Guarding Against an Overemphasis on Performance: An Examination of a Worship Leaders Role in a Corporate Worship Service

Christian Worldview Integration BEGE 3760-02

Cedarville University Thomas Humbert #3622 November 13, 2013

Introduction The term worship can have a myriad of associations. In the last twenty years, corporate worship services have expanded in purpose and understanding. From the traditional liturgical settings to the contemporary rock concert performances, the Christian may end up preferring and attending any type of service between those two extremes. Alongside this expansion, the title associated with the person who arranges and prepares the musical aspect of these services vary between musical director and worship pastor. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the worship leaders role during a church service in order to propose several ways or methods that a leader can guard against an overemphasis on performance, which keeps him or her from fulfilling the biblical aim of this role. This paper will accomplish this goal in three main steps. First, this paper will present a brief biblical definition of worship and what it looks like in corporate worship. Second, this paper will define the worship leaders role and will consider if there is a proper posture for the worship band during a service. Third, this paper will discuss how the congregation is to interpret, participate, and respond to the band and the worship service. Biblical Definition of Worship Worship Definition The idea behind the Greek word, latreu, which means to worship in the way of serving or giving homage, is revealed in Philippians 3:3 ESV: [We] worship by the spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh (Plew 188). The physical demonstration of worship comes from the Hebrew word shaca in Exodus 34:8, which refers to bowing down in reverence and awe (Hustad 272). Another Greek word, proskune also refers to revering the Lord in respect and submission (Plew 188). From each of these definitions we can establish that

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worship is more than singing songs and reciting special phrases. Worship is an active position of realizing that God is the ultimate authority and deserves praise and service. Corporate Worship Definition Worship is more than leaving impressions in a pew or reading words off a projector screen. Martin Luther saw worship as a time of absorbing and responding to Gods Word (Hustad 272). God is the one who initiates and prepares our hearts for a time to meditate on His Word, to remember the great grace that has been poured out on our lives, and to thank Him for all He has done. Scripture paints several pictures regarding worship. We see in Ezra 3:11 and Luke 24:52-32 times when the people worshiped by meditating, remembering, and thanking Him through praise. [Worship] sings, tells, and enacts Gods story, not my story. The primary focus of worship then and now is not me, the worshiper, but God, who redeems the world (Webber 97). The worshipers must keep their eyes fixated on Christ and His redemptive work rather than on man and his accomplishments. Shifting the focus off man and onto God is the essence of the corporate worship service. We do not attend a worship service in order to feel good or draw attention to ourselves. Worship begins in the heart by opening our hearts and minds to seeing Him in a greater way. Public worship is to be a reflection of our own personal walk with the Lord (Whaley 22). We are there to bring praise to His name, and through that God challenges our obedience in daily living and reveals more of His presence (Whaley 182-183). By having our attention directed toward God and knowing Him more, this deters us from having a passive or inactive worship experience. Boredom or drowsiness is a prime example of when the congregants have lost that perspective for worship. The culmination of the definitions of worship verify the reflection of our walk onto Sunday mornings service.

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The Role of the Worship Leader and the Band The Worship Leaders Role Emerging within the last twenty years, the position of worship leader is now a staple in most church services, but foreign in having distinct biblical support. As more instruments were introduced to playing nontraditional praise music, the need for some kind of band leader became apparent. Previously, the music director would arrange and play the hymns on the organ for congregants to follow along in the pew hymnals. The music director would be hidden away in the balcony or out of sight behind the organ. Todays typical evangelical service has more instruments and unfamiliar songs that do not follow a standard, learned pattern, and a leader is needed for direction and emulation. Therefore, to meet this need, Stephen Miller, in Worship Leaders, We Are Not Rock Stars, establishes a worship leader as a person who exemplifies worship in all areas of life as an example for the church to emulate; who pursues God with everything and lives a life of holiness that worship through obedience in all things (Miller 24). His explanation takes the definition of worship out of the realms of the worship service and employs it full time, in everything we do (Colossians 3:17). The worship leader does not stand as a middle man between God and the worshipers. We do not need a worship leader in order to connect and know God more. In a simple way, the worship leader must be a worshiper alongside the congregants (Park 15). He should be in pursuit of knowing God just as much as everyone else in the congregation. This posture demolishes the idea of a service where the worship band is seeking the approval of those listening (Liesch 138). God is the subject manner, not a person, preacher, or the man playing guitar. When we let our focus drift to the services form, style, and relevancy, we sacrifice our pursuit to know Him more (Whaley 22). Within consideration, the worship leader should maintain skillful, high quality

