"How to Lead the Worship Team at a Service" Video Transcript

Video Transcript: How to Lead a Worship Team in a Service

Steve Elzinga  

worship leader. We've looked at how you prepare for practice how the worship music director prepares for a practice. How you run a practice. Okay, this is now, Sunday morning if that's when you worship. What do you do? What is the music? What are some good practices for the worship team? Number one, the worship leaders. All those participating in leading the worship service the vocalist the instrumentalists arrive an hour before the service ready to play?

Marie Elzinga  

Yeah, some churches choose two hours or an hour and a half or whatever. But that is something that we've Yeah, we find that an hour works, works pretty well. Every time

Steve Elzinga  

there was more than that, then it's really disruptive for their families and you know, so Okay. Get number two, get the sound check on each mic and instrument,

Marie Elzinga  

right. And that's working in conjunction with the people behind the soundboard where you individually make sure that each instruments, keyboard one at a time you take your turns through the vocals through the instruments to make sure everything's working.

Steve Elzinga  

Right. Go through all the songs the order that you will sing them.

Marie Elzinga  

Yeah, just so that you got it in your head. That's how it's gonna go.

Steve Elzinga  

and at practice, they put the songs in the order. So it should be ready to go

Marie Elzinga  

and be ready to go.

Marie Elzinga  

But sometimes there might Sorry to interrupt, there might be a last minute the pastor might say, yeah, hey, do you mind whatever there has to be the freedom to do that, too. So

Steve Elzinga  

then number four, you work on troubled spots.

Marie Elzinga  

Yeah, this is the last minutes. Okay, we still didn't quite nail that in moving from song three to song four let's go over that a couple of time.

Steve Elzinga  

So you're looking at What? Wrong notes still?

Marie Elzinga  

Yeah, hopefully not but

Steve Elzinga  

transitions mainly,

Marie Elzinga  

or sometimes it's, you weren't supposed to come in there and you need to stop playing so much or whatever. It's just a reminder of the stuff that you've already gone through

Steve Elzinga  

And to be fair to everyone, it's, you know, you had a practice for a couple hours, and then people practice a little bit. And that was just, I mean, it's a lot. I mean, professionals are working on it for months before they do it. And here we just really a few hours, and boom, you got to do it.

Marie Elzinga  

And it's a volunteer group. They mostly have full time jobs and families. And so yeah, we don't always remember everything, it's your chance to get it right.

Steve Elzinga  

Five, one more time through so you know, you've kind of gone through the work on some troubled spots, and then one more time through all of them. And then special numbers can be gone over. I don't know if you'd like to do that before the old group. After

Marie Elzinga  

what depends if the person doing the special number is part of the worship team, then I would probably want to do it right at at the beginning of practice. But again, if somebody is only singing the special number, I don't want to make them sit through the whole practice. So then I tagged them on to the end.

Steve Elzinga  

Then, then I noticed you have prayer with the worship team before the service,

Marie Elzinga  

right? We usually try and huddle together before the service starts to just make sure our minds are in the right place.

Steve Elzinga  

You get the circle, you pray for each other. And for those that are will be worship is not just for your group, but that what you do is used by God the effective you know, the new people that would maybe coming and whether they get something out of the worship service. You pray that the worship team can be used to help people worship God I just said then pray for a humility, right?

Marie Elzinga  

This isn't about us.

Steve Elzinga  

It's hard to remember that. Yeah, and Pray for ability. Yeah. That God would be with everyone's fingers. And you know, and remembering, there's a lot to remember that the downside of contemporary music is it's not written out much, you know, it's not all written out. So people have to actually just remember some of the rhythms and some of the things. Invite God to inhabit the praises of his people, basically. And, and you do that where you do this prayer thing. 

Marie Elzinga  

We usually do it in the back of the auditorium.

Steve Elzinga  

So people coming in can see a little group huddled together. And hopefully that has it affected. 

Marie Elzinga  

Yeah. And we're praying for, we're praying that whatever we're doing up on stage or from behind the board is not a distraction that keeps people from worshiping. You don't want glitches in your sound system. All of a sudden, you don't want the wrong words up on the screen. or late words you want it all flowing smoothly. So people

Steve Elzinga  

yeah, so far. Part of the practice, part of the reason for practicing for the church services is the first time that there may be the AV guy is there, right doing the words while you're doing the song and he sort of, you know, listening and catching up for the first time, maybe two, right?

