The Thing Nobody Told Me About Leading Worship
Nobody told me it was okay to ask for help.
I mean, maybe they said it. But nobody really showed me what that looked like. Nobody modeled what it looked like to be a worship leader who was still figuring it all out and being honest about it. So for a long time I just kept a lot of questions to myself and hoped I would eventually feel like I knew what I was doing.
Sam leading worship at Rock Creek Church
It took me longer than I would like to admit to realize that the people I admired most in this space were not the ones who had everything together. They were the ones who stayed curious. Who kept asking. Who surrounded themselves with people wiser and further along, and were not too proud to learn from them.
I am still that person. I ask a ton of questions. I have mentors in my life now, people I never expected to know, who have become some of my most treasured voices. And that did not happen because I projected confidence I did not have. It happened because I was willing to be real.
Here is what I want you to know if you are in a season of not knowing: you do not have to pretend. Not with God, not with the people you trust, and not with yourself. There is something really freeing about sitting down with someone and saying, okay, I do not totally know what I am doing here. Can you help me?
That is not weakness. That is actually one of the bravest things a leader can do.
One of my favorite things about the work I get to do now is being that person for someone else. Being the safe space. The place where a worship leader can be honest and real and even a little messy, and walk away feeling seen and encouraged instead of judged.
You do not need to have a theology degree. You do not need to have years of experience behind you. You need a willing heart, a teachable spirit, and people around you who will tell you the truth with kindness.
If you are looking for that, I would love to be one of those people for you.
