Question:
Well, I do not know where to start. I am a junior in college, and attend away from home. The last few times I have been at home, at my home church, I have felt a burden by the spirit to work in our church through leading worship.
It is an older church with virtually no youth that attend on Sunday's. Average sunday morning attendance is probably 80 or so, and I think the average age of those attending is about 50 years.
It almost pains me to look around seeing these "Christians" sitting down acting like it hurts them to sing (for the most part) uninspired songs to God.
I would like to see the pew's full of people on their feet with hands in the air praising our God.
I do not know how feasible it is. I can play the guitar somewhat and sing, but I have a few problems.
1. I am kind of shy. I don't like people looking at me.
2. While I have an acoustic guitar, all I know is what I have learned from a couple chord books. While it is functional for me worshipping alone in my room, I am not sure if I have enough skill on the instrument to lead a congregation. I know nothing fancy, just basic chords.
3. I am all there is... There is no option for drum's, a bass, a backup singer, anything. I have never attended a service with just an acoustic guitarist, and do not know how it would sound, or how effective it could be.
4. Church acceptance. The member's of the church are, for lack of a better word, old. While initially I think they would like to see me leading worship, I do not think that they are prepared to do anything but what they are currently doing: sitting down while they sing. I see no worship, and am not sure they even know what it actually is.
There are many things to work through, and I just don't know at this point. I would love some feedback from this seemingly helpful community.
Answer:
Originally Posted by jamesrb It almost pains me to look around seeing these "Christians" sitting down acting like it hurts them to sing (for the most part) uninspired songs to God
I think it's OK to feel pain at this, but at the same time it is not healthy to approach these people with a chip on your shoulder about how they should be worshipping. Make sure that your humility stays intact. In reality, you may not know any more about worshipping than any of them. You're just being called to lead them.
Originally Posted by jamesrb I do not know how feasible it is. I can play the guitar somewhat and sing, but I have a few problems.
1. I am kind of shy. I don't like people looking at me.
2. While I have an acoustic guitar, all I know is what I have learned from a couple chord books. While it is functional for me worshipping alone in my room, I am not sure if I have enough skill on the instrument to lead a congregation. I know nothing fancy, just basic chords.
3. I am all there is... There is no option for drum's, a bass, a backup singer, anything. I have never attended a service with just an acoustic guitarist, and do not know how it would sound, or how effective it could be.
I think you may be a good fit for this group, at least the way God often does things. Check out the stories of Moses, Gideon, or even Paul for more evidence that God often uses our weakness to let His strength shine through. Anything that will help keep an "Am I the only one who knows what's going on here?" attitude from developing is a good thing, and in that case, a lack of flashy, show-stopping talent might just be a good thing in many situations.
Originally Posted by jamesrb 4. Church acceptance. The member's of the church are, for lack of a better word, old. While initially I think they would like to see me leading worship, I do not think that they are prepared to do anything but what they are currently doing: sitting down while they sing. I see no worship, and am not sure they even know what it actually is.
I'd encourage you to be careful here. I, too, am not a big fan of sitting and singing - unless the song is a very reflective one. However, this alone says nothing about the condition of their hearts.
As a teacher (to high school students) and worship leader, I would suggest a few things:
Primarily, engage them where they're at. What I mean by this is, if it's old-folk's hymns that they know, that's what you start singing. Now, sometimes the words (to them) will have grown repetetive and the meaning will be gone, and so you can invite a few members to give quick reflections on a Sunday of what the words of a particular old hymn mean to them. I find that this often helps re-inject the song with meaning for other attenders as well. At any rate, if hymns are their thing, and you take the time to embrace the hymns and sing them with your whole heart, the Spirit may start to use the lyrics to change hearts. And then more and more people may just start singing wholeheartedly (which can be done sitting down, even if you and I find it distasteful).
And then, once you've gained their trust and they know you're not just some young "whipper-snapper" trying to fight against old people, you'll have greater freedom to introduce some songs that have molded your faith (just as the old hymns have helped to mold your congregants' faith). And all will have grown out of the experience, hopefully.