Marie Elzinga  

And then we're also my singers are watching the screen. Are there any typos? Should the word have been thaw instead of this? It's that sort of thing. You want to make it as comfortable for the worshiper as possible, so there's nothing that they're gonna distressed. Where? Oh, wrong screen, I'm ready to sing this. Yeah. And no, that's not where the band went you want it all synced together?

Steve Elzinga  

Because I don't think I don't think I talked about the AV person, anywhere for right now in this course. And, you know, the AV person, the person who does the PowerPoint, they really have to be on the ball. They have to sort of know the song, because if they're a little late They have to actually be a little early. Yes.

Marie Elzinga  

They always have to be anticipating what's coming next.

Steve Elzinga  

If they're too early, that doesn't work and if they're late, which is would be the tendency. So really they have to be there that are early to practice running through that are probably won't go well, and they have to have a little bit of timing and be quite savvy. People are the singers. No music stands for the singers. Their job is to get the people singing. And they can't do this with their heads looking at the music stand.

Marie Elzinga  

Right? That's very true. The minute you're down, first of all, you're going to be projecting downward rather than out. And it's just, you're not leading.

Steve Elzinga  

So the other thing that you know, when people are looking at a stand, they tend to hold their microphone down too, right. So a lot of, you know, especially new people when they get a microphone and they start hearing their own voice in the monitors. That kind of freaks some people out. So then they pull the mic away so they don't hear it. But then the sound person has to turn them way up. And then you get feedback. And so people have to have that microphone right up up to their hand, right up to their mouth. Okay, so if you don't get a music stand, I mean, what are your options? You have to, you know, memorize your songs. And that's how we started right? I really, we didn't have right now, I guess at our church we have. We have a projector for the congregation and the screen. But we also have a projector on the back wall. So our singers could see the word. 

Marie Elzinga  

And even with that your The hope is that they're glancing at it to know this is the next set of words, but you don't want them glued to that screen the whole time either. You want them connecting.

Steve Elzinga  

But the first couple years we didn't have that back screen. And so People just had to memorize. We didn't have stands. We didn't have a BRAC back screen and you just had to know the song. And that I mean, there's something really good about that.

Marie Elzinga  

Right? Because if you know what that well then you can actually feel free to worship. Yeah. If you're concerned all the time about who I have no idea what the words are. And same thing with instrumentalists. It's better if you know it really, really well. Yeah, but we're talking about singers now.

Steve Elzinga  

Well, when I had Yeah, when I had my when I played the guitar, if there's a song I know I am definitely way more into it. And I can look at people and I'm really a believer then.

Steve Elzinga  

And you're singing more wholeheartedly rather than playing wholeheartedly. Everything.

Steve Elzinga  

Ah, or have a projector shining that words on the back wall, but the singers should only glance at it once a while. That's what you said and that. Yeah, because somebody's just staring like this just above everyone's head. Like, what was he? What is he looking at some big basketball players back are what? The eyes I should be on the congregation. It's like, you know, you're willing people with your eyes 

Marie Elzinga  

to participate. 

Steve Elzinga  

You know, I'm specifically looking at you. You know that if I'm singing this song and I want you to sing, I'm looking at you, I want you to sing that song. So I will look directly at someone and just sing right to them. Afterwards, they'll say, hey, it seemed like you were singing right to me. Yeah, I was. So I want you to sing. Or Baby, you know, you don't have to just stare at the people. Sometimes the words of the song are directed to God and then sometimes you can just lift your eyes up or close your eyes. You don't want to spend your whole time some some people will spend the whole time with their eyes closed and it's really worshipful. But it's also sort of, I'm worshiping in my own little space,

Marie Elzinga  

right and then it cuts you off in the sense of the people around you

Steve Elzinga  

I'm trying to get you to workship. I'm leading you and I'm not leaving you with my eyes closed on, you know, you know, to do it once in a while. I think it's okay. A closed and reverence to God. So that's what we're talking about. Okay, hands. What do you do with your hands folded, Like this? Like this, 

Marie Elzinga  

they probably can't see that.

