"Why Do Worship Leaders Do That?" 8: Why Are Transitions Between Songs So Bad During Worship Services?

We’re drawing close to the end of the sojournmusic.com “Why Do Worship Leaders Do That?” series, in which Sojourn worship leader Lorie King tackles ten provocative issues that people in many churches raise, concerning worship leaders.  Lorie is one of Sojourn Worship Arts Pastor Mike Cosper’s long-time worship leaders.  She’s also led in many other missional contexts, from Brazil to Cyprus and various churches in the United States.  The goal of this series is to help worship leaders use this criticism constructively, and also to help the laity to be more understanding of worship liturgy (which literally means “the worship work of the people,” and so is the job of every Christian) and the issues worship leaders face.

Check out the articles where these “pet peeves” were originally hashed out and organized at ragamuffinsoul.com and churchrelevance.com. Today we wrestle with Pet Peeve #8: Bad transitions between worship songs.  Issues include:

• Transitions between songs take a long time.
• When the worship leader allows uncomfortable dead time between songs.
• When they repeatedly pray the same prayer at each transition moment.
• Using the song name as an introduction/transition – “You know I was thinking about how much God has done for me…it really is ‘Amazing Grace’ isn’t it?”

Click play to listen now, or download this short interview from our free podcast, Sojournmusic.com Radio, available at iTunes and other podcast directories (as is each episode of this series, videos of live Sojourn Music songs, lectures and interviews with leading worship scholars such as Harold Best and John Witvliet, worship sermons, interviews and lectures featuring Sojourn Worship Arts Pastor Mike Cosper, and many short features and interviews with Sojourn worship leaders and songwriters on topics like ethnodoxology, worship team practices, adapting the Psalms for contemporary worship services and more):

photo above courtesy of Tom Branch: Lorie King discusses worship service issues with leaders from Landmark Baptist Church in Amelia, OH, at a Sojourn-sponsored seminar.

Discussion of Pet Peeve #1: Why Do Worship Leaders Ask People To Do Things Instead Of Just Singing?

Discussion of Pet Peeve #2: Why Do Worship Leaders Talk So Much In Between Songs?

Discussion of Pet Peeve #3: Why Do Worship Leaders Act Life Church Service Is A Concert?

Discussion of Pet Peeve #4: Why Are Worship Leaders So Unprofessional?

Discussion of Pet Peeve #5: Why Can’t Worship Leaders Sing Very Well?

Discussion of Pet Peeve #6: Why Are Their Clothes Or Body Language Distracting?

Discussion of Pet Peeve #7: Why Do They Mess Up Prayer Time?