Worship is a huge part of my life. When I was 8 years old, I joined the kids choir at my church and have been a part of their worship ministry ever since. Now, after 10 years of experiencing various worship leaders, venues, and styles of worship, it’s safe to say that I am passionate about the art of worshipping my Lord and Savior. By no means am I an expert on the subject, but I wanted to offer a little insight on what I’ve experienced these past few years.

Leading worship can sometimes be one of the hardest jobs in ministry, but I would argue that it’s also one of the most rewarding. Being able to see a congregation’s heart soften to the message of Christ being sung over them is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Sometimes we invite the congregation to the “altar” (for our church it’s just the front of the stage) so they can pray with our pastors and counselors for whatever is going on in their lives that might be difficult for them. It always amazes me to see people lay everything down and giving their struggles to God in this way. Many times, people are so moved by the experience of praising God that they accept Him as their Lord and Savior for the first time in their lives. Being a part of this decision, even indirectly, is something supernaturally satisfying.

In my opinion, I would say there are roughly three types of worship. The first type would be kids worship, where most songs are joyful and energetic. Even though the feeling in the room is not as serious, the kids are still worshipping their Lord as effectively as the adults do. The next type would be traditional worship. Most of the songs for this type are Biblical hymns, and a lot of older adults enjoy it because of the truth they hear in the lyrics. The last type is contemporary worship, my personal favorite. Most of the teenagers and college-aged members enjoy the freedom that this type includes. Lots of songs include “woahs and ohs” as well as repeated phrases that really gets the congregation’s heart in the right place to truly worship Him.

Here’s what is most amazing to me: no matter what type of worship you encounter, there is always an opportunity to truly engage in worship. If someone decides to stand around with their arms crossed and ignore the message that the worship leaders are trying to get across to them, that is, of course, their decision. But if you’re reading this: please, PLEASE don’t do that. You are missing out on something extremely wonderful, and I promise that singing praises to God is like sweet honey-covered goodness. It doesn’t matter if you can’t sing well, or if you’re too afraid to raise your hands in surrender to Him. I would just encourage you to sing as loud as you possibly can and focus on the lyrics. You’d be surprised at how quickly God can speak to the exact struggles you’re facing. Just because someone next to you is raising their hands or jumping higher than you during worship does not mean they are more engaged than you are. Everyone expresses their praise to Him in their own unique way, which is the beauty of true worship.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’re going through—you have an opportunity to decide to fully engage in worship, and I think that’s one of the most spiritually rewarding decisions you can make.