5 Common Mistakes For A Worship Night

Through the years I’ve had the privilege of leading dozens of worship events.  I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way.  Here are five mistakes I’ve personally made and some ideas on how to avoid them.  

Your first thought when planning a worship night may be “Well on Sunday I lead 4 songs in a row, I’ve got 75 minutes to fill so I’ll play 15 songs in a row.” Although it’s wonderful and powerful to spend an extended amount of time singing there comes a time when people’s ears and voices need a break.  Consider how and where you can interject different creative elements to add dimension and keep attention.  

Just because it’s a night focused on music and singing doesn’t mean there’s no room for the Word of God.  A short devotional thought or Bible study from you or your Pastor can be a powerful way to bring weight to a song or theme you’re sining about.  It also provided a change of pace. 

It’s difficult for people to stay engaged song after song if they all sound the same.  Consider the style, tempo, and feel of the songs you lead.  Be sure to include a variety of songs.  Old and new.  Celebratory and confessional.  Loud and Soft.  

A Great way to do this is to have a second team lead a few songs.  This could be as simple as the band stepping down and the worship leader leading solo.  Or If you start with a full band you could switch to a smaller acoustic band.  

A common temptation is to put all of the new songs you’re excited about on the Worship Night set list.  Although something new is always fun and fresh, too many new songs can cause a disconnect.  It also means quite a lot of rehearsal time to lead these songs well.  I prefer to include most of the new songs I’ve introduced over the last 3-6 months and 1 or 2 brand new songs.  

It’s easy for a whole night of signing to feel like a disconnect march of songs.  One way to turn this around is to choose a theme for the night.  You could work through different attributes of God.  You could choose a Psalm and walk through the different verses with scripture readings and songs.  You could celebrate the Life, Death, Resurrection and Return of Christ.  There are tons of possibilities.  The key is to have a progression with intentional forward movement.  

Hopefully this article will help you avoid some common mistakes that can keep your worship night from being all that it could be.  We all have missteps but God is eternally gracious.  The truth is that when we gather together for the expressed goal of singing to the Lord and honoring Him God is faithful to make His Presence know and transform lives.  Keep leading with the unique passion and personality God has given you!

I’d love to hear from you. 

What are some mistakes you’ve made in your worship nights?

Are there any elements you’ve found especially effective for a worship night?

Share in the comments below!