5 Keys For Effective Congregational Support In Worship - Part 1
"You need to know what your specific role looks like, and the freedoms or limitations that come along with that."
How do you cultivate effective congregational support in worship?
Over the next few weeks, we'll be looking at 5 points that are important for us, as church piano players, to keep in mind as we lead the congregation in worship.
In other words, these are 5 important aspects we need to consider if we want to do a good job at leading our congregation in worship. To clarify, when I say 'leading,' that applies even if you are not necessarily the song leader, because even if your role is just playing the piano, you still need to play in a way that helps guide the congregation as they sing.
I'll list the principles now, and then we'll go through them individually. Here goes then…
Know and understand the role you play
Lead by serving and serve by leading
Be sensitive to each song's style and lyrical content
Learn to read the congregation and service leaders
Help to prepare the congregation
Let's focus on number one now...
Know and understand the role you play
Of course this should go without saying, but it really is vital we know what role we are to play, and that we understand the expectations others have of us.
If you haven’t been given the permission to preach mini-sermons in between songs, or share about your favorite ministry just before you start the worship time, then you definitely don’t want to be doing those things!
You need to know what your specific role looks like, and the freedoms or limitations that come along with that. For example, you might be playing the piano alone with no lead vocals, and with no song leader or worship leader. In this case, it's all down to you to provide a very strong musical lead. Or you might play piano with a song leader which means you have less of a responsibility to lead, though you still need to play in such a way that helps the congregation follow along.
Or, maybe you play the piano and lead the vocals yourself, and that might be on your own, with another musician, or as part of a team. whatever your situation is, just make sure you know and understand what is and isn’t expected of you. That way, you can then focus on doing the best job you can, in what you’re supposed to be doing, rather than in what you’re not supposed to be doing.
Understanding your role will allow you to better support the congregation in worship.
Next week, we'll be looking at the next 2 pointers on this subject.
[Return to The Church Piano Player Website]
This blog post was written by pastor and pianist Kris Baines, from The Church Piano Player. Kris lives in the UK with his family, having recently moved back from New Zealand where he worked as a pastor for the past 26 years (also leading worship/worship teams). Kris has also spent over 35 years writing, recording, and performing music and is now bringing all that combined experience together to help equip church piano/keyboard players.
Check out the church piano player website for more information on online courses by Kris Baines.
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