Here is when the truth hit home for one worship leader:
As a freshman at a Christian university, I spent the majority of that first year “church shopping.” I quickly became enamored with one of the church communities near my university campus; its seeker-sensitive approach, flashy light shows and blaring music created an exciting change of pace for a straight-laced pastor’s kid. The worship leader this particular morning nailed the Christian rock-star image: good looks, styled hair, faded jeans and an expensive acoustic guitar. About halfway through the second song, I noticed an unused microphone, which was set-up at approximately his waist level. “What purpose could that serve?” I wondered in a quick moment of curiosity, and then I quickly raised my hands and lost myself in the tunes. The sound was mixed wonderfully, the vocals were outstanding and the set of music was carefully constructed to serve as a powerful crescendo to the last song: “Hungry” by Kathryn Scott. As the leader belted out the final refrain—I’m falling on my knees, offering all of me—he acted on his words and literally fell to his knees. It was at this point that the aforementioned unused microphone came into play. It was preemptively placed at the perfect height and angle so the leader would be able to sing while on his knees without stopping his guitar-playing.
Later in the article, the author says this:
The image of a worship leader dramatically kneeling in front of a previously positioned microphone will be forever seared into my memory as an example of an over-the-top effort to elicit an emotional response. It was in this moment that I saw, for the first time in my life, the dangers of placing undue focus on the purely emotional aspect of corporate worship.
It is an important message for all church musicians, as well as an effective commentary on the most popular worship styles today. Check out the whole article here.
Susan Nace says