Have you ever felt the power of a kick drum through a massive PA system? It’s incredible—and dangerous. The rush of moving thousands of people, whether as a musician, worship leader, or audio engineer, can quickly shift from confidence to ego if we’re not careful.
It takes a lot of self-confidence to be successful in the world of worship ministry. This covers many positions within a church: a lead or teaching pastor must possess discipline and skill to deliver compelling messages to thousands of people week after week, year after year. Worship leaders, musicians, video directors, tech directors, audio engineers, and yes, even people who write articles about church AVL, all need confidence to step into roles where the stakes are high and the room is full. To be the person willing to say, “Yeah, I can deliver a great worship experience to an audience of several thousand people this Sunday. Just put me in, coach,” requires a certain boldness.
But how do we tap into our experience and wisdom, do our jobs well, and lead without becoming arrogant and egotistical?
In the early days of my career—both as a musician and later as an audio engineer—there were definitely times when my Luke Skywalker bravado was substantially higher than my actual experience for what I was stepping into. Looking back now, I almost admire my younger self’s overabundance of self-confidence and willingness to ignore how close I was flirting to failure. It wasn’t even on my radar. (There’s a reason the military recruits kids right out of high school.)
With age and experience comes wisdom. Once, a younger engineer said to me, “Someday, I hope to be able to mix as well as you.” It was flattering, of course. My response, which may have sounded egotistical, was, “When you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you should be very good at it.” What I meant was, I’ve already done all the dumb stuff. I’ve learned from my failures and moved forward. He probably still walked away thinking, “What a jerk.”
The Lure of the Spotlight
Being onstage, moving thousands of people, is an incredible feeling. During my touring days, we were fortunate to play for some very large, enthusiastic crowds. As a drummer, to feel the power of your foot on the kick drum through a huge PA and see the crowd react is a feeling that’s not easily forgotten or duplicated. It’s an incredible rush.
As an FOH engineer, I’ve often experienced a similar feeling when controlling a massive PA system, guiding a congregation into worship. That rush comes with a huge responsibility, knowing that the choices you make affect the entire room. But that same feeling can easily infect your view of yourself.
The Ego Trap
The same trap can affect worship leaders, drummers, guitarists, and musicians. Oddly, I’ve noticed it less with keyboardists—perhaps all those years of piano lessons, watching their friends play football from the window, instills some humility. Even lead pastors can fall victim to this. I’ll never forget one pastor who had his audio team run the speakers on the side of the room where he sat louder than the rest of the PA because he liked it that way. That tone-deafness (pun intended) to the rest of the congregation is a classic sign of an out-of-control ego.
Musicians can be some of the worst offenders. A drummer who refuses to play in a controlled environment, whether it’s a booth, shield, or electronic kit, is essentially saying, “I put the ‘I’ in TEAM.” Guitarists who refuse to isolate their amps—insisting they need it onstage—can wreck a mix because the FOH engineer loses control of their volume. It’s no different for bass players who insist on stage amps over DI solutions. Prioritizing your personal sound at the expense of the worship experience is a symptom of unchecked ego. I’ve written extensively on these issues in previous articles:
I was working with a church that was nearing completion of their new building. Their Worship Pastor was getting some pushback from their drummers because, for the first time, they were implementing a full drum enclosure in the new space. Based on the style of worship, the auditorium size, and the PA system, my team had advised that the enclosure would produce the best results for the worship experience. The Worship Pastor asked me to meet with him and the drummers to help clarify and reinforce the leadership’s decision. The hope was that an outside expert would help ease their apprehension.
The group as a whole was decidedly prickly on the subject. I asked them to share why they were so hesitant. The responses were largely along the lines of, “I feel separated from the rest of the band,” “I don’t think I can fully engage in worship from the fishbowl,” “I won’t be able to feel the energy from the room,” “I think it looks weird,” and even, “I’ll get overheated.”
After letting them vent thoroughly, I was forced to point out that every statement started with the pronoun “I.” Not one of them had stopped to consider what the congregation would experience. This self-focus is a classic example of how ego can cloud our judgment and hinder the greater mission of worship ministry.
Ego or Insecurity
I was hired to work with a church once at their new campus with a fresh team. One musician in particular approached me after we’d worked together for most of the afternoon. He admitted he had been very nervous about my arrival and was initially intimidated by the idea of some “expert” coming in from out of town to change everything. That conversation taught me a lot about how I approach people. Always lead with positivity and encouragement. As leaders, our role should be to lift up the team, with an open hand, yes—but not to let the tail wag the dog. If something isn’t right, we need to have invested the proper amount of relational equity into the team to help them bring about a good result.
Sometimes what may seem egotistical is actually insecurity. Singers cupping the microphone is one of my biggest pet peeves. But I’ve learned over the years that some bad habits are more indicative of insecurity than egotism. I’ve worked with more than a few churches where tech directors seemed hesitant to move from analog consoles to digital. Often, they’d justify it with lines like, “Our volunteers just aren’t ready for that.” In reality, the tech director was worried about learning new technology or exposing their own vulnerabilities to the team.
Recognizing the difference between ego and insecurity is crucial in leadership. Insecurity often masks itself as stubbornness or resistance, but it’s really a call for support and encouragement. Addressing it with understanding can turn potential conflict into growth for the individual and the team.
For Thee But Not For Me
Most churches make an effort to foster a culture of team and humility. Signs and mantras like, “Flexible, Teachable & Vulnerable,” “People Over Process,” or “Humble, Prepared & Flexible” are widespread among church production teams. It’s disheartening when these turn out to be completely inaccurate or, at the very least, unevenly applied to team members. A great audio engineer friend of mine says it’s much easier to speak into what a musician is doing if you know their kids’ names. That’s supposed to be a reciprocal arrangement, flowing in both directions—whether you serve with a guitar in your hands or by bringing out the lead pastor’s podium. Sadly, I’ve been in churches where worship leaders, musicians, and leaders never say a word to a stage tech or engineer. “Humble, Prepared & Flexible,” or whatever your mission statement is, should be adhered to by the entire team, not just the non-musicians.
Checking Ourselves
Of course, audio engineers aren’t immune. Yes, we want to deliver a great mix, but at what cost? Are we willing to crush a musician’s spirit for bad tone that hurts our mix? Are we serving the congregation and the church’s mix philosophy—or our own ego?
A wise old audio friend once asked me, “If you were wrong, would you want to know it?” The answer should always be yes.
A Team Effort
Ego problems aren’t unique to big churches. In almost every church I’ve worked with, I’ve seen team members whose egos cloud their ability to be part of a team. Worship ministry is not a solo act. It’s a collaboration of many roles, all working toward the same goal: leading the congregation in authentic, heartfelt worship.
In the end, we have to remember why we do what we do. The goal isn’t to showcase our talents or prove we’re the best at what we do—it’s to create an environment where people can encounter God. That requires humility, empathy, and a commitment to serving others. Confidence will get you on the stage or behind the console, but humility is what keeps you there in a way that honors the mission.
The best teams are made up of people who understand their own strengths and weaknesses and work together to cover each other’s blind spots. When we put the mission above ourselves, ego takes a backseat, and something truly special happens: the congregation is moved not by us, but through us. And that’s the kind of impact that lasts.
I’d love to hear how your team leaves “egos at the door”. Until then, don’t forget to listen!
