The truth is: If you lead worship for any length of time, you're going to make mistakes. Things aren't always going to go perfectly. Sometimes it'll be your fault. Sometimes it's a tech problem. Usually it's the drummer’s fault (just kidding). You can't always control what's going to happen BUT you can control how you respond to it.

The problem is: In the heat of the moment, it's hard to think clearly. That's why it's important to have a plan in place that can guide you when you don't know what to do.

Here are 3 steps to take when things go wrong while leading worship:

1 | Ask: Did anyone notice?

You know how it feels when something goes wrong while you're leading worship - you can literally feel your stomach drop. But, often times, the people you're leading have no idea that anything is wrong.

Now, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't seek to do everything you do with excellence BUT people aren't as perceptive as you think. That's why it's important to ask if they even noticed that there's a problem. In most cases of small mistakes, it's best to just continue on and not make a big deal about it. Don't make a messed up face when you play the wrong note. Don't say "Ahhhh!!!" when you forget a lyric. In small cases, it's more distracting to point a mistake out.

However, if the problem is big and affects everyone - like the projector not working and people don't know the lyrics - then, address it.

2 | Take note of the root cause of the problem and fix it so it doesn't happen again

If you want to improve in your worship leading, you have to take some amount of responsibility for whatever goes wrong. If whatever happened was your fault (you started a song wrong, you unplugged your guitar before it was muted, etc.), then take note of what you need to do differently next time and fix it. If whatever happened wasn't your fault, it's still your responsibility as a leader to respond to it appropriately. So, identify the problem and take steps to make sure it doesn't happen again OR at least know how you can respond to it if it does happen again.

3 | Forgive yourself and move on

We all make mistakes. Don't be too hard on yourself. Forgive yourself and move on.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.