Steve Elzinga  

Probably not the best, probably not lift it up. You know if it's appropriate, we praise you God, why not? Why not lift your hands and, you know for if you're in a church that isn't that charismatic and people don't lift their hands and sing that much. The tendency for the lead singers or the the people up front is to maybe lift their hands and they're lifting them like this. Just, you know, like this like trying to source rikes hands

Steve Elzinga  

in a little hands that are just gonna Like this, there's a whole video on this. Is there? Yeah, yeah, it's really,

Steve Elzinga  

and, and, but you need to really exaggerate, you're up front and people can't see little hands doing little things. It's got to be bigger. So, you know, look into a mirror and sing a few songs and really get to see how you're presenting,

Marie Elzinga  

because you're modeling the behavior that is acceptable. Yeah. So the more you are free to do worship, the more the congregation will be free to do worship. 

Steve Elzinga  

Ah, not in pockets, 

Marie Elzinga  

not in pockets, because it's just the body language. I'd rather not be here and I'm very uncomfortable and

Steve Elzinga  

yeah, I'm like half, either I'm half hearted or I'm full of fear.

Marie Elzinga  

Yeah, exactly.

Steve Elzinga  

So get get the hands out of the pocket and let them do you know, when we talk to people, we don't sit like wouldn't soldiers. Hey, let's go. Let's go. The park you know, we use our hands to sort of communicate everything that we say. And when we're singing, you know, let your hands do some talking your feet. standing there like this leading the singing is like, you know, it's wrong. Feel and feel free to move your feet a step or two. It's not like you're glued to one little spot. And this is the you know, like people are filming you and you have to be in this spot, you know, wander three, four feet one way or another walk a little bit. Now, don't don't turn your back on people. We had one worship singer who would just kind of turn her back on the congregation and just sort of worship God in their own little space. Again, it's not you're not there just to worship on your own. You're there as a leader.

Marie Elzinga  

Yeah, and her intention was to model that.

Steve Elzinga  

Yeah. But it felt like you know, like she's doing her own thing, somewhere. right

Marie Elzinga  

and then why are you on the stage? right cuz?

Steve Elzinga  

Yeah, now we have people in the back of our church doing their own thing waving banners and more charismatic type people and they just do their own thing. And that's great. Your face, smile, little ones. A lot of times singers just sit there and it doesn't matter what the song is, but their face is just We praise you God, we love you, God, we're just just so joyful to be here this morning. I mean, really, it and and the tendency for the worship team singers is to take their cue from the congregation of the congregation. They got up this morning, they got the kids today, they you know, they got there a little late, they finally sit down and they're like, you know, they might be a little tired. They they're not energized right now. And so when you look at them, they look like they're a little bit dead. And And then it's hard for you to smile when there's an anyone smiling. But you have to be the thermostat. You know, not just a temperature gauge, the temperature gauge just says, This is what the temperature is, and it just reflects what's going on. You want to be the thermostat, you turn it up, and now the heat kicks in. So, smile, where appropriate, express the emotion of the song, let let your face dictate the words and the and the emotion of the music so that people can get into it. You have to get into it, or they will get it

Marie Elzinga  

all right. And I had one of my worship leaders say, you know, I feel like I'm smiling and moving a lot. But then we showed we all just were looking at the video of the service and she's like, I guess I'm not. So it's hard to be aware of exactly what you're doing unless you do analyze it. Yeah, you think you might be thinking you're doing a lot.

Steve Elzinga  

Yeah, yeah. So that's a good idea to we'll talk about that in the evaluation section but people don't are not always aware of what their body is doing. Then your your whole body move at, again, don't stand like a wooden soldier. So that's the singers, instrumentalists. They can have stands because you don't have to memorize all the music. It's pretty complicated. They have a lot more to do than just the words. But they shouldn't look up once in a while. Yeah, I mean, you know, if the instrumentalists are just into the instrument, it just looks like they're not really worshiping, that they're just trying to play something,

Marie Elzinga  

especially if they are one of the main singers who's playing and singing. Yeah, you know, which is more work again, that's another layer but you still have to make that eye contact whenever possible.

