10 Tips for Addressing Insecurity on Your Worship Team

In different seasons we may find ourselves and people on our teams struggling with insecurity. In this post, I am going to give you ten strategies for dealing with insecurity, both in your own life and in the lives of those on your team.

"Insecurity can be crippling, but it doesn’t have to be. With the Lord’s help, it can be overcome. Here are ten strategies to help combat insecurity."

Musicians sometimes find it easier than singers to hide their insecurities because they are translating their passion through a string or a piece of wood or metal. A singer, on the other hand, may feel more exposed standing up on a platform with nothing before them but a microphone. In my experience, insecurity (even to the point of self-hatred) in singers, in particular, is one of the primary challenges that we as worship leaders have to be aware of.Insecurity can be crippling, but it doesn’t have to be. With the Lord’s help, it can be overcome. Here are ten strategies to help combat insecurity. These would be great discussion points to bring up with your team.

1. Continually root your identity in the Lord.

Your value has nothing to do with how well your last set went. God created you and loves you, therefore you are successful, whether you hit the right note or not. You are His child, whether you struggle in your songwriting or not. Knowing who you are in Him and to Him is the key to battling insecurity.

2. Pursue a healed heart all of your days.

This isn’t just a call to do a one-time 12-step inner healing program. I believe the healing of the heart is a lifetime process. There may be seasons where we focus on it more intently, but we should always be pursuing counseling and inner healing with people who are wiser than us, including those with credentials and experience in this area.

3. Open up and stay in close relationship with a trusted friend.

A friend who knows you well can be a great help in understanding and confronting your insecurities. Often, being able to identify the specific sources and root causes of your insecurity is half the battle.

"WORSHIP LEADERS: Your value has nothing to do with how well your last set went. God created you, loves you, and is for you, therefore you are successful. "

4. Have friends who will be totally honest with you.

You don’t want friends who only offer positive feedback. You want to surround yourself with a handful of people who will be honest with you about both your strengths and weaknesses. Being able to get honest and meaningful feedback can be a step toward lessening insecurity. In addition, transparent relationships will help you realize that insecurity is not unique to you.

5. Share your insecurity with a fellow worship leader and ask for insight.

You are not the first one to feel insecure while leading worship. Talk to those who have been there and see what you can glean from their experiences.

"God will breathe and move on your worship set when He chooses to. Your role is to be faithful, available, and obedient. The results are up to Him. #showup"

6. Don’t get trapped in comparison.

There will always be someone with a better voice, greater abilities, and a more impressive resume. When something incredible happens during another team’s worship time, don’t be upset that it wasn’t during your set. Rejoice in what God is doing and remember it’s not because that team is better than yours. Every worship leader is different and God has a plan and purpose for each of us. You can touch His heart like no one else, so don’t get distracted by how well you think others are doing.

7. Pray and ask God to show you that He has established you as a leader.

Be confident, not because your leadership is perfect, but because His is. Trust that He knows what He’s doing and that it is His plan to have you in a position of leadership in this season.

"You don’t want friends who only offer positive feedback. You want to surround yourself with a handful of people who will be honest with you about both your strengths and weaknesses."

8. Face your fears.

Write down when you feel most insecure. Is it during your guitar playing? During your singing? Face one fear at a time head-on by doing the exact thing that makes you feel insecure. Journal and ask God to help you with it. Repeatedly saying no to fear will cause it to have less of a hold on you as you build up a history of following boldly where God leads you.

9. Always be reaching for growth.

While our natural skills and abilities may not be what qualifies us to lead, the Lord is pleased when we pursue excellence. When we are faithful with what He has given us, He will entrust us with more. Take voice or music lessons, attend leadership growth seminars, talk to other worship leaders and glean from them, learn to play by ear, etc. The greater your range and the more tools you have at your disposal, the more ways God can use you and the less you will feel tripped up by insecurity.

"WORSHIP LEADERS: If you take the credit for great worship sets, chances are, you'll feel personally responsible for the not-so-great ones. Your job is to show up and sincerely reach. The results are up to Him."

10. Leave the results to the Lord.

If you take the credit for great worship sets, chances are, you will feel personally responsible for the not-so-great ones. Learn to recognize that the Lord will move and breathe on a set when He chooses to. Your job is to be faithful, available, and obedient. The results are up to Him.

How do you address insecurity on your team? How do you tell the difference between a little stage fright and a deeper problem? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below.

Huge thanks to my friend Jordan Vanderplate for letting me use this photo of Castle Stalker, Scotland. Check out more of his work here.