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renditions of songs in order to prevent a distraction from worshiping and focusing on the bad sounds. The worship leaders goal is to keep the congregations focus on Christ, directing their attention and energy toward comprehending, experiencing, and responding to who God is and what God has done (Hustad 180). The Worship Bands Posture The worship leader has the opportunity of creating a band to play along with him during services. The type and number of instruments may vary, but the worship leader will have to coordinate people, practices, and the setup of the stage. These musicians who are invited to join should be held to the same standard as the worship leader. They should not detract from keeping the focus on God. Andy Park, in To Know You More, lays out a series of desireable skills for members of the worship band: interactive discourse with God, a heart that pursues God and lifestyle that expresses the priority of that pursuit, an understanding of worship as a relationship, a personality compatible with the leader and team, and a willingness to follow and serve under the leaders initiative (Park 97-100). All of those qualities help bring a group of people together who understand that honest and sincere motives will make the worship experience genuine and effective (2 Corinthians 8:7-8). Holding to Parks call of the worship team, playing in a worship band should be taken seriously. Walking blindly into a service on Sunday morning is dangerous for both authenticity and quality. Providing music for the service is more than a garage band jam session. As fun as it might be to play together, there should be something different about playing worship songs together. A riff here, a crescendo there, the music should be high quality, but ultimately the band member worships as he or she plays. To get caught up in the music alone misses the point of serving and worshiping. Being intentional with the songs selected, whether that mean dissecting

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the lyrics and studying them during daily devotions or talking about the implications of the songs during practice, both provide a means of going deeper than merely performing the songs. A posture of humility with excellence will only help the cohesion of the worship band. The Congregations Role and Response As much as we want to compartmentalize worship into the sixty minute slot we allow on Sunday mornings, we must resist this tendency. Worship is the overflow of the intentional, private time with God and is highlighted in a public worship setting (Whaley 22). God is the subject of our worship, not the band or the preacher. The congregants are not worshiping the band, the band is not worshiping for the congregants. We remember this by remembering the posture of worship, bowing down in reverence and submission. Often our responses to a worship service make an idol out of the leaders who put the service together. Instead of focusing on the aspects of the service, such as the quality of the program, sermon, or music, we are to reflect on the greatness of God and the way He works and reveals Himself through the service (Webber 110). Employing this perspective change will tear down the calluses of the heart, particularly cynicism. Conclusion By engaging the definitions of worship into a service, our posture, whether be a congregant, worship leader, band member, or pastor, is reverent and compliant to Gods musings, not our own. He should always be the subject of our worship through music. God uses the humble who are willing to give their all. As a congregant we should have a hunger and thirst for authenticity, sincerity, and music that reflects the character of God (Liesch 22). For those involved in the orchestrating of the worship service, remember they are to also worship. Merely performing shows what man can do, but worshiping shows us how much greater God is. This 5 | Page

posture reflects the days of the music director being hidden behind the organ or located up in the balcony out of sight, out of focus. This is where genuine godliness is learned (Liesch 138).

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Works Cited Hustad, Donald P. True Worship: Reclaiming the Wonder & Majesty. Wheaton: Harold Shaw Publishers, 1998. Book. Liesch, Barry. Teh New Worship: Straight Talk on Music and the Chruch. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2001. Book. Miller, Stephen. Worship Leaders, We Are Not Rock Stars. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2013. Book. Park, Andy. To Know You More: Cultivating the Heart of the Worship Leader. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002. Book. Plew, Paul T. "Enjoying Spiritual Worship and Music." MacArthur, John, Ricahrd L. Mayhue and John A. Hughes. Think Biblically! Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2003. 187-201. Book. Webber, Joanne. Ancient-Future Worship: Proclaiming and Enacting God's Narrative. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2008. Book. Whaley, Vernon M. The Dynamics of Corporate Worship. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2001. Book.

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