Sensitivity Training
JOEL ENGLE

Would you consider yourself a sensitive worship leader? I truly believe that as we grow in our sensitivity, we will have a much greater impact for the kingdom of God in our ministries. As a congregational worshipper, there is not much I appreciate more than a when the lead worshipper leads with sensitivity. Leading with true sensitivity requires delicate reactions to several crucial things.

A worship leader above all things must be sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately this begins as the worship leader retreats to the secret place of a daily relationship with God. One simply cannot expect to be in tune with God unless that daily “table for two” time is taking place. Yet in the setting of leading God’s people in praise, the worship leader must be extraordinarily aware of where the Holy Spirit is taking the body of Christ at that moment in time and in the context of the life of the church as a whole. What has God been saying over the last few months to the church? What other elements of God-centeredness are happening during the service? If the lead worshipper is oblivious to what God has been doing and is doing, he or she will not be spiritually effective. Our personal time alone with God will translate immensely in our ability to be sensitive in corporate times of worship.

Because we are musicians, there is a secondary level of sensitivity that is of great importance as well. A sensitive worship leader needs to be a sensitive musician. Being musical means being acutely aware and in sync with the needs of the song being led at the moment and with the musicians that you are playing with in the service. We must learn to discern exactly what the song needs at the particular moment of the context of the service. If you are leading with the song “Breathe” and it is a very intimate setting, a huge drum fill or bass lick is probably not appropriate. In the world of professional studio musicians compliments are pretty rare. When tracking for a recent SPIN volume one musician complimented on the musicianship of the guy playing bass. Here is what he said; “this guy knows exactly what NOT to play.” Trust me, that is a very high compliment from one session player to another. Knowing what not to play is just as important as knowing what to play.

Part of being a sensitive worship leader is listening to the other musicians around you. Great musicians never, ever “get lost” in what they are playing. They play what needs to be played based on what the other band members are playing. If the electric guitar player is playing a very rhythmic groove pattern, the keyboard player does not need to be very busy at all. Each musician needs to be sensitive to his or her role in the song and in the band. There is nothing worse than a background singer doing a bunch of ad-libs over the ad-libs of the lead singer. Each person needs to be sensitive and humble in the respective roles. There are times for ad-libs, solo’s and busy playing but those times should be rare and appropriate.

One way to nurture your overall sensitivity is to ask the Lord to help you in that area. Very often when I sit in with a band or I am in a recording session, I will ask the Lord to guide me and help me create the right part for the right moment in the song. For the Christian musician, we have a great advantage in that the Holy Spirit lives in us and desires to live through us. As we grow in Him our overall sensitivity will grow. Remember God is the one who created music in the first place!