Nate
Answer:
Hey, on the practical end of things, do a couple things if you want to learn to lead with just you and your guitar.
First, learn to play in front of people. Get used to playing, learn how to flow with your mistakes instead of stuttering, just practice practice. It's be terrible at first, but anyone who ever did anything great had an incubation period!
Learn how to create a worship set just off your guitar. Use pick scratches in the place of a snare drum to give the feel of rhythm and punctuation. Learn how to create full sounds. Learn when and how to turn up your intensity. And learn how the congregation responds to your worship leading.
Listen to some one-man singer/songwriter stuff like Jack Johnson, older Dashboard Confessional, some Paul Colman, stuff like that. If give you idea of the sounds you can create just by yourself.
I hope you do great and pursue your burden in a Godly manner!
Answer:
Well, I agree wholeheartedly with what Nate said. As far as leading "older" congregants, you've got to remember that they aren't from the same generation that we are. For us, we love to get excited, stand up, raise our hands, shout out to the Lord, but for them they are likely doing that on the inside as they sit there. Originally Posted by JAMESRB I would like to see the pew's full of people on their feet with hands in the air praising our God. I'm not being pessimistic, but i don't think this will happen unless the church body changes. Just like I don't prefer to worship with boring (read "old hymn style") music they will probably prefer to sit there. And, no offense meant, it doesn't matter what you would like to see. What matters is what God sees in their worship. When worship gives glory to Him, it doesn't matter if they sit or stand.
On a seperate note, as far as only having a guitar and your voice:
I led worship here in Iraq for about 4 months with only my guitar and my voice, services went fine, and the congregation grew. Guitar and voice will carry just about any modern praise or old hymn you can throw at it. We've now got a bass player, a second guitarist, a keyboardist and a drummer that has all grown as an offshoot of the service. While you may start with just yourself, if things are pleasing to God and in His will, they have a habit of growing.
Other than that, just rely on Him. There have been many times when I thought my voice was awful during practice, but as soon as it was time for worship it sounded great. God has a way of using us in our weakness for His glory. The Lord has been faithful in all of my worship undertakings, and He has promised to be faithful to you as well. Best of blessings in your 'mission'!
-joe
Answer:
[quote=jamesrb]It is an older church with virtually no youth that attend on Sunday's. Average sunday morning attendance is probably 80 or so, and I think the average age of those attending is about 50 years.[quote]
First thing you need to do is dump the age bias. The bible shows the old teaching the young not the other way around. Paul discipled Timothy. Moses led Joshua. Elijah taught Elisha. I could go on but I think you get the point. You will not connect with "old people" if you think you are there to lead them. You will do much better being there to serve them.
[quote]It almost pains me to look around seeing these "Christians" sitting down acting like it hurts them to sing (for the most part) uninspired songs to God.
I would like to see the pew's full of people on their feet with hands in the air praising our God.{QUOTE]
I teach at worship conferences a lot. I hear this from young peole all the time. If you are there as a worship leader, then your job is to facilitate worship. If you think you are there to force your idea of what worship should be on people that may not see it that way, then you are not there to serve. As far as uninspired songs go, you really should do yourself a favor and buy some books about the stories behind hymns. You need to be a bit more educated regarding the history of church music. Rather than see this wonderful music as uninspired, learn about it. I doubt you'll still feel that way.
{QUOTE]I do not know how feasible it is. I can play the guitar somewhat and sing, but I have a few problems.
1. I am kind of shy. I don't like people looking at me.
2. While I have an acoustic guitar, all I know is what I have learned from a couple chord books. While it is functional for me worshipping alone in my room, I am not sure if I have enough skill on the instrument to lead a congregation. I know nothing fancy, just basic chords.
3. I am all there is... There is no option for drum's, a bass, a backup singer, anything. I have never attended a service with just an acoustic guitarist, and do not know how it would sound, or how effective it could be.[quote]
I sympathize. If possible, you might take some guitar lessons if you are in a position to do so. Leading worship can be a stretch even for more seasoned players. Most leading is better if it's not too fancy, so I wouldn't stress over that too much. Buy yourself a capo, so you can use open chord forms in different keys. It may open up some new songs to you ina keys that suit your voice.

