You won’t find a worship leader in the New Testament. This is unsettling for those of us who look to Scripture as our guide. No description of our role? No instruction for our work? Not even a mention of our name?

You want to be a good worship leader. You want to serve your church and honor God. Where do you start? What are the essential ingredients? It’s right there in the name. It starts with being a worshiper and a leader.

Embrace God’s Design For Worship

Although passages about sung worship under the New Covenant are rare, they aren’t non-existent. Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5 provide valuable insight. Jesus sang a hymn on His way to the garden. Paul and Silas sang in chains. Revelation gives us glorious images of angels, elders and peoples from every nation singing and praising. These verses give us a helpful start, but they’re only the first step in the right direction.

There is a rich, deep treasure of Scripture on what it means to worship God rightly. They may not reference sung worship specifically, but that’s okay:

• Romans 12 tells us that worship is wholehearted sacrifice.

• 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us worship is transformational and fixed on Jesus.

• John 4:23 tells us worship is in Spirit and in Truth.

• Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us worship is only through Jesus Christ our Mediator.

And many, many more.

You Cannot Worship What You Do Not Know

To worship God rightly, you must know Him intimately. This means consistent, personal time in His presence, seeking His face. This means intentionally studying the character, nature and attributes of God: the person and work of Jesus Christ. The person and work of the Holy Spirit.

I say learn to worship God “rightly” because it’s possible to worship God wrongly. Many in the Church are unwittingly worshiping a false god. A god of their own design. A god they’ve fashioned into their own image. A god that looks more like a combination of personal tastes and pet doctrines than the God of the Bible.

Jesus revealed to the Samaritan woman, “You worship what you do not know.” Jesus rejected the Pharisees and scribes declaring, “In vain do you worship.”

Let’s not allow the same to be said of us.

We can’t look solely at our favorite celebrity worship leaders to know what true worship looks like. Scripture is both the anchor fixing us to the truth of God and the map leading us closer to Him.

When The Leaders Lead

A good worship leader is a good leader. You can be a great singer but a poor leader. You can be charismatic and engaging but a poor leader. You can hold the title “Worship Leader” but be a poor leader.

How do we become a good leader? Once again Scripture is our guide. It may not tell you how to plan your services or who to choose for your volunteer team, but it does give clear instructions for the leader.

• John 3:30 shows a leader seeks the fame and glory of Jesus.

• Philippians 2:3 shows a leader counts others more highly than themselves.

• 1 Peter 5:3 shows a leader is not a ruler but an example.

Jesus is our perfect example of a leader. He was a servant. Bold in His convictions. Committed to prayer. Loving, gracious and patient with His followers.

Countless volumes have been penned with leadership lessons from Scripture. Indeed, growing into a Godly leader takes a lifetime. Don’t let that discourage you. Start now! Become a student of Scripture and what it says specifically to leaders. Surround yourself with good leaders. Find a mentor.

Become a worshiper who knows God and worships Him rightly.

Become a leader who knows their people and serves them sacrificially.

A worshiping leader. This combination is fierce and powerful. A mighty weapon in the hand of the Lord to be used for His purpose and His glory.

I walked to my car disappointed.

I found myself wishing our church family was more engaged. More hands in the air. More passionate singing. More of an obvious, visible work of the Lord.

Our Measure of Success

My experience after a recent Sunday morning is something worship leaders everywhere struggle with. We’ve all enjoyed those worship services. You know the ones. A reckless abandon in praise. An unashamed adoration. Voices lifted high to the Lord.

For churches with a contemporary worship style, this type of visible response has become the goal. Success is measured in how many hands are raised, how many eyes are closed, how many knees are bent. In short, we measure in visible expressions.

A Better Measure?

But I want to push back on that type of thinking a little bit.

The Bible commands and instructs us to physically engage in worship with visible expression. But it’s important to remember that visible expression is not the only way we worship. I would suggest it’s not even the most important way we worship.

Jesus calls us to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.

When we worship through singing, dancing, kneeling, shouting or lifting our hands, we’re mostly worshiping God with our heart (and some strength). Our emotions are stirred toward the Lord. We lift up religious affections. We feel the joy of the Lord. We feel His smile toward us.

