Now that we have addressed the importance of the heart, I want to talk about a few external aspects we as drummers bring to the table in worship. The main thing to remember is that we are also and always WORSHIP LEADERS (which pertains to any musician on the team). Other than the theological reasoning behind this concept, another simple factor to remind you that you are leading in worship is that you are the loudest instrument on the platform. (At our church we call it a platform, not a stage. We believe a platform is for influence and the stage is for performance.)

Your ability to translate to the congregation where the song is going in terms of dynamics, rhythmic phrasing and tone, as well as being a lead worshipper in your expression (singing & nonverbal communication) plays a major role in worship. Your passion makes a difference. Something we tell our team often is that in worship, we are all communicators and everything we do verbally and nonverbally is communicating. If we want our church to passionately worship with their body and their voice, we too must be singing and worshipping as we play.

Another area we are leading in as worship drummers is always being aware of what is going on around you, as well as where the Spirit is leading. With that being said, let me make this statement as well: God is not a God of confusion. So, make sure you are submitting to the worship leader and pastor and not heading somewhere the leader doesn’t feel the song/service needs to go. You can’t be a good leader if you do not know first how to follow. Again, because you are the loudest instrument, people will automatically notice when you are making good leadership choices and when you are not. Learn to set the example. You will make your leader’s job a lot easier.

The worship leader needs to trust that you have their back, and the little things do matter. For example, when we take too long transitioning from one song to the next, the congregation doesn’t look at the drummer, they look at the worship leader. What in reality may only be 2 or 3 extra seconds of getting the next song started, feels like an eternity to the worship leader who has to cover for the delay. Being aware of what you are doing and where you are going next during a set will help keep these moments to a minimum and will build trust with you, your team and your leader.

Making sure as a drummer that you are well prepared (knowing the songs, transitions and the leader’s signals) allows your worship leader and pastor to relax and just do their job of leading. If you as the drummer set the bar for excellence in these areas, the rest of the team will likely follow and you will grow not only as a musician, but also as a leader. Check back next week as we talk about spiritual warfare: the how and the why.

In the mean time:
Keep worshipping. Keep warring. Keep pursuing. Keep drumming.

-Caleb Miller