4 Signs of a Humble Worship Leader

Humility is not something you attempt to display, but you do strive to portray. The humble leader will not need to be noticed, but humility will inevitably be noticed because it is a rarity in our world. Other humble people can recognize humility and rejoice (Ps 34:2). The humble don’t need to seek praise because God sends others to esteem them (Prov 27:2), and God himself exalts the humble (Matt 23:12; Job 22:29; Prov 29:23; Luke 14:11; 18:14; James 4:6; 1 Pet 5:6).

Whenever we seek attention for ourselves, we attempt to rob God of his glory. People called to lead others in worship must fervently attempt to lead humbly before God and his people. In the humility department of leading worship, four things are absolutely essential:

1. Genuine Faith – To lead in worship, one must be confident of one’s salvation in Jesus Christ. If you are genuinely aware of what your salvation cost, you should never feel as if you deserve any recognition for anything you do. The gospel reminds us that no good works were necessary or even present in our lives for us to earn anything (Rom 5:6-8; Gal 2:21; Eph 2:8-9; 1 Tim 1:15; Titus 3:5). Possessing genuine faith helps you remain in awe that Jesus would love someone as helpless as you.
2. Correct Doctrine – To lead biblical worship, one must possess correct biblical doctrine concerning essential truths (the Bible, God, Mankind, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Salvation, the Church, and Eternity). If your team is going to lead songs that are supposed to teach truth (Col 3:16), you need to make sure your team is devoted to God’s Word (Josh 1:8; Ps 119:131) and understands good theology (1 Tim 4:6; 2 Tim 1:13; 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1, 10; 2 John 1:9)! A correct understanding of God leads to deeper worship. As a worship leader, you should pray that you would continually be sanctified in the truth of God’s Word (John 17:17).  
3. Proper Intentions – While pride will be a struggle for every believer, each team member must have proper intentions of leading boldly on and off stage to point people to Jesus. We must fight with our pride and test our actions (1 Cor 4:6). If you seek an audience with anyone other than Jesus, worship ministry is not for you. You are not supposed to lead in a way that aims a spotlight on you. Your leading should direct the spotlight towards Jesus.  If you don’t humble yourself, rest assured that God will do it for you (Lev 26:19; Obad 1:3-4; 2 Chron 26:16; Job 40:11; Prov 16:5; Isa 2:11-12; 13:11; 23:9).
4. Humble Disposition – My prideful heart tries to convince my mind that I am the best person on the team. Even if the improbable chance of my ideas always being the best were true (which they are not), my attitude needs to be one of service and selflessness (Matt 20:26; Rom 12:10; Phil 2:3-5). My perspective must shift.  Not only do I need to realize this truth, but others need to believe that about me. It’s important what I say and how I say it. I must acknowledge and even portray that:

• I am not the most brilliant person on the team.
• I am not the most creative person on the team.
• I am not the most talented person on the team.

Your ministry would go further and faster if you realized that you are not the center of the universe. If you keep God in his proper central place, everything else orbits much better.