The reason I left this particular gathering a little disappointed was because we never quite reached this place of obvious, visible adoration. Through the lens of our contemporary worship movement, this could be seen as a failure.

Visible expressions are a part of our worship. But they’re just that – a part.

There is more.

Worship Listens

On this particular Sunday, we began by reading Psalm 146:1-9. The living, breathing, word of God was read loudly, clearly and unashamedly.

It didn’t have the energy of a driving drum beat. The flurry of a melodic hook. The subtle drone of an artfully crafted keyboard patch. But the word of God is more powerful and more beautiful than any of these things.

The word of God will endure forever.

The word of God is breathed from God Himself.

The word of God has the power to cut to our very soul.

Although it’s important to sing our words to God, it’s even more important for us to hear His words to us.

Worship Gives

We also recognized that giving financially is just as much an act of worship as singing a song. Perhaps even more so. Why? Because to worship something means to invest in it. To give yourself to it. To sacrifice. To pour yourself out even when it isn’t easy or convenient.

The words “I Surrender All” are easy to sing but very hard to live. Financial giving takes the songs we sing out of the theoretical and brings them into the practical. It puts weight behind our words. It demonstrates to the Lord that we mean what we say.

Now passing an offering bag doesn’t have the smoothness of a sly transition. Writing a check or punching an amount into an app doesn’t have the effortless ease of simply closing your eyes. The pang of letting money go when there is already so little to spare is in stark contrast to the pleasure of being swept away by a rich musical arrangement.

But is it possible that more genuine worship is happening in these moments of giving than in most moments of singing?

Worship Remembers

Psalm 105 tells us to “Remember His mighty deeds.”

I was homeschooled throughout my elementary years. As the fifth child, my mom had pretty much worked out her teaching methods by the time I came along. I would ask a question, desperately hoping for just a simple answer. That never happened. She would always reply with something like, “Do you remember what we learned last week?” Or “Write it out for yourself and see if you can find the answer.”

Hearing spoon-fed facts takes little effort. Remembering for ourselves requires more.

On this same Sunday, we received Communion. Communion gives us a special chance to remember. We remember that we were once lost in sin. We remember that God’s wrath was poured out on Christ instead of us.

It’s easy to listen to a worship leader sing, “It was my sin that held Him there…”. It’s a little harder to stop and consider the weight of your sin. Not just the idea of sin itself, but YOUR sin. The specific things that have separated you from God, to repent and receive mercy from the Father.

When this sinks in, reverential awe comes over our soul.

This awe isn’t often manifested in clapping, dancing or shouting. This internal work of the Spirit may not be immediately visible during the service. But it will soon be seen clearly when our lives begin to bear lasting fruit.

A New Measure Of Success

Reading Scripture, receiving an offering and taking Communion can be seen as disruptions. Obstacles impeding our precious “flow.” Bumps in the road that jolt people out of their eyes-closed, hands-raised, sonically induced state of serenity.

It’s a wonderful thing when hands are raised and voices are lifted, but ask yourself: Is this your measure of success?

What about a church family hearing and receiving the Word of God? Or a church family worshiping practically and sacrificially? Or a church family remembering God’s mighty works?

Now that sounds like a successful day to me.

Calvary Chapel Worship Leaders Conference | Multiply

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19a).

The call for us to make disciples (ie… students, learners, followers) of all nations “as we are going” or “along the way,” is familiar to most of us who know the Bible and have been walking with the Lord for some years. You have probably heard countless sermons and discussions on the topic as I have. However, I have come to see a few things about discipleship with more clarity in recent years.

The Essential Call of Ministry

At some point in your ministry, you will realize that the most long-term and fruitful investment of your time and energy will come from pouring yourself into others in order that they might grow in their faith and in the giftings God has entrusted to them. However, you might also realize it is one of the harder things we are invited to participate in as followers of Jesus because of the sacrifice involved.

