PROJECTION PERFECTION - 'RISE OF THE WAP'.

I'm writing this blog with a serious face. Although this may be thought a trivial subject, over a number of years i have come to respect and highly value the role within the worship service of the 'projectionist / power point operator / pro-presenter dude' - or whatever you may call this selfless individual who gets shouted or pointed at for not operating at the level that the worship leader requires.

One of the most noted relationships within the church to cause tension has been that of the worship leader and the Senior Pastor - although over many weekends i've seen too many looks fly or voices raised between the worship leader and the poor guy or girl operating the computer at the back of the room - so i felt the need to address this. To take the edge off, for the rest of this blog i will refer to this loving volunteer as the 'WAP' (word advancing person). After some time observing this role from the stage as the worship leader and to my small credit, participating as a WAP myself on one or two occasions, i've gathered some thoughts that i think could ease the tension...

- for everyone else.
1. This is not a simple task. There are many tasks that take place during the worship service that allow the person responsible to take a few moments to switch off. This is not the case for the WAP. Through the worship set - then announcements - then the offertory special - then listening intensely through sermon points - through closing songs - and maybe even for multiple services, the WAP has to be on guard and fully alert 100% of the time. So take a step back before you loosen your tongue buddy!

- for the guy who pays the bills.
2. Note: the better software you buy will not make the WAP any better at their job. There might be better functionality / computer performance / clarity on screen but the finger will not go down on that right arrow key any faster than it has done before. Address the real problem before you spend money on complicated software.

- for the WAP.
3. You are a crucial part of the worship leading mechanism. You are not just a finger attached to a verbally abused human. I mean that. You hold within your finger the power between the people in your church 'watching a worship band' and 'participating in sung-worship'. If your worship leader hasn't told you this then I'm telling you now. If you don't get the right words up at the right time, you're creating a 'gig' rather than a participatory event. You can also kill the 'moment' - which i don't have time to go into so ask your worship leader about that one. With that said though...

4. It's not your fault when the worship leader thinks that a) you are telepathic - and b) that you should know the title to every song in the database when they start singing from the second verse or bridge. Note to worship leaders: if you're going to stray from a plan and you know the WAP will be clueless - give some direction over the mic. You're not Bono.

5. HOWEVER (back to the WAP), listen to what is going on - and even participate as a worshiper yourself. This is the common area of weakness i see from the WAP. You are too tense and engrossed in what is coming up next that you're tripping over yourself. Seriously, this could be rooted in an unhealthy level of perfectionism, people pleasing or a fear of man. Address this one right away.

6. Timing is key. Please don't switch to the coming slide a milli-second before we're going to sing the first line. People need a little breath to compute what the first few words are before they sing it. In addition, please don't advance to the next slide before we get to the end of the last line - as not everyone is reading ahead or knows the line by heart. I know it sounds like I'm asking for blood - but this is at the root of your responsibility. It's the calm, educated and rehearsed practice of switching between slides that is free from distraction to both worship leader and congregation. In this case, i think educating yourself with how the songs go and the worship leaders style of leadership will be your best friend.

7. When editing the words on slides - be mindful of line breaks.

Example (wrong)
In Christ alone, i place my
trust. He is my light, my strength, my
song.

Example (right)
In Christ alone, i place my trust.
He is my light, my strength,
my song.

People cannot sing commas, but they can read them. It's good to have a developing understanding of how the songs are sung - which will give you a heightened sense of where the line break should be.

8. You can use cool backgrounds but remain appropriate. I once heard of a guy whom during a song about 'the Cross', used a video background behind the words of a cross that was completely on fire. I get what he was thinking - 'my heart burns for the Lord...' or something like that but... no. A) Appropriate and b) easy for the lyrics to be seen - that is a great direction to go whilst still keeping the cool card.

9. Sit in for the rehearsal. Rehearse the switches. Take notes. Read along as the worship leader sings. Take more notes. It will pay off.

10. I'm sorry if you've ever been treated badly. I really am. You're loved and you play a huge role in worship leadership. Most of you are volunteers and you give up your precious time for this usually thankless task. If you're committed to the task though- good for you. Be open to direction, be humble, serve the Lord and keep pressing on...