The role of the church planting worship leader is unique calling. To fill this role, lead pastors are hoping to find a guy who is anointed, pastoral, artistic, and also a beneficial member to their team. They want a worship leader who functions more like a pastor, who can help champion the mission, vision and values of their church. Adding to this, there are limited budgets, relational equity that must be invested, and a lot riding on the modern role of the worship leader.
Pastors often feel as though they may as well be looking for a “golden unicorn” when it comes to finding the right guy. While this diagnoses is well put, my aim in this post is help aid church planters and worship leaders alike in raising the bar on expectations.
Essentially, as worship leaders, we need to think different. We need to resign the notion of functioning like an artist in residence, and take the priesthood God has given us seriously. Shepherding in any capacity is a great thing to seek, but also comes with the gravity of thinking differently. Here are three ways to help you think more like church planter in the way you lead an emerging worship ministry.
Think like a pastor in the way you lead worship.
If you have the title of worship pastor, then be a worship pastor. As a worship leader, you have a sacred trust in leading the people of your church in worship on a weekly basis. This is your most visible form and influential scope of pastoral ministry. With this in mind, use your stage time wisely.
In scripting liturgy, you should clearly think through the songs you are choosing so that they are biblically faithful, Theocentric, Gospel-centered, and evangelical. Begin to ask yourself if the songs you are choosing are the best songs for your church to be singing. There are so many songs available now to the church, we have to be specialists at narrowing the scope. This is a pastoral function, just as your lead pastor filters through commentaries to separate truth from error. How do the songs you choose affect and teach the theology of your people?
Look for opportunities to serve your people in a pastoral function. Modeling corporate prayers, and praying the scriptures are a great way to teach your people how to pray. Champion and teach on the scope of worship in the church, the family and in personal devotion. The more you think pastorally, the more you serve your lead pastor. These are great ways to start thinking like a pastor.
Think like a pastor in the way you lead volunteers.
As a church planter, you don’t have the opportunity to specialize, you have to function as a generalist until you are leading enough people to help shoulder responsibilities. As the worship leader, you are dealing with many of the same tensions.
You may be the worship pastor of a small church, and also doing student ministry, or helping with small groups. You are probably responsible for all media elements of a weekend service. This can be overwhelming if you are expecting to be able to show up with a guitar, plug and play. The refining process of having to build something will forge the foundations of character. Embrace this season of ministry and allow God to use these things as both a means of sanctification and also a tremendous opportunity to grow as a leader.
Recruit as many people as you can to serve in ministry. I am not calling for mediocrity when it comes to excellence. I am calling us to be better equippers of men rather than assessors of potential. Early on, I did everything except run sound during our services. I wasn’t qualified, but I was available and wanted to serve. As our church grew, I recruited people to help with everything, and have tried to empower them for ministry. Many worship leaders bottleneck their ministry growth by only allowing a few select people to participate in worship ministry rather than actively recruiting people. Think like a pastor in the way you lead.
Think like a pastor in the way you live.
Live the Gospel out in front of your people. Without a heart to see your community impacted by the Gospel, you will end up being a hindrance to the mission of your church. Look at how your lead pastor lives and imitate what he does. What comforts has he sacrificed in planting a new church? There is great sacrifice required in the process of church planting. There is also great reward. Where does he spend his time? Many worship leaders miss the opportunity to invest quality time in strategic leaders within their church. If you are not spending regular and consistent time with people in your church, make it a priority.
Look at your role as worship leader more as a partner in ministry rather than a musician for hire. This again is a different way of viewing your role in the church, which needs to be clearly defined and communicated from your lead pastor. What we need to avoid is pulling the musician card as an excuse for things we are comfortable with, or things that don’t come natural. There are no excuses to not living out the Gospel in a sacrificial way.
My prayer is that we as worship leaders will embrace the fullness of our roles within the context of our local churches. There is a price to pay in spiritual growth, but the prize is Christ. I pray we will walk with a renewed awareness of our priesthood, and operate in its fullness. I pray that you will be a blessing to your church and serve her in a Christ like way, in laying down your life for her – the greatest demonstration of pastoral love.