Ministry has always been and always will be about loving, serving, and caring for people. God loves people, of all kinds and all sorts, and He wants us to have the same heart that He has for them. In fact, this was one of the ways I initially discerned God was calling me to more of a full-time, vocational ministry. As I began to see how merciful God had been to me, I wanted others to know the same mercy and experience the same grace.

You might be able to relate. Maybe this is where it all began for you. Maybe that desire is the thing that you center yourself on in both your family and public ministry. Yet it’s easy to lose sight of that.

After some 24 years of vocational ministry, I have definitely found myself in seasons where I have become distracted from that commission. At times, I have become more focused on the craft of ministry (which happens to be music ministry for me) than the people themselves around me daily. Learning and introducing the right songs for our church, growing in my musical skills, getting the right gear, making sure that things sound good as a team, focusing on getting the right mix in our gatherings, planning and scheduling, and aiming for excellence in everything we do can often consume my mind, motivations, and actions. Yet the call of a worship leader is just as much about the ministry we do in leading people to Jesus off the platform as it is about how we lead them to Him on the platform.

To be clear, I do think there is a place for that kind of excellence in ministry, and I have a deeply-held conviction that we should always be growing in our gifts and sharpening our skills—remaining teachable in order that we might always be made more effective in our calling. Being good at what we do gives us a platform to connect with others, and, in turn, to disciple them. Yet the danger is when we spend the majority of our time “being good at what we do” and neglect ministering to people on a personal level.

Over the years, I have heard some use their natural personality or introvert-tendencies as an excuse to focus more on the craft of ministry rather than the people. Yet I don’t think personality differences can excuse us from the commission that Jesus gave to every believer. Ministry is about loving and serving people, and He constantly reminds us of that simple truth through both His words and example. That is our call.

Spiritual Fathers and Mothers

In 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8; 11-12, Paul writes

“But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives because you had become dear to us… as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

He would also say in another letter to the Corinthian believers…

For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel (1 Corinthians 4:15).

Paul was seeking to make disciples, and he saw himself, ultimately, as a spiritual parent. When you read these verses, you can feel the sacrifice and investment he made in these communities (and many others). He was a spiritual father to many, and there was lasting fruit that came from that investment. If you are a parent, I am sure you can relate to that kind of sacrifice.

In this generation, there is a great need for godly “spiritual fathers and mothers” unlike we have ever seen before. So many people come from broken homes and families, and the need for that kind of spiritual care and investment in their lives is massive. To be clear, you do not need to be older or carry the title of pastor, worship leader, or overseer in order to be a spiritual influence in the lives of others. You simply need to have God’s heart for the people around you and a little faith to believe that God will make you fruitful as you invest in them.

Disciples Making Disciples

If you are a follower of Jesus, then you are His disciple and, thus, qualify to be a disciple-maker! Remember what Jesus told His disciples early on:

“Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17).

We get to partner with each other in the work of discipleship as we watch God change people’s lives. As Paul says,

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

I thank the Lord for my parents and many others over the years who have invested in my life, believing that God had a purpose for my existence and encouraging me to use my gifts for God’s glory. But not all have had that experience. My prayer is that, by the grace of God, we can be the instruments God uses to convey His heart and carry encouragement and hope directly to others who need it. What a privilege, blessing, and opportunity we have right in front of us every day to invest in others and see them grow into the men and women God has ordained them to be!

It has been my experience that the most fruitful aspects of ministry over the years have come from loving, praying for, and doing life with people. I don’t want to miss those opportunities right in front of me to invest in others and make disciples because I am too consumed with the nuts and bolts of ministry or life. And I don’t think you do either. We want to experience the joy of seeing lasting fruit from our investment as we grow older in the Lord. Let’s keep that commission to make disciples “as we are going” at the forefront of our hearts, minds, and prayer lives. In the end, it’s not so much about the songs we sing or the ministries we lead, but, rather, the people we get to know and invest in.

^{Scott Cunningham will be speaking at the Calvary Chapel Worship Leaders Conference on November 11-14, 2019.}

This week we at Calvary Creative have been focusing discussion on the theme, “Why We Worship.” We were able to ask a few worship leaders, from different parts of the world, what their thoughts on worship were in their cultural settings:

Calvary Creative:

How is the role of corporate worship/praise valued in your church?