Steve Elzinga  

They need to do what they need to do. To play well, but they should not forget that it's worship as well. So, you know, um, you know, they have this tricky part, they need to be a part of, you got to be able to do what you got to do to get that done. You don't want to mess that up. But ultimately, your goal is to worship and not only worship, but to do it in such a way that people know that you're worshiping. I mean, I really, you know, you see a bass player, a lot of times bass players are just gonna stand in there, playing around looking around, but when you see a bass player actually singing the words, even though he doesn't have a microphone, it's like, Yeah, he's he's, he's not just playing. He's got just it's not a gig. Yes. You know,

Marie Elzinga  

and that's your next point. If you can say the word do so. Or if you're not playing for the first verse. 

Steve Elzinga  

Yeah, 

Marie Elzinga  

same. 

Steve Elzinga  

Yeah. 

Marie Elzinga  

By all means

Steve Elzinga  

Right. Don't just stand there like, Well, you know, right now I'm out of this until my party comes in. Gonna do anything? Why not say exactly. So why don't you know when I'm doing a trumpet Park, and the trumpet, little trumpet thing comes in on the second verse, I'm singing the first word. I don't have a microphone, but I'm singing the lead singer, the lead singer is not necessarily the worship leader. So a lot of times it is because the worship leader that or the the music director is a good singer, and likes the sing he is maybe the best singer. And so they keep putting themselves out there, I will lead the sing, I will lead the singing. But the lead singer doesn't necessarily have to be the worship leader, the one putting it all to them. And that's in your case. I mean, you could have a good voice, but you let other be, in fact, people would come to our church and if they, you know, observed our worship, they wouldn't even know that you're the music director. 

Steve Elzinga  

They would think maybe it was somebody else and I think that I mentioned that somewhere else in some other session that if you want to attract good players, the music director can't be the star, right? If you want to be the star, then you'll be the star of your own little tiny band. Because they're really good people will not stick around, right. The lead singer is the focal point for the congregation. So, you know, sometimes you rotate people in but not just anybody. It has to be someone that really can lead you have to you have to get people to sing and the congregation wants to know when to come in. When to be enthusiastic when to be quiet. You know, if I'm leading and I and it's a soft part I will put my hands like that, you know, we're just okay well, it's a different mood right now. Or, you know, I want people to really sing I like I'm directing you it's almost like you're directing the people to in the different moods of the of the signs and the singing. A hear that she should be slightly louder than the other singers right?

Marie Elzinga  

So I communicate that with the people behind the board. This person is the lead singer for today has the melody throughout. There's other people that are backup, or harmonies just so that the people in the back know that and the person up front as well.

Steve Elzinga  

But generally you have the lead singer, the same person for the whole service. Yeah, cuz otherwise it'd be like, Okay, hold on. I thought he was the lead singer. Now this you know, on it,

Marie Elzinga  

right? Which is possible. It's just that you have to have a good sound team, then that's gonna

Steve Elzinga  

Yeah, well, I'm saying from the congregation's point of view they're like, Oh, I mean, you can do it but you have to be very clear about it. The lead singer is the one who is basically helping the congregation know when to come in with a song like now. Okay, troubled spots to look out for in in the worship service. The vocalists are not sure when to come in and as always Come in late, I mean that we've been reiterating that over and over again. But that's a big problem, right? They're not confident and they come in late and then the congregation comes in later than that. Dead Space Between songs. What do you do about that? I mean, you have the song. It's great. We finish it and then now and now someone's putting the chemo on and someone's doing these things, and it's just totally dead and the people are like it you know, in 10 seconds feels like an hour,

Marie Elzinga  

right? It's very quiet.

Steve Elzinga  

Yes, yes. Very quiet.

Marie Elzinga  

Yeah. So I try and have songs we talked about this before that go well flow Well, from one to the other, usually assign whoever it is to introduce them so that you know that's going to happen right away there isn't this huge problem.

Steve Elzinga  

So but people's tendency, even if let's say you have assigned, you know, I want you to read this verse in between these two songs. Why is it that people pause I mean, the song ends and They get the Bible and they haul it out. And they, it's like, it's like people are either ready or,

Marie Elzinga  

or they feel like they have to introduce it somehow. Okay, now I'm going to read to you.

