What is Worship Leading?

The Unique Musical Work of Worship Leading...

Confession: I was a church musician before I was a Christian.  As an undergrad I was recommended to a local Lutheran Church looking for a choir director. They asked me a lot of questions about music and about who I was as a person -- but NEVER asked me about my faith. Not one question! Since then I have served on many church staffing committees, and we always ask for a formal statement of faith, not to mention talking about it during the interview process. I don't blame the group interviewing me --  I sincerely believe that God clouded their minds and stopped their mouths in a significant miracle that would change the course of my life.

Twenty plus years later, as I continue to lead worship and train worship leaders, the incredible uniqueness of this work continues to surprise me. When it is authentic, it has elements of performance, but it is quite unlike performance. It has elements of deep individual worship, but it is unlike worship. It is vital to the mission of the church and the experience of the believers present. I consider "worship leaders" to be not only contemporary singers whose faces are in front but also instrumentalists, choir members, keyboard and organ players -- anyone who helps the congregation experience God through music.

Worship leaders need to have experiences and times of authentic worship, but how is individual worship different from worship leading? I think that in worship, there are only two "players" involved: the worshipper and God. The experience can vary extremely from calm listening to ecstatic charismatic experiences, but authentic worship it is a closed circuit of connection and relationship. Others around you cease to matter and awareness of them on some occasions simply falls away. It is intensely personal.

I believe the best worship leaders are also skilled performers. Performing is also about connection, however, the connection is between the performer and the audience. Though using talents certainly glorifies God, connection to God is not part of the performance. The best performances have an aspect of relationship where an audience feels connected to the performer and through that performer learns or lives something larger than themselves. The performer invites the audience into involvement with himself or herself, and the more honest and vulnerable the performer is, the more successful the invitation is also.

Worship leading, though leaning heavily on both of these aspects, is unique in that there are now three distinct players involved: The congregation (audience), worship leader (performer), and God. The aspect of invitation in the best performances is the same and absolutely vital, however, the worship leader's invitation is now not to relationship/connection with him or her, but with God. The worship leader must maintain the aspect of personal worship because without a real relationship with God, the invitation to join it is hollow and empty. However, if the worship leader if the experience between the worship leader and God becomes too intensely personal, the congregation is shut out and no longer invited into the experience and connection. Similarly, if the worship leader becomes too involved in her or his relationship with the congregation it leaves God out of the picture and quickly becomes false.

The worship leader, like any other leader during a worship service, sacrifices some aspects of worship in order to lead others. This is not a negative thing -- it is a willing act of self-sacrifice that I believe is pleasing to God.

The ultimate responsibility of a worship leader, then, is to begin with a cultivated, authentic relationship with God and then to openly and vulnerably invite others into that relationship through music and worship. In order to do this the worship leaders must also build skills in their instruments or singing performances and extensively rehearse as a group in order to bring the highest quality of music possible to glorify God. I have seen and experienced some phenomenal musicians fail at worship leading because they didn't bring their best efforts/individual practice/rehearsal because it was "just church."

Worship Leading is daunting, difficult, and an incredible commitment. But what could possibly be more rewarding than inviting people into a closer relationship with God through an art form that we love? It is important work that brings with it the frustration of striving to improve, dedication, commitment, and moments of intense joy.