Pankaj Sarkar (Calvary Chapel Kathmandu, Nepal):
I believe since we are created to worship Him only, It is important as the body of Christ that we all take part in cooperate worship. It is important to come and acknowledge His grace, mercy and all that He has done for us.

DK Kim (Mariners Church):
The role of corporate worship is a very high value for Mariners Church. Our Senior Pastor models this by engaging in expressive worship from the front row for every one of our services. There is an expectation and culture that invites everyone into an experience and encounter with God’s presence, and any worship leader up front will lead our church through some expression of courageous response to each service. Worship is also valued in how we are resourced. Besides myself, we have three other full-time worship staff as well as a budget that enables us to incorporate contracted, professional musicians who support the weekend experience.

Tony Monto (Calvary Chapel Las Vegas):
Corporate Worship and praise is a core value at Calvary Chapel Las Vegas. Recently within the last five years, we changed our vision statement to start with worship as a core value of ours (Worship our God, Equip our Church, Reach Las Vegas, and Impact the World). All of the material we use to communicate to our church conveys this message. Our prayer for the last 10 years has been that God would begin to stir the hearts of our church for passionate worship, and He has done exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we could ever ask or think.

Kenneth Nek (Calvary Chapel Kampala, Uganda):
Corporate worship is one of the key considerations in our church such that we are very intentional in choosing songs for worship that will not leave them out but will allow them to connect with God. We are sensitive about the keys of the songs(not too high), the simplicity of the songs without being too complex and the straightforwardness to avoid ambiguity so that we can all worship with one voice and in one spirit.

Zach Hodges (Reliance Church):
We place a pretty high value on it. Six songs in our weekend services and most major events also include worship. It’s not just warm up for the message.

Jimmy Robeson (Maranatha Chapel):

There is a high value of worship at our church:

. The amount of time spent in our services is about 50% for corporate worship
. Each service from kids church, student services and even home fellowships start with times of worship
. We are writing our own songs and encouraged by the pastors to teach these songs during our gatherings.
. Four people on staff dedicated to worship ministry
. Worship events and other special events that focus on worship

Calvary Creative:

Do you have a vision statement or mission that defines how worship is expressed at your church?

Pankaj Sarkar (Calvary Chapel Kathmandu, Nepal):
We don’t currently have one. But I believed worship should be directed only toward God and make sure all glory goes to Him. We need to try to create an environment which helps focus all congregation to God.

DK Kim (Mariners Church):
Yes, we hope “to become a family of worshipers (musicians/singers) who steward and amplify the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in people, songs and environments”

Tony Monto (Calvary Chapel Las Vegas):
Worship is a core value at our church communicated through our Vision Statement. We believe that God has created the church for the primary purpose of worshiping Him. Worshiping God means affirming His worth, expressing our adoration, surrendering our lives to His will, studying His Word, giving generously and serving Him with all our hearts. This is the first and most important purpose for God’s people.

As a Worship Ministry, our vision statement is: Our desire is to create a musical environment conducive to genuine worship in the life of His church. This can only happen as we are submitted to His will and empowered by His Holy Spirit. We believe that praise and worship is the act of celebration and displaying our reverence to God. With this in mind, the focus of our worship ministry is to bring the body of Christ into the presence of the Lord, displaying our joy, love and devotion to Him.

Kenneth Nek (Calvary Chapel Kampala, Uganda):
The vision or mission statement at our church is to love and disciple. We cannot love others until we understand and embrace the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ at the cross. We are very sensitive about constantly expressing His love, for us, through the songs we sing each Sunday so that we will not forget to love others. We are intentional about including a couple of songs about His love on the cross regardless of the theme for that Sunday.

Calvary Creative:

How does discipleship (ie… making disciples) look practically in your worship ministry?

Pankaj Sarkar (Calvary Chapel Kathmandu, Nepal):
Every week we meet and talk about how we are doing. And every week not forgetting to spend time in the Word and Bible study. It is mandatory for the worship team to seat in this fellowship if anyone wants to serve.

