Pastor as overseer of worship music does not mean he has to pick every song out, but it means that he certainly can. Exercising oversight can be done from near or from far, but it must be done. Pastor if your church music is missing the mark theologically, or is unsuitable for corporate singing, you not only have the authority to do something about it, you have the responsibility to do so.

Most people would typically understand and agree that one of the pastor’s main responsibilities is the weekly preaching and teaching from the pulpit. Further, most would agree that the pastor is the overseer of the doctrine that is taught in the church, although it is most likely within the bounds of the confession or doctrinal statements already laid out by the church.

Though preaching is likely focal point of the pastor’s ministry, let us not deduce the office of pastor (or elder) to his being merely a preacher. (Although the term “merely a preacher” may be a bit of an oxymoron. Preaching the mysteries of Christ as revealed in the written Word of God is no “mere” task).

In Titus 1:7, as Paul is laying out the qualifications for elders (“elder” is synonymous with “pastor” in Scripture), he refers to the elder as an “overseer.” “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach” (Titus 1:7). An overseer is one who oversees what has been put in his charge. The pastor is an overseer of what is God’s, namely His church, as the text refers to him as “God’s steward.”

Furthermore, in 1 Peter 5, Peter is addressing the responsibilities of elders. “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you…” (1 Peter 5:2a). Here Peter describes the responsibility of the pastor as “exercising oversight.” Peter illustrates this responsibility of oversight by exhorting elders to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you.” A shepherd does not merely feed his sheep, at least not a good one. A shepherd feeds, defends, protects, cares, guides, directs, and tends to the wounds of his sheep. A good shepherd exercises complete oversight over his sheep, keeping in mind what is in their best interest. The pastorate is not a dictatorship, it is stewardship.

This is what the office of pastor entails, oversight over the local congregation God has given him to steward, not just over the pulpit. There are many ways in which this plays itself out. In this post, I would like to speak to the area of worship music.

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The source for this document was originally published on “xyz.org” – however, the original URL is no longer available.]