Maybe we are doing it all wrong...

The currency of the kingdom is relationships—not knowledge, power, or effectiveness.

It's relationships.

Love your neighbor as yourself; love the Lord your God with all your heart; do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Even when the Lord seemingly refuses someone, it's not about behavior or execution; it's about relationship: “I never knew you.”

What part of our worship demands that we KNOW Jesus?

What part of our worship ministry demands that we have relationships with our worship team?

What part of our worship ministry demands that we have a relationship with our congregation? 

Many teams—and even myself—sometimes lead worship without requiring deep relationships.

Sure, we need vocalists, musicians, and a congregation to sing along, but do we need to know their lives intimately?

We can lead services without all that messy stuff—and they will still look and sound good.

But that's not the point.

If our service doesn't need an encounter with His presence to be successful, then perhaps we’re doing it wrong. 

If I don't need to know my team members' hearts and lives, if I'm not sharing their burdens or walking alongside them—and yet the worship service goes exactly as we rehearsed midweek, perhaps we’re doing it wrong.

If our worship services sound the same whether or not the congregation is present —or if a completely different congregation shows up—then maybe we're doing something wrong.

The problem is that everything can appear perfect from the outside: great music and flawless production, a disciplined team, and a killer YouTube channel. But we might be really poor while thinking we're doing well because we have it all together.

If “relationship” isn't a critical ingredient in our definition of success, then maybe we're doing it wrong.

If we can do what we do without being in a genuine relationship with each other, with Him, or with our congregation, then not maybe, but probably, we're doing it wrong.

If we are doing it wrong, it’s not because we don’t have the right heart or care.

Unless we focus on it, intentionally lock eyes with His eyes, and define success by presence and relationship, we will quickly veer off into a world of rules, duty, performance, and execution. 

There is nothing wrong with all that, but in the end, it’s all meaningless unless they serve and yield to a vital relationship with Him and with one another.