How to Grow in Confidence as a Worship Leader

As worship leaders, insecurity can hinder us from reaching our maximum leadership potential both on and off stage. For so long I tried to not to let anyone see my insecurity and would internalize so much of what I was thinking instead of being honest about my feelings. It was several years ago when I realized I don’t need to hide my issues from my team and pretend to be perfect. Honestly, letting your team see you as a leader who’s being honest and open about times you feel nervous or uncertain may be just what your team needs in order to open up about their own challenges.

"You don't need to hide your issues from your team and pretend to be perfect."

Insecurity is the absence of peace stemming from a lack of confidence. Do you ever find yourself thinking that if only you could sing, play, or lead as well as that other worship leader, you would be full of confidence? But that's not true because stories abound of beauty queens, rock stars, actors, and professional athletes who massively battle insecurities and low self-esteem. It seems that no amount of natural talent and no history of success is guaranteed to reach hidden feelings of inferiority and remove all of our insecurities. An impressive resume of skills, talents, and abilities simply does not guarantee confidence. The truth is that confidence does not come from how great we think we are, but from how great we know God is.

"No amount of natural talent and no history of success is guaranteed to reach your hidden feelings of inferiority and remove all of your insecurities."

The Lord wants us to be confident as leaders because HE has set us in our positions of leadership. As a worship leader, God has set you as the leader in the room during times of worship. This doesn’t mean you have some unique talent or power that you are to lord over people. What it does mean is that you can have confidence in Him and His wisdom. When I’m unsure of the stamp of the Lord’s approval on my leadership position, I’ll be unsure of my leadership abilities. But when I know that the Lord has placed me as a leader, I lead with a greater confidence.

"Confidence does not come from how great we think we are, but from how great we know God is."

When we look to ourselves and our skill set or work ethic to make us feel like great leaders, we’re much more likely to feel insecure because we know that we’re not perfect and that we make lots of mistakes. But when we look to God as the One who has established us for His purposes, we can trust that He knows what He’s doing and hasn’t made a mistake. The Bible is full of examples of this. God chooses unlikely and seemingly ill-equipped people to lead and they succeed not because of their greatness, but because of His. Who would have thought that David could defeat Goliath or that Mary was qualified to be the mother of Jesus? When the Lord sets people in place, they have very little in and of themselves in which to trust, but by trusting in the wisdom of His decisions, they can let go of their insecurities and rest in His leadership.

"When we look to ourselves and our skill set or work ethic to make us feel like great leaders, we’re much more likely to feel insecure because we know that we’re not perfect and that we make lots of mistakes."

Ask God to make you confident in who you are in Him and who you are to the people you’re leading. Ask Him to make you confident in His leadership so that you can trust that He has placed you where you are, doing what He has ordained for you to do in this season.

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

Are You Ready to Take Your Worship Leading to the Next Level?

Check out the Worship Leader Academy, where you'll find a variety of courses designed to help you develop the mindset and skills needed to excel for the long haul as a worship leader. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or just starting out, my programs offer valuable resources and coaching to help you grow in your calling. Visit www.justinrizzotraining.com to learn more.