What is a worship leader? Yes, it is a person who leads other people in
worship, but what exactly does that mean or look like? Well, I can tell you what a worship leader is
not. It is not just a “good singer.” It is
not a pretty face. It is not a person
who is the most connected within the church.
It is not a person who wears skinny jeans and black v-necks. Sadly, it feels like this is what a worship
leader now encompasses. In contrast, a
worship leader is a person who facilitates others in magnifying God through
song. One definition states that worship
leaders “magnify the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the
Holy Spirit by skillfully combining God’s Word with music, therby motivating
the gathered church to proclaim the gospel, to cherish God’s presence, and to
live for God’s glory.” I would like to briefly
point out that it says music is combined with God’s Word. It is not singing songs that create an
emotional atmosphere or show off the vocal range of the group, but songs that
continue to point others towards God and his Holy character. In saying this, I am not against singing
secular songs at the beginning of worship as the crowd gathers. This is something we did at NewSpring Church, and I
saw the impact first hand of how this can be a tool to reach non-believers. I am also not saying this is something I
believe we should do before every service.
I am simply saying that time set aside for actual worship should be
focused on music that incorporates the Word of God and our roles as believers. Summit Church does a great job of this in
that songs are prayerfully selected each Sunday to ensure that they contain
theology that we as a church agree with.
Another issue with worship is that
we often see the same two or three people on the stage every week, many times
because opportunities for others to participate are not offered within the church. Yes, worship leaders must have some musical
ability, but this does not mean they have to be professional musicians. People respond to passion and a true heart of
worship. This is why I love Kari Jobe
and Hillsong so much. You can tell they
love the Lord and desire to show others His glory through song. They sing completely led by the Spirit and
are not afraid to raise their hands or fall to their knees if the Spirit leads them to do so. It is not their voices that draw
people in, but their worship of the Lord.
This is why I believe members of the church should have varying
opportunities to sing or play on stage. Again,
Summit Church does a great job of this. Most
leaders are only scheduled once a month so the church congregation does not associate worship with a small group of people. Additionally,
the church congregation is encouraged to get involved in worship if they have this spiritual
gift, meaning it is not exclusive.
So why have we moved away from true
worship? I already discussed in my
previous post about my experiences in a worship leader culture. In many cases, the church overlooks the
posture of the heart and focuses on outward appearances. Worship is becoming a competition and can be
destructive to relationships. This
lethal environment leads worship leaders to place their self-worth in their
ability, how many times they are scheduled, and whether people compliment them
on their talents rather than finding their identity in the Lord alone. During my Envision Training, we sang “Heart
of Worship.” I had almost forgotten
about this song, but the words really resonated with me. The first verse and chorus say:
When
the music fades, all is stripped away and I simply come
Longing
just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless Your heart
I’ll
bring You more than a song, for a song in itself is not what You have required
You
search much deeper within through the way things appear
You’re
looking into my heart
I’m
coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about
You, it’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord,
for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all
about You, it’s all about You, Jesus
I mean, wow! Isn’t
that so true? He doesn’t care about the
music or the performance or how great the sound was, or whether the female
vocalist hit that high note, or if all the band members played every single
note correctly. No, he cares about our
heart during worship. Worship should
make you want to dance and sing and cry and fall to your knees, all in exhortation for the King of
creation. Worship leads to transformation. Jack Hayford explains
that “worship changes the worshiper into the One worshiped,” and Lamar Boschman
states that “when I worship, I would rather my heart be without words than my
words be without heart.” Empty words
prevent us from experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit and from preparing
our hearts for the day. Worship is meant to focus our eyes on the
Lord so we can receive instruction through a heart centered on God.
Finally, worship fuels missions and
our desire to share the gospel. John
Piper explains this in in his book “Let the Nations Be Glad!” He says:
“If the pursuit of God’s glory is
not ordered above the pursuit of man’s good in the affections of the heart and
the priorities of the church, man will not be well served and God will not be
duly honored… When the flame of worship burns with the heat of God’s true
worth, the light of missions will shine to the darkest peoples on earth. And I long for the day to come! Where passion for God is weak, zeal for
missions will be weak. Churches that are
not centered on the exaltation of the majesty and beauty of God will scarcely
kindle a fervent desire to ‘declare his glory among the nations.’”
Piper is so eloquently warning the church and God’s people that forgetting the true heart of worship diminishes the desire to declare His glory.
Worship fuels our desire to share the love of Christ. “Missions begins and ends with worship.” If worship leaders do not express true worship,
how can we expect the church congregation to desire worship? Therefore, churches should refocus their
attention on worship and the soul care of their leaders. We must come back to the heart of worship,
desiring to magnify the Lord and share His love and grace for us with others. True worship of the Lord among worship
leaders, the church congregation, and all nations should be our goal. Worship is ultimate because God is ultimate.
"Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness." -Psalm 29:1-2
"Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." -Hebrews 12:28-29
No comments:
Post a Comment