Series: Tips for the Worship Band - Part 1: Introduction

Over the next week or 3 (depends on how in-depth each topic gets), we’ll look each element of the worship band (guitar, keys, drums, singers, etc…) and give tips on how to improve your own sound, which will also give the sound guy something better to work with. You’ll get a peek inside the sound guy’s perspective, and hopefully end up with a better understanding of how it all works together. This will be a great series for anyone who is a part of a worship team and behind an instrument, or behind the sound board; we’ll peer into both perspectives. Please don’t just read the topics that pertain to your position, but also read the other topics so that you can better understand what your team members are doing and working with. Especially read the sound guy topics as well, since you’ll be working with that person a lot.

First, let’s talk about why we do what we do…

There are many people who play and sing in a worship team on Sunday morning or otherwise who have motives other than purely bringing worship and glory to God. I dare say that at some point, all of us do. But for many, it’s not just a sometimes thing, it’s an always thing. These people come on Sunday morning for the sole purpose of being seen showing off their pipes and chops. This will be one of the most enraging things you will have to deal with. We won’t go into how to deal with that right now. The point is that there are musicians that happen to be Christians. As a wise friend of mine once said, “Are we musicians that happen to share a common interest in Christianity, or Christians that happen to share a common interest in music?” Thanks for that incredible Proverbs-like wisdom, Shankle. You never thought I would remember that, did you? And there it is as plain as day. No matter what your position in the worship team: Sound guy, guitarist, drummer, even worship leader/minister, etc… your number one goal is to be a follower of Jesus and proclaim His glory. One of your avenues of doing that just happens to be music. If you’re completely sold-out to Christ, then the Holy Spirit will move through the music you make and it will ignite a congregation; even a generation. If you’re there because of music, be sure that the only thing that’s going to be sold-out is the fakeness you emit that Christ and the rest of the worshippers in the congregation will see.
You are upstaging the Focal Point and it shows and could possibly be hindering a revolution that Christ wants to do in the heart of your congregation. For you, and anyone for that matter, I’d recommend a book called “I Am Not, but I Know I Am” by Louie Giglio. It is awesome!


Let’s become worshippers first. Let’s be people who come to church on Sunday to worship an all powerful, totally awesome, all-deserving God who is called “I Am” just because He Is! Let’s be people who sing in our cars for the express purpose of praising that same God. Let’s be people who turn down that opportunity to lead a flashy, heart-pounding, super-vocal gymnasitic-laden show-offy song in exchange for the warmth of humility, humbleness, and the opportunity to say “God I did that for you… I love you… did I do well?”

Do I think we need not play well, play impressive stuff or have cool sounding gear? No. I think the exact opposite. My point is, let’s be Christians who happen to share a common interest in music. Let’s be facilitators of the Holy Spirit to move our congregations. Let’s be worshippers.

As John 3:30 states: “He must become greater; I must become less.” I also like how the New American Standard translation says it: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”