16/08/2026
After more than four decades of standing on stages, Michael W. Smith has learned something that every worship leader needs to remember:
The worship leader is not the one we came to worship.
Smith, whose career includes more than 15 million albums sold, dozens of No. 1 songs, Grammys, and Dove Awards, recently warned that worship can become too focused on personalities, platforms, and applause.
“We can all say, ‘Well, we’re doing it all for Him,’” Smith said, while noting how easily social media can become “me-focused.”
His conviction is simple: worship leaders should ultimately disappear into the purpose of pointing people to Jesus.
That is a needed reminder in an age where worship can sometimes look more like a concert, and Christian leaders can become celebrities.
Smith even recalled words that deeply convicted him: “The Lord doesn’t share His glory with anybody.”
But his message isn't one of condemnation. It is also one of hope.
Smith says he is witnessing something beautiful among young people, particularly Gen Z. He describes young Christians worshipping, crying, singing, and openly responding to the Gospel. He believes we may be seeing the beginnings of another significant spiritual awakening.
He points to younger artists such as Forrest Frank as examples of believers boldly sharing their faith with a new generation.
And perhaps this is where generations can learn from one another.
Older believers have stories of what God has done.
Younger believers are hungry to encounter Him today.
The answer is not competition between generations. It is unity around Jesus.
Smith's upcoming House of Worship project brings Christian artists from different generations together, reminding the Church that worship is bigger than any individual singer, song, stage, or platform.
Because at the end of the day, the question is not:
“How many people know the worship leader?”
It is:
“How many people encountered Jesus?”
May our churches never become places where people leave talking more about the performer than the Savior.
May our worship point upward.
May our leaders walk humbly.
And may this generation discover what generations before them have learned:
Jesus alone is worthy of the glory.
Credits: The Christian Post/Leah MarieAnn Klett
