The role of the worship leader is, as the name insinuates, to lead the church in corporate worship. The worship leader is to the senior pastor as Aaron was to Moses. Aaron’s duty was to be the high priest and to lead Israel in their services of worship during Holy Days and every Sabbath. Aaron, like the worship leaders/pastors of the church today, are to be the bold, unwavering leaders for the church as they come together corporately to profess their allegiance to God Almighty. What I would like to do now is to give five pieces of advice to our worship leaders that I have come to know over my years of standing before crowds, large and small, leading them into the presence and awesomeness of God.
Understand what worship is.
I can assure you that there are thousands, maybe millions, of worship leaders in America alone that lead worship every week for their church yet lack a clear, Biblical understanding of worship itself.
When studying worship, we need to consult Psalm 95. In Psalm 95, we see the Psalmist constantly call on the people of God to engage in many actions: come, sing, make a joyful noise, bow down, kneel, hear, rest (though not directly). If one examines these actions closer than this article can articulate, you will see that the Psalmist is calling the people of God to engage in worship with their mind (hear/listen/understand), will (come, bow down, kneel), and emotion (sing, make a joyful noise).
The definition of worship is ascribing ultimate value to something which engages the mind, will, and emotion. It is our job as worship leaders to lead our church congregation into a service of joyful music where we actively profess our allegiance to God. This means that we are to play and sing songs that speak to God, not about God. If we are playing songs that are speaking to other people, songs such as Come to the Altar by Elevation Worship, we are singing to other people, not God (Come to the Altar is a great song, but it is simply not a worship song). Worship services are to uplift God; discipleship and evangelism are where we communicate to each other. For more information on Christian music vs worship songs, please click here.
Remember that this is a worship service, not a musical performance.
Whether you’re a worship leader who plays and sings, only sings, or only plays, remember that our worship services are not just another opportunity to stand on stage and give a musical performance. I have been a performing musician for many years, and I first began my ministry in worship completely unaware that there is a difference between the two. During the first few months of my ministry, maybe even the first year, I would become more excited about having another opportunity to stand on stage and show off my musical abilities than I would worshiping God.
As a worship leader, it is your responsibility to ensure that the musical aspect of the service is not just an excuse for your or your musicians to play in front of a crowd, but that you are playing for God with the participation of the church alongside you. With this understanding, it takes the importance of musical quality to a whole new level. We are playing for God, not for people, and he completely deserves our time, effort, and dedication to bringing a joyful noise to him.
Reach everyone.
Arguably the cause of most church splits today is the style of music being played in the service. Most churches are either completely traditional (which means they play songs out of the hymnal using nothing more than a piano and organ) or completely contemporary (which means they play contemporary songs with a full band). Churches are splitting every week because worship leaders refuse to play one of the two styles, causing a rift between the people.
How do we solve this? Personally, I prefer a contemporary setting in worship, as the songs we play are familiar and often played on our radios or through our music service like Spotify, iTunes, etc., but I also recognize that many of our members prefer songs from the hymnal. In order to bring balance to the force (I hope you caught the Star Wars pun), I plan a setlist with half hymns and half contemporary songs, but I play the hymns with our full band in an attempt to modernize them. By doing this, we are able to make the hymns sound similar to the contemporary songs; the younger generation appreciates this because it makes the hymns more emotional and dramatic, and the older generation will hopefully come to see that the contemporary songs are simply new songs with the same purpose. By choosing to only pander to one side of the crowd, you are failing at being a worship leader – a person who leads the entire church, not just a portion of it.
Be theologically diligent.
It’s no secret that some songs, both hymn and contemporary, are theologically incorrect. Take for instance The Old Rugged Cross:
The cross is undoubtedly the most significant symbol of all Christianity, but it is not the object of our worship (a plan to write an extensive work of the idolatry centered around the Christian cross, but that is for a later time); the object of our worship is the one who was nailed to it. The Old Rugged Cross paints a poetic picture of us worshipping the cross itself. The final two lines of the hook – “I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown…” – paints a clear picture of us cherishing the cross itself during our mortal life, then exchanging it for a materialistic crown, and that is clearly idolatry.
Worship leaders are leaders in the church, so theological training and discipline is necessary. All through the Psalms, the Psalmist reveals numerous times many theological particulars about God. Jesus tells us that “the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth,” (John 4:23 ESV), and worship leaders bear the burden of theological truth in our services. Train yourself in theology and choose your songs righteously.
Have a plan.
Trainwrecks are going to happen in worship services, and that is ok, but having a plan for each week will decrease the likelihood of them happening and help develop and grow your ministry. The plan does not have to determine the exact time spent for each song or the exact number of times you’ll play each part, but it does need to determine the song list, the vocal leaders of each song, the key of each song, the order of the songs, and provide lyrics, chord charts, and music sheets if necessary for your musicians.
If you do not play an instrument as the worship leader, consult with your musicians after determining keys of the songs and plan out the transitions for each song. Nobody likes that awkward five seconds of total silence between the songs, but it can be avoided with a little practice and musical discipline. Aside from this, be sure you are always consulting with your senior pastor on the plan for the week. He needs to know what will be played or sung in the service so that he can try to tie a verse or chorus line into his message for better retention strategies or to further his theological point.
There are many programs out on the internet that are useful, but I prefer Planning Center Services. Planning Center allows you to do all of this and much more. If you would like to know more, please click here to visit their website.
Conclusion
Worship leaders hold an important role in the church, and it is my hope that what I’ve shared here can help you grow into a better worship leader. There are many things that I have not covered in this short article, but if you put into practice what I’ve said and pray for God to continue to shape you into an effective leader, your ministry will grow and you will reach many people.