To Speak or Not to Speak?

In my early years of leading worship I thought I had to share a mini-teaching or heartfelt prayer between every song. I’m not sure why I thought that. But when my pastor finally brought it to my attention I realized how annoying it was.

Bob Kauflin // Guest Blog // Week Four: To Speak or Not to Speak – Is That the Question?  

Many worship leaders I’ve talked to have struggled with knowing what to say when leading, when to say it, and whether to say anything at all. Here are four thoughts that have helped me over the years. 1. Know your goal. Worshiping God in song means more than having a musical experience. We can do that at a concert or with our iPod. But a worship leader’s goal is to magnify God’s greatness in people’s hearts, minds, and wills. The person and atoning work of Jesus Christ must become bigger in our eyes and more relevant to our lives. That means I want to do whatever I can to ensure that people are singing with their minds as well as their spirits (1 Cor. 14:15). I want to help them engage with the truths they’re singing. That takes words. Spoken words. Here’s how that looks for me. After the first or second song, I’ll take about 1-2 minutes to biblically, personally, and clearly help people understand why we’re about to sing the next song. I’ll generally pull from a number of possible sources: a point from last week’s message, the focus of a teaching series we’re currently in, a new song I want to introduce, a common temptation or trial, reasons for singing God’s praise, or even a news event (the tragedy in Haiti for instance). My goal is to connect an aspect of what God has done for us in Christ with where people are living. And whatever I say, I want to make sure that it’s based on the unchanging truth of God’s Word, not just my opinion or feelings. 2. Know your context. Taking into account who I’m leading helps me know what to say. I tend to say more in a smaller group where I can read people more easily. In a situation where people aren’t very expressive, I’ll take time to explain how our bodies can glorify God. If people are familiar with the songs and each other, I may say less. 3. Know your limitations. Some worship leaders don’t communicate effectively because they’ve never worked at it. Others just don’t have the gift. Whatever your situation, don’t assume that you’re the one who has to speak. There’s no biblical command that says the person leading the music has to be the one who speaks between songs. Seek your pastor’s counsel on how much you should say or not say. Trust me. He’s probably been waiting for you to ask. 4. Vary what you do. For years, I worked hard at developing an “exhortation” that I would share at some point between songs. Just as I thought I was getting good at it, my senior pastor suggested that we not do the same thing every Sunday. Bummer. I couldn’t depend on my routine anymore. I actually had to listen to the Spirit’s leading. Following the exact same format every week can lead a congregation into lifeless, formulaic, worship. Even if we call it “charismatic.” Try reading a portion of Scripture, praying as a church, having someone share a testimony, or allowing someone else to talk about a song. A Final Thought Some musicians will serve the church better by not saying anything. But don’t assume you’re one of them. Because worship leaders love the glory of the Savior, we want to use whatever means we have – music AND spoken words — to communicate just how great Jesus Christ really is.

My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. (Ps. 145:21)

Bob Kauflin is the director of worship development for Sovereign Grace, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. This involves overseeing its music projects and teaching on congregational worship. He has written the fantastic book ‘Worship Matters,’ which in Tim’s opinion is one of the best books currently written on worship. He and his wife Julie have six children and an ever-growing number of grandchildren. Find out more by checking www.worshipmatters.com