Differences between playing in a 'performance band' and a 'worship band'

Well this is quite the controversial subject (church musicians being involved in secular bands) but I am not here to debate the subject today.  I am only here to compare / contrast the unique nuances and demands on both the church musician and the secular, or "gigging" musician.


Many church musicians play in secular bands – performing in pubs & clubs or function bands etc.  So what distinctive qualities does being a worship musician require that are different for a ‘performing’ musician and vice versa? And can one environment benefit from skills developed in the other? Well, church musicians primarily exist to help the congregation engage with God in worship, whilst gigging musicians primarily exist to entertain the crowd (although for a Christian gigging band there may also be the desire to use music to present the gospel and glorify God).


We’re striving for excellence in both contexts but the application may be a little different.  The table below outlines some of the traits that make musicians effective and how they apply in the respective environments.

	Church musician	Secular musician
Flexible in the moment	Very important given that you might play with different musicians each week, and worship times can be unpredictable, with unforeseen changes to song lists and song formats, and having to adapt to contributions from leaders and congregation.	Probably less of a priority for a gigging band who will agree a set list, rehearse it and deliver it exactly as agreed – every time.
Technically proficient	It’s certainly desirable to be as good as possible on your instrument. However, many worship songs are quite straightforward harmonically & rhythmically and can played very well by an intermediate player.	Depends on your band. If it’s the Backstreet Band, then don’t worry about it! However if your covering Stevie Wonder or trying to sound like Dirty Loops you will really need to know your chops and have practiced many hours.
Well Rehearsed	As well as being clued-up on basic arrangements for the songs you’re going to be using at church, it’s good to ‘practice spontaneity’. Look at how you might transition between songs be prepared for the unexpected!	Usually you’ll need to know exactly what you’re playing in every bar of every song – including the exact sounds that guitarists and keyboard players etc will use. The rehearsal almost becomes a drill where you get the song arrangements in your head perfectly.
Authoritative & confident	Less experienced musicians can tend to be a bit apologetic and weak in the way they play. Even if you lack confidence, play your instrument with conviction (that’s not the same as LOUD), and don’t be scared about making mistakes. We all do.	An audience will be unimpressed by a group of muso’s who look shy. If you’re well rehearsed, you can go out and engage the audience – they want you to!
Able to memorize	Having a large repertoire of worship songs in your head so you don’t always need the music in front of you is very liberating especially if you’re suddenly asked to play an unplanned song.	Unless you’re in an orchestra, it’s generally unacceptable be using written music at all in a gig – it looks amateur. Memorize the set!
Rock solid rhythmically	Certainly a good goal for all church bands – practice having drums and bass working tightly with a steady tempo – perhaps use a click. The other musicians should lock in to provide a stable foundation for the worship song.	It’s generally a great compliment if your band is called ‘tight’ – not only do you lock in with solid drums and bass, but every riff, lick, change and transition is perfectly executed to delight the audience.
Creative	Finding new and interesting arrangements for worship songs can breathe fresh life into them. The tried and tested arrangements are fine but a bit of creative thinking (especially with your own church in mind) can be very welcome.	If you’re in a covers band, then emulation is more important than original ideas. However, if you’re playing your own stuff, then it’s vital to be interesting and inventive, or the punters won’t come back.
Able to improvise	Really useful in a church context to add variety, and roll with the unplanned moments. But avoid jam sessions in corporate worship services.	Not necessary if you’re only playing predetermined arrangements, but really useful when initially creating arrangements, or if there’s more of a jazz/improvisational element to your sound.
Able to read music	Always an advantage, although chord charts tend to be more helpful in the church setting. Note-for-note playing of the songbook arrangements tends to sound very flat and uninspiring, so take cues from the score but don’t rely on it.	Well, the Beatles apparently couldn’t read music and they seemed to be moderately successful. But they did have George Harrison who could. Draw your own conclusions!
Entertaining	In church the goal shouldn’t be to entertain the congregation. Some would identify that as a ‘problem’ with modern worship leading styles. However, being demonstratively passionate about what you’re singing and being a ‘lead worshipper’ seems fitting. Heart attitude is everything.	Eye contact, physical movement, passion, eloquent banter, using space on stage, putting the audience at their ease. Yes to all of that if you want them on your side.
Sensitive to the Holy Spirit	Very important if you hope to lead a congregation and help them engage with God’s presence. It goes deeper than just being gifted at your instrument.  Spend time with God in private and it will show in public.	Everything we do as Christians should be part of our worship, including ‘secular’ gigs. I still want to bless God with my instrument wherever I’m playing.
Of good character	If you’re the best drummer in England, but never show up to rehearsals and meetings on time, or if you’re consistently sinning in your personal life, then I would rather not have you on the worship team. Character is every bit as important as gifting. Church is not a good place to realize your rock star fantasy.	Many successful secular bands are populated by people whose lives are a total mess, but as Christians we are called to spread the seed of the gospel everywhere, to be salt and light and to influence our culture for the glory of God. That means living lives of purity, wherever music takes us.

