I've recently challenged myself to start blogging again, and regularly.
In light of this new challenge, I am kicking off my blogging with a series on Engagement. Now, I don't mean engagement in the "fixin'-to-get-married" sense, but in the "connectedness" sense. Although this post is being written specifically with worship pastors in mind, I think this series will be helpful for anyone in a leadership position, especially in ministry-related affairs.
As a worship leader, I am concerned with pursuing excellence in my craft, and that means two things: musical excellence and pastoral care through the medium of music. Many times, worship leaders forget that they are in charge of a congregation for a short while, and it is their duty to help them respond to God. Because of this, they usually focus on becoming better musicians--better singers, better guitarists, etc.--and forget to stay tuned in to what is happening in the localized body of Christ they serve. Our role as worship leaders is to not only put forth music that is excellent, but to also care for people through our music.
Because we are musicians, I want to hit one facet of leadership through music first. The music that we put forth is important for multiple reasons. If we present music that is anything less than our best, it becomes distracting and yanks the congregation's focus away from God and directs it at us. If we bring poorly chosen music to a service for a congregation to sing, we are hurting their ability to respond to God in a healthy manner. Katie Eckeberger, a traveling worship leader, once said, "At the end of a service, people go home singing the songs we perform--they shape people's theology." We have a responsibility to the body to play our music well and to play well-written music.
How do we care for people through our music? We stay engaged with the body of Christ. While out touring and playing at various summer camps with my worship band a few summers ago, I learned that my worship ministry was never effective if I never learned the campers' names. It seemed completely unrelated at first, but I soon learned that the more I played volleyball or ate meals with the campers, the more I knew them and they knew me, the better worship was. Once I got to know them, I began to hear their stories, and their stories helped me lead them. Their stories helped me know how they were hurting, how they were rejoicing, and how they released those emotions. I knew them, they knew me, and I could lead them because they trusted me.
Trust between a congregation and a worship leader is something that I had never heard mentioned until just a few months ago, when one of my friends and fellow worship leader said she looked forward to having me lead her in worship because she trusted me. We have led worship together before, but I think she trusted me because she and I have lived a lot of life together. She knew my heart, and she trusted me.
We are called not only to musical excellence, but to the care of those we lead in song. To be effective leaders, they must trust us. This trust is gained by performing music at the highest level possible, and by living life with them. We are all human, all sinners, all being renewed in Christ Jesus. By performing excellently, they will trust us to care about our crafts and take pride in our work. By living with them, they will know our hearts and trust us to lead them into the throne room of the Living God.
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried. - G.K. Chesterson
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