Principle #2 -- Mean what you sing and sing what you meanThe biggest hindrance to visitors is not that they encounter something they don't immediately understand; it's encountering something that is not genuine. Mahatma Ghandi, after several years of studying in London, said he would have become a Christian if he had ever met one. Whatever version of Christianity he saw, he didn't see the real thing.
One study concluded that 55% of all communication is nonverbal. The visitor is not just listening to what you say. Consciously or unconsciously, he is intuitively observing how connected you and your group really are with what you espouse. He's looking for emotional and intellectual honesty, depth of conviction, and heartfelt compassion. How we worship reflects these things more than we know.
The discipline for worship leaders and worshipers to learn is to mean what you sing and sing what you mean. This will affect not only what you sing, but how you sing it. Worship leaders, choose songs that are appropriate to your group's experience -- there's no place for meaningless expression. And learn the songs so well that they are literally part of you. Then when you lead, the songs will effortlessly spring out of your hearts.
Also, work on making natural transitions between songs and between the segments of your meetings. It's like taking a tour through various rooms in a house. Brief explanations along the way will help the visitor know that you want him to be part of the tour.
No comments:
Post a Comment