Worship Signals (Non-Denominational)

You have to laugh at this...

Platform Presence - What We Communicate Non-Verbally

Last fall we introduced this concept of "platform presence" - what we are communicating non-verbally when we are leading others in worship. We've been showing you a series of videos from Gateway Church in Texas, and I've been sending you links to watch our services on livestream. I want to see us grow as lead worshippers - and part of that growth will involve growing in our physical expressiveness.
The truth is, talking about "platform presence" might strike you as overkill, or uncomfortable, or unnecessary. C'mon, we're here to sing and play and call it a day, right? But here's the reality - half of what we communicate is non-verbal. If we were in a studio laying down tracks it wouldn't matter one bit...we could be yawning, slouching, look like we're flatlining. But we're not in a studio - we are out front, visible, and we have the responsibility of modeling what it means to be an engaged worshipper. This includes us instrumentalists as well as the vocalists.
We are always communicating something when it comes to our "platform presence" - nervousness, joy, apathy, intensity, etc. I may think I am communicating joy or engagement, but in reality it may be something else entirely (hence why reviewing video is helpful). Most of us have spent years singing and/or playing, working on our craft, to get to our current state of musical skill. It makes sense to think that it will take some time & work to improve our non-verbal skills. And I believe that the time and energy we invest in this area will pay dividends.
If we desire to worship God in a way that brings Him honor and fame we can't ignore what we are saying with our physical being. I want to do everything to make sure your (our) hearts are shining through. I don't want anyone to look up at us and question whether we are engaged with God. I love seeing our worship team exude authentic passion and joy. It is contagious and invitational.
Below are the Gateway Videos we have shown (most) of the team so far...if you haven't seen one or more of these please take a few minutes to watch them. In the spring we'll be asking you to do some self-evaluation and we'll be basing it on the concepts in these videos.

~Line of Sight



~Body Language & Listening Positions




~Facial Expressions




~Working with Equipment

Scripture and the Life of Worship

So here we are a few weeks into 2012. I'm still having trouble thinking of this year as "2012" - even more so than the usual delay. Wasn't it just 2010?

Anyway, since the new year has dawned, a theme that God keeps bringing to my attention is the need to be in His Word. I will confess that I often struggle to maintain a consistent rhythm of Scripture reading and meditation. There are many excuses (including my own sinful nature), but one thing that I've realized is that for far too long I have approached Scripture reading with more of a sense of duty than delight. Like taking your vitamins. Duty mixed with a fair bit of the "familiarity breeds contempt" syndrome. A toxic combination as it concerns my heart and truly expecting to encounter the living God when opening His Word.

But recently I've been thinking about something I heard from a good friend and former pastor. He said that when we open the Bible we should picture the very breath of God emanating from the pages. I'll admit, when I first heard that I thought, that sounds a little kooky. However, the Apostle Paul does indeed say that Scripture is "God-breathed" (2 Tim. 3:16). He goes on to say that Scripture is "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." Wow, those are all great things that I want to be in on...but in order to be in on them I need to be in the divinely-inspired Word of God. And I need to believe that when I open the Bible I am indeed encountering the Author, not just of Scripture, but of Life.

But beyond that, God wants me to know Him...intimately.

One of my goals this year is to read through the Bible. I want to approach it not just as another thing to check off my list, but with genuine expectation and anticipation. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit would illuminate my mind and enflame my heart as I am reading to want to know Him more.

I want to encourage you to look at Scripture reading ("quiet time", etc.) not as a chore but as a blessing and privilege. To love reading the Bible because it reveals God's plan of redemption, culminating in Jesus, and because God wants to have a personal relationship with us. He has given us His Word as the primary means for us to know Him in this life.

Let's keep each other accountable in this area. If we aspire to lead others in worship, we can't expect to lead them into a place of knowing and loving God unless we've been there ourselves.