The Worship Leader, Part 2

Passion 2

I am finally getting back to a little series on the worship leader that I began two weeks ago.  I started off with background on me and the road that I have walked to be where I am today.  Today, I want to look at the role of the worship leader.  I did a Google search on this topic and ended up with a ton of blog posts from various individuals.  I was reminded how much this position is still very new and developing, as it's existence has been less than 30 - 40 years.  Wikipedia had this:

A notable feature of contemporary worship is the worship leader. A worship leader is normally a musician (often a guitarist or pianist) with good singing ability whose role it is to lead the congregational singing. Many composers of contemporary worship songs are also worship leaders. The worship leader has a prominent role in contemporary worship services and is responsible for much of the spiritual direction of the meeting and often will choose the songs that will be sung. This can be contrasted with traditional churches, where the entire service is normally led by a member of the clergy.

One quick thing that strikes me off this is the incredible responsibility that a worship leader has.  Being responsible for the spiritual direction of the meeting is HUGE!  So many people aspire to be on stage and they have no clue the weight that role bears.

According to the above definition, I see a few roles that every worship leader fulfills: planner, facilitator/teacher, musician.  In effort to keep these from getting to long, let's look at probably the most unknown aspect of a worship leader's job, but one of the most vital...

Role 1: Planner

Church services today range drastically in style, format, and time.  This is where the worship leader, usually one of the primary planners of a service, has to be intimately involved in what's going on.  I can only speak from my experience and from those I've had the privilege of talking with, so here's the process I go through.  Steve, our pastor, will meet with a group to discuss and set the topics of upcoming series, usually, 3-6 months in advance.  Once this is done, our Creative Team will begin to brainstorm and dream about how we can package each series so that it is fresh, engaging, and culturally relevant.  Music is a big part of this for TrueNorth. Our music philosophy is that we will use styles of music that are popular in our culture today, as well as Top 40 type songs that connect with those who may be visiting for the first time that are still unconvinced in regards to Jesus.  Engagement is huge!  If someone walks in and hears a song they know or music that sounds like what they listen to everyday, they will engage in the message of the service much more.

My approach to planning a service is to weave a theme throughout the music that is consistent with the message topic.  This prepares people to hear what is said better, but also leads us to celebrate and reflect on specific characteristics of God.  For example, we recently did a service on compassion.  Each of the songs we used built upon that topic, leading us to sing and declare that we would go and love those in need.  It was a powerful service as all of the elements of the service (music, message, video, prayer) flowed together perfectly.

I want to tread carefully here because it can be easy to stop there when planning.  I am guilty of this, as are so many others out there.  But the most important part of planning is pursuing God and His plan for the service.  Spending time in prayer and study takes the written plan and transforms it into a unique encounter with the Living God.  I confess that, after leading worship for over 10 years, I have learned how easy it is to fake worship.  I can learn the songs, the phrases, the exact moment when I should throw my hands up in the air, but it is so empty.  The times I have experienced an incredible outpouring of God's Spirit is when I am pursuing Him and allowing Him to lead.

I am going to close out with this: No one can lead worship better than the Holy Spirit (believe me, I've tried!).  No can plan better than the Holy Spirit (believe me, I've tried!).  But it can be the biggest struggle for a worship leader to remember this and practice it.  So I would encourage you to remember the worship leader(s) in your church in your prayers.  We need the support and encouragement that comes from that.

Next time...the worship leader as facilitator/teacher.