Inspired by one of the posting threads in the forum, I've been thinking a little about the role of the worship leader in the context of the church team.
I was interested to read a thread in the forum on one persons experience of being asked to play certain songs rather than given the freedom to choose themselves. It has got me thinking about the role of the worship leader in the local church. The first thing to say is that there is no 'one size fits all' model for leading worship. Worship leaders, like expressions of worship, come in all sorts of glorious shapes and sizes. But a worship leader is a good place to start if we're thinking of having a time of worship: they're the ones we invite to prepare, plan, pray, and then lead the rest of us into that place where they're ready to go.
Anyway, here are three random pre-morning-coffee thoughts on the role of the worship leader:
[1] Lead Worshippers are Worship Leaders
"David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to sing joyful songs, accompanied by musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals". Then later it records, "Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it." (1 Chronicles 15:16 to 24) If you have time, read this passage in full. I love that the bible is full of details about worship teams, because God is obviously concerned with the details. David appoints a team and a leader to lead people in worship. He released Kenaniah, the leader of the Levites, to lead the worship because that was Kenaniah's gift.
There's been a bit of a trend in the church lately to major on the worship leader as the 'lead worshipper', which has been helpful to remind us that worship is a heart condition, but sometimes I wonder if we're in danger of loosing the sense of the responsibility of the worship leader as the leader of the worship. The worship leader has been asked to lead worship and is therefore spiritually and practically responsible for praying, getting there early, choosing the songs, practicing, and then leading us in worship. We need to grow leaders who are confident in taking risks, stepping up with authority to lead and supported by the rest of the church leadership team.
I remember when I first started to lead at church as a student, I would feel absolutely terrified and out of my depth. But the most reassuring thing was that every time I led, the then leader of our church Sandy Millar, would stand facing me in the front row, encouraging, smiling, watching, supporting. The same is still true today. Our worship leaders don't stand up to lead worship on their own, they're supported by the leaders of the church. If we are to see a worship reformation in our generation, we're going to need to value and encourage our worship leaders.
[2] The Worship Leader is there to lead the worship
The worship leader is not the warm up act before the preacher gets on: the worship is the main deal. Worship involves everything we do from the way we welcome, to the singing, to the preaching, and the main reason we 'do church' is to worship God. So we need to encourage our worship leaders to own the responsibility and calling that is theirs. If you've been asked to lead worship, you must prayerfully, sensibly and creatively approach that time of worship with faith-filled expectancy. Let's not devalue the currency of the worship leader by reducing our worship leaders to holy karaoke machines. It is a spiritual activity and must be cherished and valued.
We encourage our worship leaders to get on with leading the worship. We have a play list of about 20-30 songs we're majoring on that season in the church, and we encourage the worship leaders to mostly use these as it keeps us all on the same page, but then it's up to them. They must have the freedom and trust to step out in their gift and learn to lead people. If we simply chose their set lists each week, they would never work out what helps to lead people into the presence of God. To be honest, we've had some bad moments when the worship has gone a little pear-shaped, but our team of worship leaders have grown incredibly and I honestly think they're incredible now. We need to allow worship leaders to get on with leading the worship.
[3] Loyalty releases Trust
We value character and relationship above gifting. As worship leaders we must not fall into the trap of creating the 'Priesthood of the Worship Leader', where we can only be approached with feedback if someone has bathed themselves in the blood of sheep and abstained from road rage for one month. We're not super-Christians, we're servants. Our attitude has to be one of openness, willingness to serve, happy to do anything. It's a brilliant habit to pester your church leader asking for feedback, showing you're open and keen to be part of the team. This attitude will be repaid with trust and permission. If your leader knows you're there to show loyalty, to help, to serve, to do anything they ask you, then you'll find they'll release to get on with it.
Trust is something that has to be earned with the hard currency of obedience. We see it in the relationship between Paul and Timothy. Paul had worked with several younger guys who used to travel with him. One of them ditched him when things got rough, but Timothy had stuck with him through thick and thin. Through unflinching loyalty had earned the great Paul's trust, and his letters to Timothy are special in that they are written to a person, firstly a "true son" (1 Timothy 1:2) then later a "dear son" (1 Timothy 1:2). You can feel the full force of Paul's affection and trust in Timothy in his letters to other churches:
"I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served me in the work of the gospel." (Phillipians 2:20-22)
And then in the letter to the Corinthian church:
"Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church." (1 Cor 4:15-17)
We desperately need more Paul's to encourage and invest in young leaders, but we also need more Timothy's who will be obedient and faithful. The word 'guardian' is interesting: it is the distinction between teacher/pupil. Paul is saying that the church has lots of people queuing up to tell people what to do, but few real Fathers. Around Fathers new life springs up, they encourage, cherish, correct, but above all love their children.
If we are going to see our churches empowered to worship in spirit and in truth, we need to take hold of the responsibility that God has given us as worship leaders, we need to maintain a high value on the times of worship we lead and above all we need to sow loyalty if we're going to reap a harvest of trust and blessing. Keep going!
I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments and experiences too.