[quote]4. Church acceptance. The member's of the church are, for lack of a better word, old. While initially I think they would like to see me leading worship, I do not think that they are prepared to do anything but what they are currently doing: sitting down while they sing. I see no worship, and am not sure they even know what it actually is.[quote]
Give me a break. And who are you to know what goes on between them and God? Truthfully, I'm not sure that YOU know what worship is. You seem to think that if they don't respond like your 20 somethings that they don't know how to worship. That tells me that you have a preconceived idea of what worship is, and it applies to everybody. I personally think you need to learn how to respect those people before you have anything to offer them as a worship leader.
There are many things to work through, and I just don't know at this point. I would love some feedback from this seemingly helpful community.
I really think you need to give this some thought. I think it is good that you have a desire to lead worship, but I do believe based on what you have written, that you need to sort out whether you want to serve those people and love them for who they are, or if you see yourself as an enlightened worshipper on a mission to save them from what you see as lame worship. If you are really there to serve them, go for it. If you really think that your style of worship is the only genuine worship, maybe you need to become a little more like them before you can get them to become a little more like you.
Just my 2 cents. Not one word of my reply is intended to be a put down. On the contrary. You asked for opinions, and I'm giving you mine as food for thought. By the way, I'm one of those "old people" over 50, but I was rockin and rollin before you were born, and I still am.
Answer:
Geezerjohn = win.
I think a perfect resource for you, jamesrb, would be this site, but you'd have to have an open mind to be able to utilize it effectively. Besides the fact that it has, objectively, the best collection of resources (lead sheets, vocal melody transcriptions, chord sheets, overhead masters, demo mp3s, etc) for worship on the web, it is also focused primarily on making old hymn texts more accessible to a modern musical style. It would serve as a great way for you to connect with the people of your congregation, and most of the music is simple enough that you could play it on just your guitar (which is certainly not the case if you just picked up a hymnal and attempted to play from it with your guitar). It has some traditional tunes that have been simplified harmonically to make them easier to play, but it also has a bulk of new tunes that are very nice and (for the most part) really easy to learn. I honestly cannot recommend the site highly enough, but, as I said, you'd have to have an open mind and not say something like "BAH! Hymns are for 'old people,' I want to play 'worship music'." Give them a chance and spend some real time checking out what's available at this site.
As far as modern stuff goes, I would recommend Caedmon's Call's "In The Company Of Angels" album / songbook. All of the songs on there are fantastic and nearly all of them would sound great with just an acoustic guitar. If you don't want to buy the songbook, you can probably find most of the chord sheets on this site (i.e. CGR).
In His love,
Nate
Answer:
Originally Posted by jamesrb Well, I do not know where to start. I am a junior in college, and attend away from home. The last few times I have been at home, at my home church, I have felt a burden by the spirit to work in our church through leading worship. That's great that you have a burden to lead worship. Don't forget to keep praying.
It almost pains me to look around seeing these "Christians" sitting down acting like it hurts them to sing (for the most part) uninspired songs to God. Just because they don't close their eyes in worship doesn't mean that they aren't Christians. I lead youth worship and it's sometimes discouraging to see the kids sitting down with their eyes open with a blank stare. Instead of worrying about it, encourage them to worship.
I would like to see the pew's full of people on their feet with hands in the air praising our God. Who wouldn't? But i would rather have the youth (or whoever i am leading in worship) have a true heart of worship. I'm not saying that standing and lifting hands isn't true worship. I would rather the youth have the right heart and see where they need to get right with God. And that will bring about many different positions in worship... closed eyes, standing, lifting hands, kneeling, crying, smiling... there are so many different ways people can show on the outside that they are worshipping on the inside.
I do not know how feasible it is. I can play the guitar somewhat and sing, but I have a few problems.
1. I am kind of shy. I don't like people looking at me. Let me give you a lead worshipper's hint: close your eyes when you play.. when you need to look at your hand to change chords, look at your hand.