DK Kim (Mariners Church):
Discipleship happens through our church-wide discipleship journey called Rooted (for 10 weeks) which eventually launches into Life Groups. Living life in community is one of our highest values as a church. In addition to that, discipleship at varying levels happens through our monthly choir rehearsals as well as quarterly worship team training events.

Tony Monto (Calvary Chapel Las Vegas):
Whether it be in local church ministry, church planting or in missions, we are actively pursuing people in our ministry to equip them to lead worship in whatever context God is calling them to. Whether that is through internships, one-on-one discipleship, songwriting, discipleship through our on-campus high school (Calvary Chapel Christian School), our heart is to help raise up the next generation of worship leaders.

In addition to that, we desire to serve those who are currently active in the worship ministry. We are always looking for ways to offer growth and development in character, leadership and craft, and to build community in our worship ministry.

Kenneth Nek (Calvary Chapel Kampala, Uganda):
Discipleship is one of the key areas in our worship ministry. Every Friday two people from the team will lead in fellowship. One to choose songs and lead the worship and another to teach and lead us through a discussion based on a biblical text, inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is the responsibility of the people leading that week to choose the next leaders for the next week. We have seen tremendous growth in confidence and biblical understanding among our team members, and also the desire and hunger to study and to grow in His word.

Zach Hodges (Reliance Church):
We’ve got dedicated overseers for children’s, jr. high and high school worship. As young people show interest or potential, we try to bring them along into the larger group, often pairing them with more experienced people. Establishing this culture is something I’ve worked on since it does come at a cost to the “quality” at times. But everyone agrees it’s important, and it’s definitely starting to show some fruit after a few years of work.

Jimmy Robeson (Maranatha Chapel):
A big part of the discipleship process with me is one-on-one time with those interested in serving with us. Many people aren’t quite ready to join the team, but I spend time with them, helping them develop their skills and a heart for worship. We have a worship internship that includes a small group of young people with a heart for worship. Our weekly writing sessions are discipleship groups that focus on digging into the word of God and writing songs for our church to sing.

Calvary Creative:

How do you choose your worship teams and schedules?

Pankaj Sarkar (Calvary Chapel Kathmandu, Nepal):
We do schedule them since we have so many players. We have schedules for three months ahead. We rotate the team members, but we observe them if they are new on the team. We want to make sure that person really understands that we are here to serve not to be served.

DK Kim (Mariners Church):
We choose our worship teams and schedules by dividing the musicians from our vocalists. Our music director will book all musicians, and for the most part, keeps the core band consistent (drums, keys, electric, percussion) and places complementary pieces around that core band. Our worship director schedules all vocalists. We tend to do vocal teams that are around three to five singers deep, in addition to the worship leaders. Worship leaders are scheduled by the worship pastor (me) and tend to be a rotation of twice a month for each worship leader. There is also a high value for co-leading the services so there will almost always be two worship leaders that lead the weekend together.

Tony Monto (Calvary Chapel Las Vegas):
We have a high standard for excellence in our worship ministry to skillfully lead worship for the local church. Auditions are always open to join the worship team. We have a two-part auditioning process which includes:

First Audition: Hearing them at their best (favorite song to play or sing), and at their worst (giving them a song to play or sing on the spot)

Second Audition: Hearing them with practice (giving them songs to rehearse for a week)

We are honest with each person through this process. If they are not ready to be in the worship ministry, we help provide or direct them to resources that will grow them in their craft.

We utilize Planning Center for our worship ministry, which has been a huge resource for the multiple services we are scheduling for. We prayerfully consider each month as far as scheduling our worship teams. As we schedule each month, we consider a few things such as a different direction of the Holy Spirit in regards to our own liturgy, special dates coming up in our services, choir Sundays, specific requests from our pastor, volunteer availability, etc.

