Worship Mythbusters 4.3: The Role of the Worship Leader

WMB 4.3 -- I am taking WMB and writing a few posts in this series about the ROLE OF THE WORSHIP LEADER. This is part of a series here

MYTH: Worship leading is not performing.

This is a myth! What is better said is that worship leaders lead in the act of performing worship.

Many in our churches like to use the word “performance” and make it another projectile at the worship team. They enjoy the fact that they can say a worship leader should not be performing, but worshiping as he leads as if the two are mutually exclusive. It means that his preparation is devalued and the attempt at beauty and form are discouraged. Worship expression or liturgy to many is simply a means, not and end. Really, it is an act to be performed.

FACT: Worship is an act that is performed. It is not random, it is intentional. It is a choice. So, worship leaders perform an act that leads people into this act. Yes, you are performing when you worship!

FACT: Worship leadership needs preparation. Many think that a good heart, or good intentions means good worship leadership. Wrong. Become good at guitar, sing in tune and work on your craft. Any preacher worth his salt work on communication. He or she does not assume his desire to communicate is enough. The effective preacher prepares.

FACT: Beauty and form help lead people in worship. Yes, the look of your room, the sound of your music and the overall atmosphere matter. You tell a story beyond the lyrics or sermon through everything that touches the senses. Leaders know this and address this. Thank God for good architects who understand how to design a room. Form is important. Without structure, we lose any sense of taking people somewhere in worship. Form has a story, meaning and application.

An entertainer uses his or her skills to intentionally engage people in a performance of music or comedy. A worship leader is similar, even though the performance is worship through music or other forms. The worship leader is like a performer--intentionality, preparation, and execution of form and beauty are all part of leading worship.

by Rich Kirkpatrick

Rich Kirkpatrick's Weblog

Worship Mythbusters 4.4: The Role of the Worship Leader

WMB 4.4 -- I am taking WMB and writing a few posts in this series about the ROLE OF THE WORSHIP LEADER. This is part of a series here

MYTH: The role of the worship leader is to help me the individual worship.

This myth centers around the idea that we as worshippers put a responsibility on a worship team to help us as individuals worship. Really, worship is the responsibility of the individual. The role of the worship leader is to provide an environment for the enitre congregation to worship, not just the individual. I like what I heard worship leader Brian Doerksen say a few years ago to worship leaders: “We provide a safe place for people to meet God intimately.”

Meeting God intimately does not mean it is just me meeting God. It is “us” meeting God. It is my individual choice to worship, but I choose to express that as part of a group at church on the weekend or at my small group. A worship leader’s role is the environment to facilitate that. That really is all we can objectively do for others as worship leaders.

FACT: Worship is my responsibility, not the worship teams

Really, my job as a worship leader is to not worship for you as a vicarious expression of worship. Watching the worship team go at it and feeling something from that does not mean I have offered anything at all. Really, I have to consider that the time I am there for “worship” is to give something, not watch something. That is more up to me than what is up on the platform stage.

I cannot give to any other person the responsibility of my heart. My heart needs to be offered by my will as well as my sincere devotion. Otherwise, it is not me worshipping. It is me watching someone else do it.

FACT: Feeling personally moved in worship services does not mean I am worshipping.

We can experience inspiration in a worship service without ever offering worship. We can tear up, and feel moved yet never decide to give our heart. Just like going to a movie or concert may impact us deeply, it may not be part of us making actual life choices. When we come to a worship service the hope of the worship leader needs to be to facilitate life-changing decisions rather than simply being effective offering an experience.

As a worship leader, it is easy to feel great by the engagement people have with what you are doing and that indeed is important. However, if people engage it does not always mean what we think. We need to hope to see that we are leading people in that experience to focus on following Jesus completely.

FACT: Worship leading involves me worshipping as part of the community.

If I put my individual wants over offering something as part of a community I am asking the worship leader to make the service only about me. That is just silly. The more mature you are, the more you realize that you come to gatherings for the gathering to offer a worship expression. It is not just about you having an opportunity, it is about “us” having an opportunity.

In this age of mass customization, no worship team can really succeed with pleasing your needs exactly as you see them. Even with churches that offer multiple styles or times to worship physics demands limitations on options. I need to give up my entitlement and realize that Jesus is entitled.

