Worship Without The Noise

Yes, imagine worshiping without a band: no click track, no backing tracks, no microphones, no sound system, lighting, or tech? Would you still worship? Or would the silence make you so uncomfortable that alone could be a distraction between you and God?

I have fond memories of when the power went out during a worship service, and that experience alone eclipses any service we had that included all the sounds and instruments.

But what was the difference? Was it the power going out that kicked me into a 'worship I love you' survival mode? Was it the absence of sound that compelled me to make some noise on my own to feel like I was doing something? Or could it have been the unexpected silence that drew me closer to God because, for the first time, I truly heard His voice at a moment when everything else was still?

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”  

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. … Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” – John 4:19–21, 23–24

As worship leaders, it’s easy to tie our identity and purpose to the places where we serve. The stage, the setlist, the sanctuary—they become markers of “successful” worship. But Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman challenge that idea entirely. Worship isn’t about the mountain or the temple. It’s about Spirit and truth.

Spirit means connection. It’s about entering into God’s presence with our whole hearts, wherever we may be. Truth signifies authenticity. It’s about showing up as we are—no masks, no production. Together, these two remind us that worship is not confined by walls or rituals. It’s deeply personal and yet profoundly communal.

This shifts everything. It’s not about the stage or the building. It’s not about how many hands are raised. True worship is about encountering God in the raw and real places of life—in the joy, the struggle, and the mundane.

"Worship is not about what we speak or play in the worship service."

Worship is also hearing from God, receiving his word & enjoying his quiet presence.

I've discovered that these moments often represent the most authentic, memorable times of worship. Regardless of the music I lead, my imperfect quest is to allow God to create a space of quiet within my heart so I can genuinely respond to Him.

So here’s the challenge: how can you lead worship with the same authenticity in the sound as you do in the silence? How are you cultivating spiritual space within your worship services that engage the heart and not the head?