2. While I have an acoustic guitar, all I know is what I have learned from a couple chord books. While it is functional for me worshipping alone in my room, I am not sure if I have enough skill on the instrument to lead a congregation. I know nothing fancy, just basic chords. Play along with CDs. I play with CDs all the time. if you ever need songs, PM me or email me. Playing along with CDs will build up your reaction time on switching chords, and it will help your strumming.
3. I am all there is... There is no option for drum's, a bass, a backup singer, anything. I have never attended a service with just an acoustic guitarist, and do not know how it would sound, or how effective it could be. That's ok. I think it's easier to lead worship when it's just yourself because you can play what's comfortable for you to play (i.e., you don't have to change keys for other singers).
4. Church acceptance. The member's of the church are, for lack of a better word, old. While initially I think they would like to see me leading worship, I do not think that they are prepared to do anything but what they are currently doing: sitting down while they sing. I see no worship, and am not sure they even know what it actually is. Introduce new songs, but slow them down a lil bit, or find some older songs that are on CD or tape (email me if you want some names of older worship CDs).
There are many things to work through, and I just don't know at this point. I would love some feedback from this seemingly helpful community. You need to really pray about this. Really pray. Make sure that it is God telling you that He wants you to lead worship and not your own fleshly desire. I'm not saying that haveing a desire is a fleshly thing.. just make sure the desire is of God. Be in the Word and seek Him. Email/PM me if you have any questions.
Answer:
hey. i know what you are going through. i began leading the worship at our church not too long ago. we have a small congregation of about 50-80 depending, you know? anyway, they are made up mostly of older people who act "like it hurts them to sing (for the most part) uninspired songs to God." so, i finally got the courage to get up and lead the worship. it started on wednesday nights with the youth. (we don't have many either) then, my pastor wanted me to start leading in the sanctuary on sundays. i was sooooo scared! i didn't know much about the guitar either except for a few chords i had picked up out of a book. i have learned so much, though, since i started. you'll be amazed at how much you will know in a year if you keep it up. there is stuff that i thought i would never be able to do that i think are so easy now. i know that if God has given you the vision, He'll bring it to pass. He won't let you walk alone! just talkt to your pastor and get up there and get started! let God do the work in you that He is wanting to do. trust me, it's worth it. as for being shy. have some music in front of you, or close your eyes if you know the songs by heart. my friend and companion in leading worship said he never would get up there and sing. now he leads the worship every time he gets a chance...he closes his eyes and "lets God take over". as for the effectiveness of "just and accoustic". VERY effective! i love the sound...it may take a little while to get the people used to it, but they'll come around. i didn't have anyone other than me when i first began, now i have a bass player, and possibly getting some drums soon! God is so good...all you have to do is be obediant. pray about this, you need to remember that this is God's show, not yours. He'll take care of the big stuff, your just His tool! i hope i helped a little. God bless! let us all know how things go!
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I have been a worship pastor for my local congregation for many years now (International Church of the Foursquare Gospel) and there is one very humbling realization I have to alwys remind myself...it not about me. It's also not about the music we sing to on Sunday mornings! Worship is a way of life, a reason we were created. Too many people come to church expecting to be uplifted, blessed, etc. and especially where I live (east-coast tri-state) everyone comes with needs. This is a major problem in the church today...everyone is in need and unable to give.
If there is a 90 year old man sitting in the back of the church sitting quietly, while a 28 year old woman is dancing with flailing banners in the front of the church and falling on her face at the alter, who is to say that they are not both worshiping God with all of their heart? Worship can take on the face of quite surrender, jubliant praise to our Creator, etc. God blesses us when we worship Him, however we should never worship expecting to get anything out of it. It's not about music (and I am a 34-yeard old music lover), it's only about worship and praising our God. A man running the and helping to set up the stage can be worshiping simply because he is doing it unto the Lord.
Always remember that it's not about you, it's not about level of talent, it's not about playing the wrong notes or breaking an e-string without a backup guitar. If God has gifted you with talents and abilities you are to us them for His good work.