What is better is to see how you and I can contribute to the group’s worship expression. The better a worship leader actually aids a person in contributing as part of a group, the better leader he or she is of a worship service. How that happens is not easy.

by Rich Kirkpatrick

Rich Kirkpatrick's Weblog

worship mythbusters!

Worship Mythbusters 5.0: Expressiveness in worship verses legalism

WMB 5.0 -- How does expressiveness fight against legalism in our liturgy is where I am going today in this WMB post. This is part of a series here

MYTH: Loud, expressive, extravagant, joyful worship is not as holy as quiet, still and austere worship.


Of course the goal is not to enjoy your expression of worship, or to reach a certain decibel level. The goal is to offer our lives, and in the context of liturgy, our communal life as a church. What happens in a church is a person who has some tattoos walks in, and begins “feeling” it while some of the staid-suburban-Dockers-wearing-Christian-veterans in the pews begin to feel something else--resentment.

Sinners when turning to God can’t help but celebrate

Often, in a church setting we see those who are sinful and coming to Jesus very expressive and excited. For some reason, being “mature” means that you want quiet worship and depressing tempos. Some of these beloved saints feel it is worldly since the ones who like the volume and have tears streaming down their cheeks are ones that they have “heard things” about. This narrative is nothing new.

When Jesus encountered one woman in the Bible, she took some very expensive perfume, broke the jar and literally poured thousands of dollars worth of beauty product on His feet. I bet her weeping was loud. I bet the volume in that room was not a “time of reflection” but a time of celebration. She loved Jesus so much that she dared not miss an opportunity to show it in the most bold way. After all, Jesus was a leader, teacher and single man. This must have been awkward to those watching this scene live.

One thing to note is that her reputation thinly qualified her at best to being in the room, if you do not realize Jesus as a friend to sinners. The idea that she cleaned her life entirely up before offering to Jesus is in question. In fact, could she have? Or, are we really like her living a hypocrisy cluttered with failed motives, even if our outward reputation supersedes hers? How dare a person with such a past or recent past come and offer Jesus something so extravagant!

Social action does not excuse us from extravagant worship

The legalists in the room thought things were whacked. Imagine if our volume in the church brings in people who do not have money or who have professions beneath ours. Or, do these kind of people tithe? Look how they are wasteful. In fact, we could rid ourselves of our sound system and feed the poor with it. This is exactly what happened in regards to this woman. Judas, wanted that money in his purse and used social action as an excuse to not worship Jesus himself.

Often, today I hear people say that corporate worship is not necessary if we are feeding the poor. Well, feeding the poor is not optional. Neither is coming together as believers to worship Jesus in a grand way. We need to sit at His feet, in order to learn to be His feet. It is a “both and” not one or the other. We cannot assume we are devoting ourselves to God by filling our need for altruism. That emotion is not worship any more than being entertained by a rousing worship band.

Legalists resent extravagant worship

Expressive worship has problems for legalists. Remember King David’s wife? She despised her husband's expressiveness in worship. She wanted him to be solemn and was embarrassed by his crazy dance of worship and celebration. David loved God. How often are we critical of mature Christians or leaders who are expressive? We would rather things be quiet, not loud or expressive or joyful or big or in public!

David knew the grace of God, so he worshiped as a grace-filled soul. Sometimes we scowl and frown at grace-filled people because we have yet to know and accept that we cannot earn favor with God. We like being scared, guilty and prideful that somehow we can earn points with God. So, our worship at times has to reflect that.

We become emotional ascetics. We hate it when people are joyful in worship. And, because of that, sometimes volume becomes an issue. Why party in freedom and grace when one can wallow quietly in the pity that they are frustrated in earning their way to God.

It’s a good thing when people worship with expressiveness!

Now, not everyone can worship to rock music. That is cultural. Not everyone “feels it” when an electric guitar drops an open “E” or when the kick drum thumps your chest. But, if someone else does, isn’t that a great thing!

written by Rich Kirkpatrick

Rich Kirkpatrick's Weblog

PASSION : a grateful heart

"Oh Lord you have given me so much, please give me one more thing - a grateful heart.."

Word for the World Christian Fellowship

presents....

PASSION: "A GRATEFUL HEART"

Grazie, Arigato

Merci, Danke, Toda

Gracias, Shukran,

Xie xie, Kamsa hamnida

Mahalo, thank you....
...Salamat

No matter how we say it, its the language of the heart giving thanks to the Lord.

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