And maybe it’s not entirely different whether I’m on stage or standing in the congregation. I don’t know really. This is the longest I have gone without leading from the stage. It’s new territory for me. But… standing amongst the other believers I still feel a call to “walk forward” so to speak. Sometimes I feel God drive me to my feet when no one else is standing. It’s so breaking, but it’s as if His hand is at my back and He says go! Stand. Raise your hands to me. Worship. Celebrate. Even if you’re in the crowd. Even if you’re in front of the youth group, and half of them seem to care more about their cell phones than the throne.
Jesus says, whether or not they see me, I am here! I am right here. Lift up the curtain and let them have a glimpse of me. We’re all worshippers. The old, the young, the next generation.
And it’s the same when I am tucking my babies into bed, or reading the Word alone in my room. It’s all about Jesus. He’s right here. To go deeper means to simply look up and gaze upon His face.
Katie Ristow´s last blog ..bloomin’ onion

What does it mean to you to go deeper?

As a team leader?
Praying for discernment & vision, trusting God will guide, and stepping forward knowing that He will work his plan even if it’s not clear yet. Building relationships with people on the team, paying attention to their gifts and passions, and releasing them to serve through their gifts. Believing that the first part (the prayer and the stepping out) and the second part (releasing others to serve) are related, even when it doesn’t make sense to think so.

As a song leader?
Paying more attention to the congregation I lead and to the words we are singing than to worship song trends. Selecting song that serve a purpose, and are viable tools for the congregation I lead. Holding out for beauty and substance together in equal measure.

As a spokes person for the church and Christianity?
Being in the position to love people before being in the position to give answers on behalf of the church. Acknowledging my own questions and struggles, and not giving the shallow, easy answer. Refusing to allow my own feelings about my church cloud the truth about how God loves the church. Speaking out of humility, asking God to bring the words that need to be said.

As a person of faith?
Going deeper in every part of life… slowing down, taking time to read scripture, pray. Asking God to show me just a glimmer of his perspective, and they paying attention to wherever that perspective shines through my normally selfish grid. Really seeing and really hearing the people around me, and not allowing the simple obvious answer to take the place of real truth.
Kim Bontrager´s last blog ..Lasts.

but i have to say…what a great group of leaders in this comment thread!

Deep has almost nothing to do with the day and more to with the life. Sunday isn’t deeper than Tuesday…or Thursday…or whenever. So to me it starts behind the scenes when no one else is watching.

As a team leader?

Relationship. Period. If there is no depth in my relationships with my team members, I believe that it’s tough to go deep in any sense. Which is tough for me now, because I’m in a time of transition. So, I’m trying to recognize, cultivate, and maintain solid friendships in this new season.

As a song leader?

“Deep” worship has nothing to do with style. It has nothing to do with emotion. It has everything to do with bringing a heart overflowing with worship from a place of servanthood. How are we serving our spouses? Our families? Our communities? Our churches? Just on Sundays through a song? Not deep at all. It might appear to have depth but it’s not.

Personally, as a song leader AND a songwriter, I try to have “depth” in my individual songs by actually STUDYING the passages I write songs from. It’s so easy to find a good psalm and make it into a catchy tune…but it takes a measure of depth to study it out and meditate on it longer than the few moments of writing a catchy tune.

As a spokes person for the church and Christianity?

Again relationships, to me, are where depth happens. Want to represent Christ more fully? Live out relationship and pursue His coming Kingdom. That’s depth.

As a person of faith?

For me individually, depth is all about the connection to Christ. I can’t be deep if I’m not IN CHRIST. Sure, my identity is in Christ, but I want more than just my name to be “in” Christ. I want to live a life that is in Christ. To walk a walk, to talk a talk, that is in Christ. Depth as an individual comes with discipline and the grace from the Spirit that is needed to walk in that discipline. It takes real discipline (and grace) to cultivate relationship with Christ. Depth (for me) only happens when I’m willing to sacrifice comfort, safety, status quo, and personal glory.
Russ Hutto´s last blog ..God is Taking Me Back To The Future

As a team leader?

To go beyond leading tasks, and leading a team. To have a relational dynamic that involves love, sincerity, appreciation, and a servant’s heart … not just a task master.

As a song leader?

Understanding that there are tons of people who don’t like to sing. Or don’t care for “that song” that I love so much. Or don’t care for that style of music that I do. To realize that our worship is more about mouthing words … to truly craft songs together to help us tell the story of our faith, to celebrate with one another, and to glorify God … intentionally, with a strategy.

As a spokes person for the church and Christianity?

Humility. Period.

As a person of faith?

