In Sunday morning American church, facilitating worship is our secondary role. Our primary role is to deliver music and song, so we would be more correctly titled as Music Leaders or Song Leaders. The music team ideally needs to deliver the song from start to finish without any mistakes, even if it means this takes so much concentration that an individual musician may not be personally worshipping (but in a different sense, truly is worshipping because they are giving service to God). In delivering the song at high musical standards, we are giving the people in the audience the best possible environment in which they volitionally worship.

The leader’s presentation portraying apparent personal worship or an interactive approach or something in between is a matter of personal choice. What an audience member wants that best facilitates their worship is also a matter of personal choice. There is no Right Way or Wrong Way.

To facilitate all types of audience worshipers, I advocate a second tier of on-stage worshipers, each with a different style. The band is the first layer driving the song consisting of the musicians and the primary singers anchoring the harmonies. The second layer responds in worship in their own way, some with eyes closed, some interactively, and some at other points in between. Some members of this layer may not be using a microphone: some of them are seen but not necessarily heard. The band’s focus is delivering the song; the second tier’s focus is portraying worship. Hillsong’s full-stage approach exemplifies this. It allows meeting the worship environment needs of many different types of people.

“…the role of the worship leader is more than personal worship.”

Obviously, we all agree we should be worshipers, but leading is really important.

Good word. I remember hearing that phrase “Lead Worshipper” many years ago and totally being on board with making sure the person in front is worshipping God first, but as I have progressed in my ministry and actually led worship for a while, it has become clear that the role of the worship leader is more than personal worship. I definitely get frustrated with leaders who begin singing with their eyes closed and don’t ever open them.

I really like your term ‘balance.’ I agree. Obviously the worship leader needs to be in a place of worship of God, but in a corporate setting, they also need to be interacting with the congregation and ‘leading.’

Again, Good Word.

matto

But still a great post man

Also, I feel that it’s very difficult to lead people in worship (or anywhere) if you don’t know where they’re coming from spiritually. LEADING WORSHIP HAS TO BE STRATEGIC!

Case in point… I didn’t grow up in the Church so I don’t know a lot of hymns. However, because I am a worship leader and I know that there are people in my current congregation that love hymns, I’ve had to make a conscious effort to learn a number of hymns. Not my preference, but my obligation, my calling, my job.