The Changing Role of the Worship Minister

​Have you noticed? The ministry of worship has changed considerably over the past twenty-five years.

​This is particularly true in Churches of Christ where a cappella singing has been a defining characteristic, and even litmus test of faithfulness. Here’s the short-hand version of our change. Our tribe lived for a century with the presence of a song leader, someone who selects the songs, pitches them appropriately, and gets us started. After that, we’ll do the rest. Now we are recognizing that there is a far greater depth to the role of song leader. What many churches are looking for now is a worship leader.

What’s the difference between a song leader and a worship leader?

A song leader worked in a clipboard environment of worship planning. In the church of my youth we actually had “dear brother deacon” who stood at the back of the auditorium with a clipboard. His job was to check off everyone participating in the worship presentation—which included the song leader. If the song leader was ever late, brother deacon got mighty nervous. The key person in the worship experience was the preacher. The song leader was ancillary. In fact, as long as there was preaching, the worship event could be successful. Singing and music could be left out.
 
Today, the worship leader ministers in a richer, more expansive environment. In fact, the worship leader functions much like the conductor of an orchestra. The worship leader sets the stage, develops the atmosphere, and directs the people through the movements of the worship experience. The preacher appears on stage much like the featured soloist. We look forward to and applaud the soloist, but it is the conductor who has created the experience. That is what the worship leader does today.
 
Cole NeSmith, co-pastor and creative director at City Beautiful Church described the worship leader’s role this way: The true goal is to recognize, create, and amplify a culture of worship unique to where you are.”
 
Right now, I now of five churches looking for worship ministers. All of the them are a bit “angsty” about the fact that worship leaders are so hard to find. As we’re going through that search at our church, here are five criteria that stand out when hiring a worship leader.

1. Character: Does this person portray the character of Christ and worship that attracts us to the divine? This is a huge expectation, but this is the person who is opening us to the throne room of God. We must see in him the results of meeting God.
2. Stream: What stream of worship is this person drinking from? In our tribe we have the Keith Lancaster/Acapella stream, the Zoe stream, and the Ken Young/Hallal stream. In the larger Christian realm there’s Hillsong, Misty Edwards and the International House of Prayer, Bethel, 10,000 Fathers, and others. Whatever stream the worship leader drinks from to quench her thirst is what is going to seep out from her as she leads us in worship.
3. Invitation: Worship needs to be formed with the atmosphere of invitation. In the 20th century environment the worship service worked towards the climax at the close of the sermon with an invitation. Today, we need a culture of invitation that permeates the entire experience, inviting people to engage all along the way, from the moment they look at our website, arrive in our parking lot, enter our doors, and experience God through our worship. The worship leader, as the conductor, is the face of this invitation as he call us to worship then conducts us through our divine encounter.
4. Formation: The worship experience lies at the heart of forming believers and disciples of Jesus. As much as we want to place discipleship in small groups, accountability relationships, and Bible classes, it is the worship experience where we meet God together as His people. The worship leader leads this formative experience. He is truly a minister of spiritual formation.
5. Technical skill: Surprisingly, the technical skills of musicianship, singing, audio and visual presentation, designing the worship set, creating the worship stage, while the most visible and often talked about aspects, are really the frosting and not the cake. They are what we see and may ooh and ah over, but they are not the deeper, more substantive aspects. This certainly does not mean the technical skill set of a worship leader is unimportant. It does mean we need to dig deeper than these technical aspects as we consider the ministry of worship.

 
I pray these reflections are useful to you as you consider your church and the ministry of worship.