Please Don't Sing

“Please don’t sing,” we politely say every time the lyrics are late. That’s the message we’re sending our congregations when we put the words up after we’re supposed to have started singing.

I know it’s not what we’re intending, but it’s what we’re communicating.

I was watching a live stream and noticed how the lyrics were consistently late. The camera panned to the congregation, and I saw one or two people trying to sing.

Most stood dutifully, looking forward, mouths closed, seemingly waiting for it to be over. So sad, right? It’s the stuff worship leader nightmares are made of.

Indeed, there are many causes of disengagement, but one that is so simple to remedy is to get the lyrics up in time for us to sing. Every time we would be taking a breath to join in the next line, the words must be up. That’s the goal. Do your projectionists know? Have you equipped and trained them well? Are you utilizing user-friendly projection software and a good computer? Are they required to be at the pre-service run-through to familiarize themselves with the flow of each song?

It’s worth it.

-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)

Please Don’t Sing (Nº 332)