If the church isn’t singing with hearts full of love and affection for Christ, then we missed the mark. May God find true worshipers in our churches.

I’ve always struggled with the title Worship Leader. It’s not that I think it’s unbiblical, I’ve just always thought it may miscommunicate something about worship. Typically this title is given to the guy who leads the singing, which, if we’re not careful, may cause some to think that worship happens only when the music is playing. To be most accurate, the entire Sunday gathering is a time of worship. We worship as we sing, certainly, but we also worship while we pray, and listen to God’s word, and take communion. For better or for worse though, the music guy normally gets the title. As the music guy for the last 14 years at our church, I’ve noticed that there is something I have to fight for each week: I have to fight to worship while leading.

Concerns While Leading

To lead the church in musical worship is a great gift, but there is a lot to think about. Before Sunday ever rolls around, I’m putting together and praying through a list of songs for each Sunday. I’m working out which keys and arrangements are best for the congregation. We practice and think through transitions between songs, orchestration, and tricky spots in the music. We are thinking through how we can be excellent and beautiful without being distracting. And when Sunday finally rolls around, we stand before the church and pray that all our pre-work isn’t for naught. When we are playing we are paying attention to the words, the chords, the rhythms, our cues. We are paying attention to the congregation. I’m personally hoping that I didn’t make a mistake on the powerpoint. And once Sunday is over, it is Wash, Rinse, Repeat for next week. Did you notice anything missing in this list of things I’m worried about? I’ve not yet reached the heart of why I’m even here.

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