I've been playing guitar for 25 years and leading worship for 7, and every time I get up to the mic and begin to play my guitar it is with fear and trembling. Not fear that I will play the wrong note (when that happens I know it just my pride), it's fear that something in me might hinder the flow of God. I ask God to lead praise and worship and I thank him for every talent and gift he has given me, then I pray for an anointing on the congregation (NOT the worship team). I also pray with my worship team to ensure every heart is in the right place. We are up there as vessels to be used and if one vessel wants to stand higher then another then I have to step in (which is NOT easy...especially since my wife is one of the vocals on the team).
If you remember that it's not about you, it's not about the music, it's not about performance, and it's all about lifting up our God and blessing our God, you will have no problems. If your heart is pure it shouldn't matter if someone has a problem with your playing or with a song, God will work on their heart. As long as you follow His Word and examples of worshipers in The Word it shouldn't matter if you chose a hyme or a Chris Tomlin song.
If you are still having problems with getting in front of people, try leading worship for a home group (if you have them) or smaller group sessions first. Also, I have found that closing my eyes while I lead with my guitar and voice helps! Sometime I'll open my eyes after 3 songs and realize that 40 more people have come into the church since I closed them, and everyone is out of their seats praising. If you simply worship God, people will follow!
One other quick note. In our church the senior pastor looks for people's ability and what capacity they are currently working in without being asked...then approaches them about being an elder, teacher, etc. I have found that those who humbly worship God and don't come up to me asking to be on the worship team are "better suited" to be up there.
I always go back to the Matt Redman song "Heart of Worship" and it keeps me in check. Every once-in-a-while I re-read the book he wrote (which would be great for any new or old worship leader). Every worship leader should also read Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life" and the follow up books on each purpose (especially the chapters on worship). Always remember the greatest commandment from God..."love the Lord your God with all your heart"...everything else will flow through that!
Hope it all works out for you!
Scot
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Just to give you a bit of support about getting up alone and trying to lead a mixed congregation...
When our church was just getting started I had a very small worship team. In the beginning there were a few times that I had to go at it alone with just my acoustic guitar and voice and it always worked out. When my drummer left for a 2-year youth-leader training at the Hillsongs school in Aussie-land I was in a jam because she was also my back-up worship leader (I'm in pharmaceutical marketing and sometimes have to travel). It's been a year since she left and I have not found a repacement for her as a back-up leader, however one of our elder's sons had been learning the drums and is now my new drummer (13 years old). I set him up on a Roland electric kit so my sound-guy can adjust him.
Needless to say, if your heart is there to worship and there are a few other people in the church that love to worship, it shouldn't matter even if you're standing up front alone without a guitar. Ask God to lead, and always pray while you'r epicking out your sets!
God bless,
Scot
Answer:
I led first for our midweek group. 20 people average age of 55 or so. me and acoustic. no mic, no amp. Just lots of mistakes, understanding, love and encouragement.
I'm now leading in church wirh a 5 piece band, though for evening service, it's back to 30 people and we do a solo leader slot, with two of us alternating, both with just the acoustic.
Listen to the people as they sing to guide your decision on volume, repitition etc. I like my monitors low enough to hear the people.
If you fluff a chord KEEP STRUMMING!!!!!!! the rhythm is the most important part of the acoustic guitar!!!
Always remember that yopu have an audience of 1 (the big guy) and the people in the church are joining you in worship!!
As to how just an acoustic sounds, take a listen to my soundclick below.....
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Leading worship alone can seem foreign, dangerous, puts-you-on-the-spot, but compared with playing with a worship group, it gives you alot of freedom, because you don't need to focus your mind on music (once you've learned it), so you can focus on worship, and praying the church through while you sing. Also, talk to the church between songs, let them know that God is the only audience, tell them "Don't mind me/Don't focus on me" not so you can feel less nervous, but so they can understand worship better. Shyness, in my case, went away after a couple of worship leading sessions. Just get used to the format, and then get over it. While I want people on their feet, hands raised, I can't make it happen. I can ask them to, I can ask God to change their hearts, but I also have to accept that I have my work cut out for me just making the melody and lyric smooth and easy to follow. The rest is in God's hands.
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If you want to do a song but can't play it, just sing it without music!