Kenneth Nek (Calvary Chapel Kampala, Uganda):
On a regular basis, young people will come to me expressing their desire to be a part of the team. I will make an appointment with them on the Saturday before practice. I normally start by asking them why they want to join so as to hopefully know their motives. Then check their voices or instrumentation skills to see their level and know what to do next. If they pass, I then go ahead to inform them of the waiting period of three months, if they are new to the church. I also inform them of the requirements for their Saturdays to be free, at least three out four Saturdays, for practice.

We have three teams, one for our first service in Luganda, a local language between 8:15 am to 9:45 am, another for two English services, 10:15 am and 12:15 pm for two hours each and the third one for our francophone brethren from 3 pm to 5 pm. I have two assistants who I rotate with on a regular basis.

Zach Hodges (Reliance Church):
We hold auditions for worship team membership, and there’s an application process. We have a team for Saturday service and a team for Sunday, each built around a different leader. (No paid worship staff, a church of over 1,000, so we have to be careful not to burn out!) We deliberately don’t have consistent teams or bands. The leaders get together every other month to make the schedule together because it’s mega hard and complicated. We combine people’s availability, how often they serve, their skill level, the experience level of the leader, stylistic pairings, development pairings, etc. to create teams for each week.

Jimmy Robeson (Maranatha Chapel):
On Wednesday nights, I lead our team (Maranatha Worship). The singers, keyboard players and string players, who are all volunteers, let us know their availability. That usually means about two times per month for each of them. We hire our drummer and bass player.

On weekends, we are split between John Wickham, Kayla Wickham, Daniel Bentley and me. We each lead a weekend and support the others on the other weekends by playing acoustic, piano keys, vocals etc. John Wickham’s band are all volunteers from the church. When Kayla, Daniel or I lead on a weekend, its similar to the Wednesday night setup.

Calvary Creative:

What role does your senior pastor have in planning and defining worship? What does that relationship look like for you?

Pankaj Sarkar (Calvary Chapel Kathmandu, Nepal):
I think it is important, as a senior pastor, we need to explain what we want or how we want our worship team to take part in cooperate worship. For me, as a senior pastor and worship leader, I make it clear that this is what I want. I think that helps. I really enjoy hanging out and sharing my experience with them.

DK Kim (Mariners Church):
The senior pastor is our lead worshiper and models this at every service as mentioned earlier. He gives our team a tremendous amount of trust and freedom to lead each experience and simply cares that people meet with Jesus in our times of worship. Every once in a while, the pastor will have a song “request” to follow his message, especially if there is a specific response he wants to lead our people toward. Another way that our pastor is involved is in how he includes our weekend team in all of the series planning meetings so that we can all get on the same page and lock into what is ahead. It also helps that the senior pastor and worship pastor are friends.

Tony Monto (Calvary Chapel Las Vegas):
Our senior pastor plays a significant role in defining what our worship ministry looks like. We believe that the worship leader and senior pastor’s relationship is vitally important, especially for the value of worship in a church. We have weekly meetings with our senior pastor, and he has always opened his door for any questions or input we are considering. Our heart is to involve him as much as possible in worship because we desire for the teaching and the worship to be knit together by the Holy Spirit. We don’t specifically pick songs based on the topic of teaching or areas of teaching, but our prayer is that the Holy Spirit would lead us and knit the two together.

We have a great relationship with our pastor. If he asks us to do a song, no matter what song it is, we do it, because we trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit through our pastor. But he loves our input as well, and there’s a special trust that he has in us to lead the congregation in worship. The trust goes both ways. Our pastor is passionate about worship, so even in the songwriting process, he is involved. I think one of the most important relationships for healthy worship in the body of Christ is the relationship between the pastor and the worship leader. Without unity, worship will fail.

Kenneth Nek (Calvary Chapel Kampala, Uganda):
I normally report back to our senior pastor about what is happening in the worship ministry, their spiritual and technical growth and their personal lives when necessary. He also gives me feedback from his observations. He is very supportive of my ideas and initiatives for the ministry. He also gives me free reign to determine what’s best for the ministry.

