Worship Podcast & Blog
If you look on the typical job description of a worship leader, you’ll see a lot of necessary skills. The ability to sing, arrange music, recruit a team, communicate, lead, and pastor people.
But none of these are the most important qualities. Matter of fact, the most important quality is what we assume and take for granted.
But this can no longer be assumed. What is that quality?
Wouldn’t it be great to have a team of the very best musicians?
Not only talented musicians, but ones who continued to learn and develop. Imagine this with me: team members who were constantly researching new gear, investing in their setup, trying new techniques.
Add to that the fact that their attitudes were top notch – they had a heart for the local church. They loved Jesus. They were on time, reliable, not big-headed, willing to do whatever was necessary no matter how glamorous.
Sound like a great scenario? What if I told you this was possible? But what if I told you it wouldn’t come easy and it wouldn’t happen overnight?
I know, it’s not a very sexy answer. Most worship leaders look to the ministries with a lot of notoriety. We wish we had the talent of Bethel. We covet the size of Hillsong. We long for the budget of a megachurch. We want to be handed an ideal situation without putting in the work to build something.
Do you think worship leading as more than what happens in church? I see it as more a way of life than a vocation or leading people in song.
Worship leaders lead with their lives.
The song we sing everyday makes the gathering more meaningful. Private fuel gives rise to corporate fires. And that is everyone’s responsibility. The gathered church can’t rely on the worship leader and the worship leader can’t rely on the church. We have a responsibility to:
“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come into his courts” (Psalm 96:8).
It never says to ascribe glory when you feel like it. Or to ascribe glory when it’s convenient. We’re not called to worship when the band is good. We all have a responsibility.
Leading worship. It’s a term we throw around a lot.
We idolize the uber talented ones. It’s a key position in churches across the globe. But do you know what’s interesting? It’s not in the Bible. God never calls or commands people to lead in worship. That terminology is simply never used.
Sure, there is plenty of music in the Bible. We know we are to make a joyful noise and praise the Lord with loud, clashing cymbals. But there are no commands to lead worship. Why is this? Is this just a human construct that we have completely off base?
I don’t think so. Entirely. We just need to clarify what it means to “lead.” What does it mean to lead people in worship? What is the role of a worship leader? We hear a lot of catch phrases surrounding this:
If I’m honest, some of these statements make me queasy. Why? Because we’re placing too much stock in the worship leader person than the person of Christ.
Have we become too dependent on worship leaders and not dependent enough on Christ?
Going to college didn’t prepare me for leading worship.
Taking music lessons didn’t prepare me for leading worship.
Worship songs didn’t prepare me for leading worship.
Theology didn’t prepare me for leading worship in the local church.
Of course, that’s not entirely true. I learned some invaluable things in college. Music lessons taught me discipline. It’s hard to lead worship without songs. Good theology ensures your leadership is rooted in scripture.
But there’s so much more to leading…than that. And that comes down to the people. It comes down to having compassion for the people you serve. It comes down to leading with bold faith and a broken heart for the needs scattered across the room.
Without sounding too cliche, it’s leading like Jesus did. He was busy yet he could always stop for someone in need. He spoke to large crowds, yet he had compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
He balanced big ministry – the most massive ministry in history – with loving “the one”.
No…I wasn’t prepared for this kind of ministry. But I’m so glad to be learning it.