Steve Elzinga  

Yeah, I don't know what it is, but it's like people that are the one, you know, like prayer to, you can have prayer right after this. And the person takes forever to get at it. Right. So I think it's, there must be a natural thing that we just delay and, and we're not ready or, or we feel like, Well, I have to leave some space before I say something. Right. So you're I think it's something you have to really tell people look, the minute this thing ends, boom, you start reading don't wait three seconds, right. Getting the tempo right from one song to the next. So now we're, we're in the actual service, and we just finished one song that's really fast and now we got to do a slow one. How do you figure out.

Marie Elzinga  

Yeah, the musicians, whoever's starting, it kinda has to have that in their brain. And it could be your drummer who's gonna click you when

Steve Elzinga  

you do that for them or I sometimes you counter,

Marie Elzinga  

yeah, I will do the 1-2-3-4 quietly, or I start the intro by myself or the guitarist might just so that people all get that. Okay, new tempo. Yeah. Yeah, that's a tricky thing. 

Steve Elzinga  

Because and then these sometimes adjust as you get going.

Marie Elzinga  

Yeah, usually the default setting is for things to get faster. Yeah. And that's something else that you're always no, no, no.

Marie Elzinga  

Don't keep speeding everything up. And that's where that metronome thing comes in. Got again, and I will do that I will listen to let's say a CD. And I will actually write down the metronome number numbers. So quarter note We're at 130 and then we'll practice it and this is usually practicing but just to see Did I get it right was I close? Was I too fast? Because people do yeah, intuitively know if it's fast or too slow

Steve Elzinga  

I don't remember what they've heard number one church we went to as though Do you

Steve Elzinga  

repent for the water for the soul that you made? It was like what

Marie Elzinga  

right 

Steve Elzinga  

and it was really hard 

Marie Elzinga  

maybe that's just the way they want 

Steve Elzinga  

my guess is they started slow just over five years, faster and fast. So

Marie Elzinga  

as I say, during practice, I will then start myself after that after we've gone through that song, and then punch the click and go no was I pretty close was a little fast, little slow. just help myself get right in that groove.

Steve Elzinga  

Four singers not blending with each other, but competing to be heard.

Marie Elzinga  

Yep, the ego center Then

Steve Elzinga  

well and then then the monitor maybe sounds a little or someone has a louder voice. And then I can't hear my voice

Marie Elzinga  

or the drums or,

Steve Elzinga  

 I mean, does anyone ever say, you know, I think my voice is too long, loud.

Marie Elzinga  

That's really disconcerting to if you're allowed to sing in the monitors.

Steve Elzinga  

But so yeah, now, you know, we're going to talk about that under sound. But you know, that's where we have the in ears where each person has their own sound or they can control themselves and then they can do what they want instrumentalists or vocalist not being able to hear themselves and what? What problems does that cause if you can't hear yourself,

Marie Elzinga  

Well, if you can't hear yourself, you might strain your voice, let's say you just louder and louder and louder and then you can go flat. You can go sharp, you can just get unpleasant,

Steve Elzinga  

you stay off pitch right and as especially instrumentalists. If you can't hear What you're playing,

Marie Elzinga  

right like this keyboard that we're using here has no speakers in it. So I'm totally dependent. I use it in ears, so I can kind of put it whatever level I need it. But we just did a thing out in the park outdoors where I don't have can't use my ears. I'm totally dependent on whatever comes through their monitors for me. And I, yeah, if I can't hear myself, I have no idea. I don't even have the like an acoustic guitar, at least you might be able to hear what you're actually playing just from the sound of the instrument itself. I have nothing.

Steve Elzinga  

Well, in so much. Contemporary Music is dependent on you hearing what you do, right? Whereas the classical thing was, it's written down so you can at least just keep playing. I'm just playing what's written. I don't know what it sounds like. But here, you really, you have to hear it or you can't play at all. So You know, there's probably a lot of other little things that you have to be aware of. It's it you know, it's really just common sense kind of stuff. You know, through it all. Don't forget to just enjoy the worship because you're, you're, you're enabling people to worship, you're leading the worship, but you're also worshiping yourselves. So enjoy the worship time together. And then after that comes evaluation, and we'll talk about that next time.