Sacrifice. It’s the price to go deeper. Sacrifice busyness. Sacrifice keeping up w/ the materialistic standards of the world if that pursuit keeps us from being intimate in our relationship with God. Sacrifice from the entertainment the world offers that sucks away so much of our time for a moment of lasting fun or relaxation … to dig into the mysteries of God’s Word, to sit and listen for His voice, to be His hands and feet and give to others.
Fred McKinnon´s last blog ..This is Wrong in So Many Ways

As a team leader? Be vulnerable, but not such a basket case that those people you lead can’t trust you enough to make a value judgement or Godly decision without a complete meltdown. Be approachable, but not to the point of risking your marriage or integrity. Be decisive, but not to the point of striking fear into the hearts of everyone. Be open to the voice of God and to trustworthy mentors, but don’t listen to every voice that vies for your attention. This may not seem to have anything to do with going deeper, but in reality is has everything to do with it. Wisdom calls us to go deeper, and the deeper we go, the more Godly wisdom we gain.

“Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives.
But mostly, show them all this by doing it yourself, incorruptible in your teaching, your words solid and sane. Then anyone who is dead set against us, when he finds nothing weird or misguided, might eventually come around.” Titus 2:6-8.

As a song leader? It’s been a while since I’ve been one of these, so I’m not the best qualified to answer. To go deep, you’ve got to not overthink things. The purpose of a song leader is to be a clean vessel in which God can move – a conduit for the congregation to catch a glimpse of Heaven’s glory while their hearts are concentrated on worshipping God.

As a spokesperson for the church and Christianity? Far from being a poster child for a movement, we are all called to be ambassadors for Christ. That does put an added emphasis on our living with integrity, and yes, if that requires a little more discipline in our lives, then so be it, even though that is the dirtiest word in the post-postmodern church, but we shouldn’t shy away from it and call it legalism. It’s not living under the law of you decide to no longer do something that’s getting in the way of your relationship with God & with others. Just sayin’.

As a person of faith? I get pretty tired of saying it, but worship isn’t just the music. Everything we apply to our ministry needs to be applied to our lives. Don’t compartmentalise. Don’t get swayed by people’s feelings, but continue to dig deep into reading what God thinks. Without the anchor of His word we are rudderless, we don’t know His heart. As someone once told me, God won’t do in the supernatural what we should be doing in the natural. How do we know what He wants if we don’t read His word or listen to the Holy Spirit? Don’t let our desire to keep everyone happy distract us from pursuing God’s heart. It’s more important to do what’s right instead of doing what’s popular. The gospel IS an offense to the people who choose to reject it, but that does not give us free reign as a person of faith to offend people for the sake of it, and shrug it off, saying ‘well you have to forgive me’ – I think 1 Corinthians 10:32 is pretty clear on that.

Verse 33 is the crux of living by faith, and even more so in a leadership capacity: “Just as I myself strive to please [to accommodate myself to the opinions, desires, and interests of others, adapting myself to] all men in everything I do, not aiming at or considering my own profit and advantage, but that of the many in order that they may be saved”.

So, what does it mean to you to go deeper? Sometimes deeper means simpler. And sometimes deeper is more that what we think and do. It’s a conscious decision to relinquish our own control, bit by bit, so that more and more, people look at our lives, and even if they don’t like us, they won’t deny that God is moving in & through us.

As a team leader, I try to remember that I’m NOT the leader… the Holy Spirit IS, and allowing Him to change up the way a song goes (even if that’s not the way we rehearsed it *gasp!*), or even dropping songs if the moment requires pause. It’s appreciating what people do offer in the way of their time, not grumbling about the lack of it, simply because their views on dedication are different to mine. I will admit I SUCK at that… Not to their face or anything, but I grumble with Adam about it All. The. Time. So, I guess I could also say it means being AUTHENTIC in your thanks. I’ll work on that.

As a song leader it means I’m not so much focused on “How do WE want to praise God this Sunday?” but rather “How does GOD want to be praised this Sunday.” My job is not to titilate the fancies of those in the pews. My job is to listen to God, my pastor if he says he wants a particular song and then put the service together. It’s important that what you are singing resonates with the vision of what God has for the house AND the wider church body as a whole. Be sensitive to the move of God. I have canned whole services on Friday nights because it “just wasn’t sitting right”… because I did not take enough time to listen to God’s direction, rather than going my own.

As a spokesperson for Christ? Gosh. It means living the same life OFF the platform as on it. There is nothing worse than sanctimonious “Sunday Christians”. And as a worship leader… if the only place I’m seen to be worshiping (in song/attitude/behaviours) that would have to be one of the biggest hypocrities facing the church today. My life, in all aspects, must mirror that which I project on Sundays. I must be true to my Sunday faith Monday through Saturday also.

As a person of faith I think that 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 is the best job description EVER… “Be on Your Guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong. Do everything in Love” Doesn’t get much clearer than that
Jen´s last blog ..Just Ducking In…

Let your worship leaders friends know, that I want theirs as well!