# What makes a worship leader?



## Wannabee (Jan 28, 2009)

*Q. Why do you place so much emphasis on Who leads worship at the events in which you participate?*

*A. *I have a very high view of the role of the worship leader. I view leading worship as a sort of pastoral responsibility to which one must be called, and for which one must be equipped. Unfortunately, we live in a time when every kid who knows five chords and ten songs thinks God has called him or her to be a worship leader. Hence, there is a flood of young, inexperienced, untrained, and often biblically illiterate worship leaders who have done nothing more than learn the top songs off of a few worship CD’s. This is a travesty!

These guys go on to steal songs from men and women whom God has anointed and gifted to write songs, and use them to make CD’s of their own. All of this is done in the name of having “product” to sell on the road, or to promote ones self as a worship leader. Imagine John Mayer going into the studio and saying, “forget the hard work of producing an original album, lets just take the top ten songs from last year and put them all on my new CD this year.” That would be unthinkable! Nevertheless, that is what is happening every day with so-called worship leaders in this current generation; and they think that paying someone a few cents per copy makes it ok. I would rather not be a party to that.
I also do not think it is a good idea to work with people with whom I do not share a ministry philosophy, or theology of worship. I do not think that a worship leader and a preacher should just be thrown into the mix together because they are both “good at what they do,” and they both “love God.” That’s like putting a wishbone quarterback on a run-n-shoot team and expecting him to do well because he has great athletic ability!

A good voice and a love for God is not the sum total of a worship leader’s qualifications. Nor is it the ability to “move a crowd.” There is the question of the depth of one’s theology and how that depth is communicated in the songs one chooses to use, and how one chooses to use them. There is the ability to choose songs that are appropriate for the given audience and occasion. There is the ability to sense where God is leading and moving during a service, or a series of services (I.e. choosing response songs that suit the manner in which God is calling people to respond to what they’ve heard).

These are just a few things that must be taken into consideration. Unfortunately, they rarely enter into the decision of whom one will invite to lead worship. Often, the only questions asked are, “does he do the songs our people like?” and “does he sing well?” That is the type of shallow, carnal approach to ministry I try to avoid.


Voddie Baucham faq


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## Hamalas (Jan 28, 2009)

Sadly, this is all too true! Musical ability and talent is important, but so is piety, humility, reverence, and theological depth.


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## JonathanHunt (Jan 28, 2009)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. May God speed the day that the only 'worship leader' in any church is the Minister of the Gospel.

Reactions: Like 1


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## OPC'n (Jan 28, 2009)

I'm not sure you could call what my church does as a worship service like the nondenominational churches or pents. The piano is in the back so not to take center stage. My pastor verbally calls us to worship, he prays for help to worship, God through the pastor greets us with His blessing, we sing a song, he announces His Law through Scripture, we confess our sin with a prewritten repentance prayer, he announces His Gospel through Scripture, we sing the doxology, and then he preaches his sermon, then we sing a song, then confess our Faith (creed), he prays and then we all pray the Lord's Prayer, then we give our tithe, then he prays, and we end with another song. All the songs are from our hymnal book. During these stages we stand, sit, stand, sit etc.


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## Tim (Jan 29, 2009)

Worship leader = pastor (elder), called according to the Biblically presented criteria in the NT.


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## jaybird0827 (Jan 29, 2009)

Tim said:


> Worship leader = pastor (elder), called according to the Biblically presented criteria in the NT.



Exactly!


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## Tripel (Jan 29, 2009)

At what point did "worship" become synonymous with "music"?


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## Michael Doyle (Jan 29, 2009)

It would seem none of that article is rooted in scripture but merely the desires of the men and women of the contemporary church. I agree with Jonathon and Tim as well as I find the scriptures to correspond to what Sarah posted.

I played in the contemporary worship band at a mega church as the lead guitarist for 6 years. I have repented of that man centered dabocal(sp?) My opinion is certainly tainted but agree, worship has very little to do with music but music is incorporated into worship along with the reading of the word and prayer, etc.

My


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## JonathanHunt (Jan 29, 2009)

Michael Doyle said:


> I played in the contemporary worship band at a mega church as the lead guitarist for 6 years. I have repented of that man centered dabocal(sp?):



Debacle. Good word for it.


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