Overcoming Stage Fright for Worship Leaders

I have been leading worship since I was thirteen years old in churches, schools, and other gatherings of Christians. Now, at the age of thirty-five and the acting music director of a large church, I’ve found two things to be consistent. The first is that God always shows up and has His way, whether I’m “on” or not. The second is fear must be fought and defeated every time I lead worship. The good news is fear can be overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit and by a few practical steps that every worship leader, regardless of skill level, can take.

Confess Scripture to Battle Stage Fright

I have said these scripture over and over again to myself to remind me of God’s faithfulness and my utter dependence on Him. Even though we may sing about His faithfulness, it’s easy to forget it even when the words are in our mouths. Our Father is faithful to worship leaders!

Ephesians 3:20 (Paraphrased from the NIV) God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within me!

1 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Romans 11:29 (NLT) For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.

Proverbs 21:31 (NIV) The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.

Hebrew 13:20-21 (NASB) Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Joshua 1:8 "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

1 John 2:20a But you have an anointing from the Holy One

Proverbs 29:25 NASB Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

Use Prayer to Calm Your Nerves Before You Get on Stage

There are three ways a worship leader can behave before he or she hits the stage.Some goof around, which tends to leave them completely unprepared for the flow of worship and connecting with God and His people. Some pray, but works themselves into a frenzy of nervousness while doing so. Too many times I’ve fallen into this trap, praying for God to have His way, but doing it in a way that made it feel like the intensity of my prayer was what caused God to act.

I recommend resting in God’s presence, presenting your requests to God, and resting in His presence. You can do some deep breathing, read some encouraging scriptures, pray in your prayer language (if you have one), and thingquietly through your worship set. If you’re with your worship team, encourage them to do the same instead of sitting around and talking.

Then, as a team, ask God to make your work successful. Ask Him to draw the congregation into His presence. Ask Him to anoint the music. Also reach beyond yourself. Ask for the congregation to be touched by the service in general. Pray for your pastor or the speaker - you’re supporting him or her anyway. Pray for the other helps ministries.

Learn the Worship Songs You’re Leading

Anthony Hopkins, the Oscar Award-winning actor, goes through his script 250 times before he heads to the set for a movie. And yet he seems so natural on camera, one may never guess the amount of preparation he puts himself through.

The same goes for worship leaders. The best worship leaders I’ve ever met - the most natural, the most “anointed” - are also some of the best prepared. When we see how easy they make leading worship, we can think that it just comes naturally. However, one of the best ways to calm your nerves when you’re leading worship is to know your music cold. If you don’t, you’ll spend the entire time worrying about forgetting words, wondering if you can sing a given note, or if the chords you’re playing are right.

Spend time learning your songs and know them well before you start the service. Little cheat sheets can help too, but they can't replace being prepared.

Prepare Transitions

We may spend a lot of time picking our sets, rehearsing them, and learning them, but worry can set in when you don’t know how you’re going to get from one song to another. I recommend planning your transitions carefully. Ask yourself, “Will this require a key change?” “Will the drummer be able to click off the next song quickly?” “Is there dead space here that I can eliminate?”

Prepare What You Will Say

I know it seems like any time you address a congregation it should be natural and completely Spirit-led and in the moment. What I’ve discovered is that the Spirit can inform what a congregation may need to hear before the service. If you’re nervous and you wait until you get to an intro of a song that’s a little long and you feel you need to say something, you might choke and not speak at all. If you’re able to speak, you may say something that sounds overly harsh, wimpy, or confusing.

I’ve taken to finding scriptures that go with the songs I’m singing and writing them in the margins of my worship list. For example, for the song “Mighty to Save,” maybe I’ll write the scripture in Zephaniah 3:17: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

I can do several things with this. During the intro I can say, “You know, it says in Zephaniah 3:17. . .” and then read the scripture. I can also add a little to it at the end, if need be: “So as we sing this song, whatever situation you find yourself in, remind yourself that He is with you, and He is mighty to save!”

I could also turn it into a prayer: “Father, I thank You that You are with us, that You take delight in us, that You quiet us with Your love, that You rejoice over us with singing, and that You are mighty to save!” Saying scriptures as prayers will help you keep the congregation focused on the Lord.

By doing this, it takes the pressure off of you to say the right thing. When you share a scripture, and you’ve planned how to share it, you know you’ll say the right thing because it is the Word of God.

Tell the Truth with a Smile on Your Face

When you know a song well and you believe the words, all you have to do is mean them and the congregation will respond to the power of the song itself. You don’t have to work yourself into an emotional frenzy to convince the congregation that you mean the words. Instead, learn how to sing the song while smiling. It will make everyone thinking you’re having fun, even if you are so nervous you feel like you’re going to throw up!

When you smile as a matter of training, it doesn't make you a phony. It informs what you're doing. When you sing "Everyone needs compassion" with a smile, it says something absolutely different than if you say it with an intense face with your eyes shut tight. Which brings us to. . . .

Practice What You Will Do with Your Eyes

I’ve fallen into the trap of singing song after song with my eyes closed. It’s been a way that I’ve coped with my nervousness, but it sends a wrong message to the congregation: that it’s me and God, when in reality, congregational worship is us and God.

Instead, I’ve discovered there are three things we can do with our eyes that communicate confidence to the congregation:

1) You can look at people who are worshiping and sing the songs to them. Contrary to what I thought, this doesn’t cause people to think I’m singing to them and not God. What it does it is a) encourages the worshipers to keep at it, and b) encourages me that someone out there is worshiping.

2) I look up and sing to God. There’s a clock on the back wall or my church that’s just about the right height. I can stare at it with my eyes open and it looks like I’m looking to God. It allows me to focus on Him rather than on the people.

3) When the people are really worshiping, I close my eyes. That's when I can disappear. One warning though: always open your eyes from time to time to see if the congregation is still responding and to make sure the pastor isn't trying to get your attention.

Be Prepared for the Gloriously Unexpected

The reason I believe we should do all these things is because it allows us get our focus off ourselves. Suddenly, with nothing left to worry about, we can focus on the One we came to worship! Fear takes steals your worship, because fear is idolatry. Fear means "awe and reverence". When you fear the congregation, the pastor, or "messing up", you are in awe and reverence of what they can do to you. Do your job and put Your attention on One before whom every knee must bow, including those out in the audience you fear the most.

Suddenly, you'll be surprised by what God starts to do as You worship Him in total freedom. You'll hear His heart, pick an unexpected song, see the Spirit move in ways you never could have planned. So take courage, prepare yourself, and sing with honesty. You never know what God's going to do, but you know that "He only does marvelous things."