What Do You Do When The Congregation Isn't Responding?

We have all found ourselves in a season when it seems we step on the platform and attempt to usher our congregation into the presence of the Lord -- and nothing happens.  How frustrating this can be!   Yet we all find ourselves in this familiar place sooner or later.

The below is a short illustration from an acquaintance of mine who is also involved in music ministry.  I believe you will find it most informative and a blessing too.

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I’m a behind the scenes guy at my church. A lot of what I do shows up in the finished product that is presented on Sunday morning, but I seldom come to the front myself.  But there was this worship medley by William McDowell that I wanted the praise team to sing, and I kinda knew even before I presented it to them that I’d be asked to sing it. His voice is similar to my own so it only made sense.
So I teach the song and everything goes well. Sunday comes and we present it. I begin leading the song and right away I notice only a small handful of the audience seems to be into it at all. Only 3 or 4 or standing, maybe another few that I can see actually closing their eyes and making an attempt to worship. That’s the downside to singing with your eyes open, unfortunately. Sometimes you can “see too much” and discourage yourself.

So we continued to move through the medley and everything went well, but I was discouraged. I had people come up to me and say they enjoyed it, but I personally didn’t feel good about it. I blamed much of it on the audience, and the rest on myself. You see we used to be one of those churches who had “testimony service”. We did it for many years-most of my life, really. So even though we’ve had a praise team for several years now, many of our older saints just don’t “get it”. “We don’t know how to worship”, I told one of the young ministers who was encouraging me.

Then there was me. See I've always had this inward battle about my own singing and whether it’s “hype enough” or “exciting enough”. I struggle with thoughts that my singing is “too calm” or “too boring”.  It didn’t help that our regular worship leader is a powerful anointed singer and woman of God that just electrifies the service every time she sings.

So, overall just not especially having enjoyed the experience, imagine how I felt when our worship leader sends me a text saying she wants me to do it again the following Sunday. I hemmed and hawwed and stated my case, but in the end I promised I’d be obedient. So I’m sitting there on the keyboard that Sunday playing and she’s going forth with the praise team. And just when I’m convinced the spirit is leading her another way she stops down and asks me to come up.
Any time I get up to do something I try to prepare myself mentally and spiritually so I’m in the right frame of mind and I have the right attitude. I just won’t get up in front of people with a negative spirit, I don’t care how I feel personally about what I’m about to do. I call it my 5 Second Rule Of Music Ministry.  So in the few seconds it takes me to get up to the stage I decided that this time I’d do two things. I’d make more of an effort to go deeper into the songs emotionally myself. To make sure I’m actually worshiping, lifting my hands, closing my eyes and talking to God.

But then the second thing I decided to do was to do a better job leading, encouraging and guiding the audience in worship. So right away when I took the microphone this time I began to just talk to them about worship, encouraging them to surrender all they had been through that day, even the previous week. I began to explain to them that worship isn’t something that “happens to you”, it’s something that you do.  I began to sing, this time moving my hands more, lifting them more, talking to the audience more. This time the atmosphere was different. There were many more people worshiping. Many more standing, lifting their hands. Many more who were seated were doing the same thing. The atmosphere was filled with a spirit of worship. Even when the pastor came up, which was much later, the praise and worship portion of the service was still on his mind. He began to talk about the songs we sang and the kind of worship we offered, referring to it as a “slow rain”. In fact I ended up going back into a portion of it again by his request.

So now, thinking back on it I realize that it wasn’t necessarily the audience that had the problem the first time, it was me. It wasn’t them that needed to surrender, it was me. It wasn’t them that wasn’t worshiping, it was me that wasn’t. I learned that day something I really already knew. Something I’ve said to others before. Simply, that when you stand before God’s people you have to give God your best. It has to come from a pure place that isn’t influenced or affected by what the audience is doing- or not doing.

Because the truth is even in the second performance of the medley there were still people who weren’t really into it at all. And there always will be, in every performance; for all of us. But the solution is not to simply keep our eyes tightly closed for the entire thing and ignore the audience entirely. The solution is to sing from the purest place you can, giving God the best praise or worship you can. Connect with and focus on those who are with you and being blessed. Avoid focusing your attention on those who don’t seem to be interested, and don’t take it personally. Doing so could cause you to miss being a blessing to someone else. Or worse yet, miss being blessed yourself.