A quick YouTube search will reveal lots of “worship fail” moments. Lord knows I’ve witnessed and participated in many over the years. We all have a good chuckle and are thankful that whatever disaster generated 50,000 views didn’t occur on our watch. Stuff happens. Equipment fails. People make mistakes. I have plenty of grace for that, as I’m sure you do as well. But occasionally, I’ll experience or witness a big fail that was completely preventable.
In my circle of worship creatives, we’ve sort of adopted an informal axiom: “the last 10 percent.” This is based on two principles:
- We’ll never reach 100% perfection at our respective jobs. We’re human, and there is always room for growth and improvement—whether you sing, play an instrument, mix audio, or work in video or lighting.
- When we talk about “the last 10 percent,” we’re acknowledging that you’re already really good at what you do. You’re executing at a level where the average staff member, leader, or congregant would have zero complaints. But since we’re striving for growth, there should always be room for a conversation beyond 90 percent of excellence.
I bring this up because sometimes I wonder if technology, while undeniably helpful, has stalled us from pursuing that last 10 percent.
Take iPads on stage, for example. I understand that these are useful tools. But back in my day (here he goes again!), they didn’t exist. In the earliest days of modern worship in churches, most musicians came from a background of playing in bars—one of the few places semi-professional musicians could really hone their skills. These folks played three or four one-hour sets a night, night after night. They got really good, and they had to memorize everything.
During this same period, many professional musicians, singers, and audio engineers came off the road and got involved in their churches. That’s sort of my story. These former touring road pros had played at least 1.5 to 2 hours every night, relying on muscle memory and an ingrained understanding of their craft. Fast-forward to today, and many church musicians and singers don’t come from either of those backgrounds.
On the whole, I’d say this is a good thing—a very good thing. I love seeing young musicians get involved in church early, hopefully avoiding the bar scene entirely. I don’t miss the darker aspects of life as a road musician, and I hope they never have to experience them. But we’ve lost something essential—the art of memorizing parts.
Too many worship musicians are stuck staring at iPads with chord charts, and worship leaders often fare no better with their heavy reliance on the ubiquitous “Confidence Monitor.” Sometimes, it feels like it should be renamed the “Lack of Confidence Monitor.”
If you’re reading this, I’d bet that at some point, your worship leader has been completely lost when the confidence monitor went down. I’ve seen worship leaders stop a song mid-service and start over because the lyrics weren’t on the screen. It happens way too much. Most churches strive for zero distractions in worship, and this is a big one.
Now, I know I sound like the old guy yelling at the kids to get off his lawn. Some might argue that, with the constant demands on our internal RAM, tools like iPads and confidence monitors are necessary. After all, Cindy’s day job is as a paralegal for a very busy law firm, and she doesn’t have time to memorize four songs a week. I get it.
But let me gently push back. The old pros from the touring and bar scene were performing 20 to 40 songs a night—all from memory. Many of those players also held down day jobs. On Sundays, we’re playing four or five songs, most of which have been in rotation for months and, let’s be honest, aren’t particularly complex.
A mentor of mine used to say, “Don’t let your crutches cripple you.” And I fear that’s what’s happening. We’ve allowed these tools to keep us from reaching the last 10 percent.
Think about it. Most Bible teachers encourage us to memorize scripture. Why? Because the act of memorization engrains God’s nature into our thoughts, turning His Word into muscle memory. It becomes part of who we are. Why wouldn’t the same principle apply to worship?
If you’ve internalized the lyrics and music, doesn’t that free you to engage in genuine worship along with the other team members, and most importantly, the congregation? Wouldn’t it make you less dependent on technology and eliminate one more potential failure point on Sunday morning?
I think this could be a “last 10 percent” conversation for your team. Are we using technology as a tool, or has it become a crutch? Are we doing the hard work of preparation so we can move beyond the technical and into the spiritual?
Before you take to the comment section, let me be clear: I’m not suggesting we toss the iPads or rip the confidence monitors off the wall. These tools have their place and can be incredibly useful. But it’s worth asking: have they shifted from being tools to becoming crutches? And if they are crutches, are they truly helping us move forward—or are they holding us back and creating potential distractions?
Technology should serve us, not the other way around. When we rely too heavily on it, we risk losing the freedom that comes from being fully prepared. But when we engrain our craft into who we are—through preparation, intentional practice, and yes, memorization, we step into worship with true confidence. Not confidence from a screen, but from what’s written on our hearts.
Are there other technical crutches that might be holding back your team or worship experience? I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can reach me at rcochran@worshipfacility.com. Until then, don’t forget to listen!
