there was no mention of worship leaders in the Bible, there most certainly was not mention of digital worship leaders.

So how do we maintain clarity, focus and integrity as we lead worship in front of a camera?

Here’s a few things to remember:

You are still leading people.

You once led people in a room.  Now you’re leading people in a living room. 
So be intentional with the way that you relate to that context.
Regardless of WHERE the people are, you still are leading people. 

We need to get back to the idea that we are leading people.

 I have thrived on the idea of reading and then leading a room. 

But my room of people is now an emotionless video studio with no indication of how things are landing with the people who are taking them in.  

We can no longer rely on EMOTION to dictate how we lead.  We use to focus on “reading a room” - something I’ve spent a ton of time thinking about, talking about and even coaching other worship leaders on.  But now we don’t have a room full of people to use as a gauge. 

 We have to fight the mentality that we are just singing a song.  

More than ever before, we face the realty that being a participant takes a back seat to being a spectator. 

If we are leading people, then when we talk we need to remember we are talking to people.  

You are still you.

I was talking with some worship leaders on our team and there is a real thing we have now called “red light syndrome”.  It’s that moment that the red light turns on above the camera and you know you’re live. It does something to us doesn’t it?

As soon as we tell people “cameras are rolling, this is it,” something changes in the psyche of a worship leader.   

A million different thoughts flash through their mind.  
Where do I look? Am I being expressive enough? Don’t screw up. And on and on the list goes…. 

We have to fight against the red light syndrome. 

We are not a performance for people to watch we are an experience they are invited to participate in.  

God wired you with a unique voice, style and leadership bent.  Just because there’s a camera in front of you, doesn’t mean you’re suppose to change the leader God made you to be.  Apply you to a new context. 

It’s still about You and Jesus. 

There has always been a tension we have managed as worship leaders - how much of the time am I “lost” in the moment vs. staying aware of the people I’m leading. 

For many of us, we have learned to lead worship with our eyes open.  We have developed skills that allow us to connect with people.  People in a room with us. 

But now, one of the best ways we can connect with the people we lead in an online context is now the opposite.  What once was more about “corporate worship” or everyone together, is now shifted to more “personal worship.”  So the more personal you can make the moment is actually more engaging for the people you lead. 

It’s contagious when your heart is in it.  When you’re going through the motions, it feels uncomfortable to everyone who is watching.  Now more than ever, people want what you have more than they want what you’re trying to sell.

You don’t have to be an expert.

No one expects you to be an expert overnight. 

Even thought you may feel like you’re all alone in this, you’re still apart of a team.  

 You have a team that you serve with - it might be your pastor, the camera person and the musicians you lead with.  Remember you’re still under the covering of your local leaders. 

 I would encourage you to have a conversation with your leader or pastor about what you’re working through and feeling. 

Trust the leadership that you serve under. There’s a wrestling match that we all face - how scripted do we stay? How much to we let things breathe?

Asking questions is one of the best ways to learn and grow together in this new season.  

You are also not the only worship leader who is working through these realities and emotions.  

So I would also encourage you to reach out to another worship leader you know and talk about what you’re both learning. 

I hope that we can all learn together and we continue to develop new muscles to lead the people that God has given us influence over. 

So here’s a couple really practical things you can do the next time you lead:

Lead a team huddle before the camera turns on.
Before the countdown hits zero, take a few minutes to remind yourself and your team that you are leading people.   

Imagine a living room. 
Consider how thinking about the people you’ll lead will affect what you say and how you carry yourself. Think about some of the people you know are on the other side of the camera.  Picture them in their living room in your imagination.  

Eliminate disconnecting language.
Consider when someone will take this in.  Eliminate language that is time specific (this morning, tonight) and replace it with non time specific (today). 

Ignore the camera and focus on Jesus. 
While you lead, close your eyes.  
Pursue the heart of Jesus. Lead with authenticity and integrity.

Have a conversation with someone on your team.
While you do, be looking for what you can learn from them.  They’ll probably learn something from you too.

I’m praying for you today. And I’m always in your corner.
MAS