Do you know the most important question to ask a worship leader?
No, it’s not how well you can sing.
It’s not how many songs you know.
It’s not what instruments you can play.
It’s what is your God story? Why do you love Jesus? Is your faith current?
Too many of us have a public ministry but no private devotion. We’ve been thrust into a prominent role without proper depth. Not depth in the sense of how many Bible verses you know or some outward standard of measurement.
Depth in the sense of Psalm 1:
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”
These are the kinds of worship leaders God is raising up and our churches need.
It comes down to having a faith that is current, alive, and real.
When King David says in Psalm 27 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?”, notice he’s not saying the Lord is a Light and a salvation. He’s not simply making theological observations. He’s making personal confessions of his history in God.
He has a story to tell. He’s gone through the fire and seen that God is faithful. He’s gone through tragedy and seen that God is good.
His faith is current, alive, real.
What is Your Story?
What about you? What is your story?
It’s not enough to know the Bible, increase in knowledge, and know the ins and outs of Reformed or Arminian theology. We’re not a fellowship of debaters. As Paul Tripp said in a recent podcast, the goal of Bible reading is not proper theology and Biblical literacy. It’s transformation. It’s humility.
Your walk with Jesus must become your own. You can’t fake it. You can’t receive it from someone else. You need your own daily walk, your own story, and thus – your own history of walking with Jesus.
At the core, do you really know God? Does your theology have a practical outworking in your life? When you study Scripture, are you brought to tears because of its application in your world?
This is what I want to know about young worship leaders. Are they growing in humility and love or are they on a path of self seeking? Do they leave a sense of God or a sense of their own talent? Do they lead others to see Jesus or themselves clearer?
Why can’t there be a balance? I know people who know more theology and can debate more points than I ever will. But they lack a brokenhearted humility that comes from knowing Jesus.
I also know deeply profound, emotional people who read the Bible, but skim it more for personal application. They don’t dig deep. But they really love Jesus and always have a story to tell of what He’s doing.
Where is the balance?
Aim for both – in your life and in the young leaders you are developing.
What about you? In your discipling, what are you after in young worship leaders? Let us know in the comments!
[ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″]
I have several “God stories” if you want to call them that… I think one of my most astounding “God stories” was when HE started preparing me that I was going to be a worship pastor. He started preparing me literally 6 months ahead, almost audibly at times. Unmistakable moments where I knew God was showing me what was ahead.
I was so confused because I “knew” what God was telling me but I couldn’t understand it at the time because we already had a worship leader who had been doing it for many years and for no reason could I see him stepping down or moving anywhere. For six months, the only person I shared these moments with was my sister. After several times of signs and words from the Lord, I finally gave in to what the Lord was speaking. I couldn’t understand it, but I gave in to HIM. I said “OK Lord. I hear your voice and I will follow you”…I remember sitting at the kitchen table telling my sister the latest of the moments that God had shared with me. An hour after we finished talking, we got the phone call….Our worship pastor had unexpectedly passed away!! As sad as we all were, I sat “totally astounded” because I knew I had been chosen for a great task. I had no training. I cannot play an instrument. I am not “qualified”. But I was “called”. All I can do is sing… But for this point in my life, it is enough. God has blessed me and has since moved me to a church where I am absolutely humbled to lead over 500 people into worship. I may not know a lot about ANYTHING. But I do know how to tell people about my JESUS…… Sometimes, all you need is HIM……..