5 Ways To Help Build & Maintain Confidence

April 24, 2025•5 min read

"As believers, our confidence is not in ourselves. The great news, is that in any area in which we are serving the Lord, or seeking to be a functioning member of the local church, we can trust that God will give us what we need to get the job done in a way that is pleasing to Him."

How can we build and maintain confidence as church piano players?

In this week's post, I'll give you 5 points on how to cultivate this, so that you can play better and bless your church.

Now when we speak of confidence in our role as church piano players, what we’re talking about is that sense of peace that comes by God’s grace, and through the diligence we apply, knowing that we can carry out our role without constantly second-guessing or wondering if we really should be doing it, and without always feeling not quite up to par for the task.

As believers, our confidence is not in ourselves. The great news is that in any area in which we are serving the Lord, or seeking to be a functioning member of the local church, we can trust that God will give us what we need to get the job done in a way that is pleasing to Him.

The flip side to this, of course, is that God also requires us to exercise diligence and discipline to do all we can to do the best job we can as we serve Him.

This never means that everything will always go perfectly, or look perfect, because so much of the time God has a greater purpose in the journey, than the destination. What do I mean by this? Well, He is more concerned about our sanctification, as we become more like Christ through the ebbs and flows of church life, when it seems to be going well from our perspective and also when it doesn’t, rather than how skilled we become in a certain area.

I say these things because the goal for us as church piano players is not to be the most confident we can be in our role, but rather, the goal is to be growing in Christ-like character as we seek to exercise diligence, in God’s strength, to do the best job we can for His glory.

Also, as we consider this idea of building confidence, I just want to mention my course, 20 Day Church Piano Player, as I have specifically designed it to help you build confidence, competency, and skills through the things you learn and apply, so that you can play better and bless your church.

So in this post, I'm going to highlight 5 ways that will help you to build and maintain confidence if you are diligent to make sure they are always a part of your routine as a church piano player.

So here is the first point...

Cultivate your devotional life

We talked about this a bit in a previous post, but it's always good to be reminded of this foundational principle. Your foundation in life is your relationship with Christ through prayer and the word. Remember, 7 days without prayer and the word makes one weak! This is also how you keep everything else in your life in perspective, a biblical perspective, and it is one of the main ways you gain strength and grace from the Lord to do and be all He has called you to do and be.

Be well-prepared & familiar with your songs

This goes without saying - practice, preparation, and familiarity all contribute towards confidence. So, make sure you know your songs.

Be sensitive to the needs and dynamics of your congregation

Part of being confident is knowing that you are doing what is best for your church and best according to the specific dynamics of your church. This happens when you're serving and being sensitive to what is required and what is consistent with the vision and mission of the church, instead of trying to people-please.

Operate within well communicated & realistic expectations

The more you know what is expected of you, and the more others know what they should and can expect of you, the more confidently you can carry out your role. Also, the more realistic you are in knowing your limits, and managing your time well, the less chance there will be of burning yourself out, or lacking confidence through being simply overwhelmed.

Continue to learn, grow & improve in your role

This is about further development, stretching yourself, learning new skills and reading relevant materials that help you as you seek to play better, so you can be a greater blessing to your church.

So there you have it. Each one of these aspects is an important part of the package in our role as church piano players, and the more consistently these things are practiced and are a part of your life, the more confident you will be in your role.

We can all lack confidence, at different times, for different reasons - but now you know that anytime you find yourself in this place, just remind yourself of these 5 points, and you will be back on your way to being more confident again.

And remember, we are not cultivating confidence in our own ability to do these things well, but rather, a growing confidence in knowing that Christ will use us as He sees best, to bring Him the glory.

[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.