The Stage & The Circle

If worship is the diamond in the ring, the community is the band that holds it securely in place. Community isn't just important—it’s essential.

When do we gather?

We come together to rehearse for a service or weekend. We gather for those scheduled services. Cameras roll and the congregation awaits.

But how often do we come together when no one is watching?

A worship team that worships only when leading is no different from a worship leader who worships only when they're on stage.

Strong relationships become unnecessary if leading worship is solely about musical gifts—we’d merely be musicians creating weekly worship sets.

Yes, musical preparation is vital, but we've missed the point if we believe that's our primary role.

When someone is absent from our team, do we feel their absence? Does it matter who's present? Would anyone notice if I didn't show up for a month, or would the machine just keep on running?

I believe that even in a large megachurch, the community of believers should function more like a family than an organization. We are family; we are a body. We'd certainly notice if a sibling or a limb decided not to join us—it would impact us, even change our dynamics.

Imagine this instead: Friends who create sacred space for each other. Voices blending, not just on stage, but around dinner tables. Prayers prayed, songs sung when no one else is around.

One thing stood out during my time in the early days of Maverick City Music: the worship sessions felt authentic. They would’ve happened exactly the same way if the cameras were not in the room. The cameras merely captured genuine worship moments—the cart truly came after the horse.

This authenticity stands in stark contrast to much of what we see online today—people dressing up and coming together only to worship in front of cameras or an audience.

True worship from the stage should overflow from what already occurs in cars, living rooms, secret places, evening walks, quick stolen moments, and intentional gatherings simply to worship. Heaven doesn’t hear us better because we have a mic, or because there are people in the room.

Even our rehearsal should be worship. We don't practice kissing. We get better at kissing by kissing. The same is true of worship. When we rehearse, we worship, and we fight to make it personal—just as real as the service we are preparing for. Don't take the Lord's name in vain comes to mind here.

Who are we serving if our worship only occurs when the lights are bright and seats are filled?

Fruitful worship teams don't need flawless sound systems or the most polished vocals. Their stage chemistry is simply a reflection of their deeper communion offstage.

They don’t just get people to sing—they lead them into authentic encounters.

Have you ever witnessed a worship team member who inspired you to become a true worshipper? Perhaps their voice wasn't perfect, but their friendship with Jesus was captivating and contagious.

Unity, fulfilling the greatest commandments, and being known by our love for one another - that is the Kingdom way.

We gather at His feet, not to perform better on Sunday, but because it’s our identity. The Sunday experience is merely the natural fruit of who we already are.

We don't strive to produce fruit; we simply release what has already grown within us.

What happens on stage is the fruit.

Our community circle is where the seed is planted.