Zach Hodges (Reliance Church):
He’s fairly hands-off, mostly trusting me as the leader to make things run well. For the big services, we collaborate more, and I try to have fairly regular check-ins about how things are going. (It’s an unusual situation because he’s also my father-in-law)

Jimmy Robeson (Maranatha Chapel):
Ray and Shawn don’t specifically pick songs or approve songs. They trust us to pick appropriate songs. They do recommend songs that they are loving and sometimes ask for specific ones they know might fit their message. Shawn and I meet every week to talk through the Wednesday night message, and I tend to try to pick songs that fit from that conversation.

We would like to thank all the worship leaders who took time to share their thoughts on these questions!

A lump was forming in my throat. My eyes were wide. I had thought about this moment so many times. Was it really here?

I was subtly aware there was more to leading worship than hitting the right notes, singing the right words and not making an absolute fool of myself. I was subtly aware that there was something more. A bigger reason. Another purpose for why I was on that stage. I was subtly aware, but I wasn’t sure what that reason was. And honestly, I don’t think I cared.

I was 13 years old and had spent the last year of my life endlessly practicing guitar in my bedroom, a year on the sidelines of my midwest country church youth band, waiting for my number to be called.

So what was it? That seed germinating in my heart. Was there more than just avoiding embarrassment? More than playing a few nice songs and trying not to distract anyone?

What was my role as a worship leader? What was I trying to accomplish? Maybe you’ve wondered too.

Why We’re Here

I believe Psalm 34:3 provides the perfect description of the role of a worship leader.

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together!”

A telescope uses a series of lenses aligned in such a way that, when you look through them, objects far off in the distance can be seen clearly. Do you remember the last time you looked into a clear, night sky? Massive heavenly bodies appeared as small, blurry dots of light.

Now if you had a powerful telescope nearby, these same blurry dots would suddenly fill the entire scope of your vision. Their surface and color and edges would become radiant and vivid and magnificent. Their intricacy and beauty and detail would be overwhelming.

Imagine our songs and prayers and scripture readings are lenses in a telescope. Suddenly what was once distant and shrouded by clouds becomes the all-consuming vision of majesty it really is.

How is it that the Eternal, Almighty One, the creator of the universe, the sustainer of all life, can fade into the blurred spots of our peripheral vision?

It would seem unthinkable if it weren’t yours and my daily reality. Somehow our worries, busyness, obligations, sin, hobbies and leisure take center stage.

What can a worship leader do about all this? I like to say it this way.

The role of the worship leader is to bring the wonder of God into large, vivid focus before the hearts and minds of our church.

. We celebrate His character.

. We describe His attributes.

. We tell of His wondrous works.

. We marvel at His creation.

. We rejoice in His plan for redemption.

We magnify! We magnify the Lord by proclaiming His greatness, by exalting His Name, by giving Him honor. We magnify the Lord by showing forth something of His excellence.

Anyone who encounters the living God does not leave the same. When we are exposed to the glory of God, we are amazed by His power, astonished by His greatness, in awe of His love.

That’s Not Your Job

I keep discovering, more and more, incredible gifts God chooses to give us as we worship Him together. The believer is encouraged and edified. The unbeliever sees that God is among us. Our suffering Savior brings comfort to our heart. He brings joy through His presence. We are filled afresh with His Spirit. We receive His strength to be a voice of love and truth in our world.

The disconnect occurs when we, as worship leaders, try to MAKE these things happen. That’s not our job.

Some of you see yourself as a worship mediator. There is a room full of people and a God in heaven. Your job is to act as the middle man connecting one with the other. You feel a weight and pressure to make this happen. You feel the disappointment when it doesn’t. This is a burden no human can carry.

“For there is one God, and there is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6a).

How do we “enter the holy places” (Hebrews 10:19)? How do we “draw near to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16)? It is only by the blood of Jesus. Only through our great high priest.

So take a step back. Breathe a sigh of relief. Release the reins. Your role is to magnify, not mediate.

I didn’t pass out. My voice didn’t crack. People even joined me in singing on that first day I lead worship. But I’m so thankful that since that time, I’ve discovered what it means to lead worship with a true purpose. I’ve come to know what part I have to play in this powerful kingdom work.

We cannot make anyone worship God. But we can make much of who God is.