Comments on: Worship Leader or Sunday Singer?

By: drew

drew — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:31:14 +0000

After 25 years of waiting, I got to see U2 recently.

If our churches were as geared up for Jesus as we were to see those 4 lads from Ireland, I’d call myself a Worship Leader on Sunday Mornings.

Sadly, for now, I am a lead singer.

By: Chad

Chad — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:08:01 +0000

I don’t have an issue with the title, whatever it may be. Being a people who are called a “kingdom of priests”, aren’t we all called to participate in leading others to God (our family, our peers, etc etc etc) in some way? In some ways pastoring, in some ways worship leading, in some ways teaching and so on and so forth. Maybe we don’t need to be scared to call one person the “worship leader” – after all, they’re the one leading the time of corporate worship? It doesn’t make everything else we do fail to be worship, by calling that specific time worship. And it doesn’t mean that no one else in the room is leading someone else in worship.You know?

By: Erik Lokkesmoe

Erik Lokkesmoe — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:04:59 +0000

My agency, Different Drummer, is distributing Hillsong United’s one-night, live from AUS into 500 US theaters on November 4. It is going to feature two new worship songs from the band, as well as their justice documentary WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

Check out these two sites:

http://www.ncm.com/Fathom/ConcertsAndMusic/Hillsong.aspx

http://Www.theiheartfilm.com

Would you consider posting messages to your subscribers, posting of the trailer, etc about the event, encouraging audiences to attend?

Let me know if you are interested! Thanks for your consideration. We were back-stage at Catalyst — didn’t get a chance to connect — but Catalyst is going to be pushing this event over the next two weeks.

Best,

Erik

By: @bennysalas

@bennysalas — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:51:39 +0000

good topic….. I recently attended a church that my wife and I been so excited to check out and was so amped to worship with this congregation. Man was I wrong! My wife and I were sad and as my wife stated she wanted to cry, as we dashed out before the service ended. It felt like we were at a rock concert than a worship service. I get the whole lights, camera, action approach but when the person leading worship is singing and not ushering in the presence of God, where have we gone with corporate worship? I wont go into details about the actual service because thats another issue, but the worship stage was packed with light, musicians, singers, media and yet the spirit of God was not present at all! Please Blog more about the issues of the Concert or the Con-Church approach to worship…

By: Nathan Lewellyn

Nathan Lewellyn — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:37:42 +0000

This video will get you thinking….this is a down snydrome stud from our church…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL1PUEgkU5M

By: Erica

Erica — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:24:13 +0000

::walks over to team “I don’t care what you call it.” ::

You know a lot about a person by the way they treat the people they view as lower than themselves and will stick by 1 Cor. 13:1-3 on this one.

I agree, leading a congregation in worship on a Sunday morning is a very small percentage of the “job.” So many people clamor for that position, and yet, very few fathom the gravity of what it requires of them.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:03:42 +0000

I’m with Mandy and Brook. The problem with “worship leader” is that it equates worship with singing praise tunes. Shouldn’t the entire service (including singing praise tunes) be an act of worship? I was raised Protestant/non-denominational/evangelical/whatever you want to call it and I’ve come to the conclusion that one of the weaknesses of our way of “doing” church is that there’s little in the way of way of sacremental mystery/awe in what we do. We worship by singing and then feed our intellects with the message when perhaps we’d be better off if the entire service was focused on engaging, as a community, with God — worshipping Him.

By: CJ Carr

CJ Carr — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:00:43 +0000

To call oneself (or anyone else) a worship leader puts heavy burden on that persons shoulders. To be the person to carry us into the realm of God is a HUGE task, and we have to live in that everyday, no matter what. I understand we all slip up and we all make mistakes, but worship leaders have to be in the word and in the presence of God daily. Such a huge burden, but I don’t mind the term, because in fact it’s what we do. (not us so much as God working through us) but that is what God has called us to, to lead his people to the throne of God and worship him with no abandon.

But I prefer worship pastor. =)

By: Steve Long

Steve Long — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:09:30 +0000

Can one really lead another in….worship? Is song singing worship? Is worship a corporate activity….? Really? Use examples that connect worship to corporate singing in the early church? What is the word ‘worship’ connected with most in the Old Testament?..In the New Testament? Any example of one leading another in worship in scripture? Was there any singing involved? Does worship really require over-amplification, and repeated phrases (in multiples of 8 sort of like vain repititions but not exactly I guess)?Would it be appropriate to use scripture to see whether it is appropriate to call a song leader ,or a cantor a ‘worship leader’. I’m thinkin’ worship is a whole ‘nother thing than what happens in our cultural expression of a ‘worship’ service. Infact I’m not sure that worship can be contained in a service and I don’t think there ever was a worship ‘service’ in scripture in the way we ‘do’ it.

By: Jen Brewer

Jen Brewer — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:29:06 +0000

yes, if worshiping God is your primary goal. If it’s not, then no. If your more concerned about how you sound or if what you are singing is attracting more people or making them feel uncomfortable, and that is o.k. at your church, then no. To me, that is the point at which it becomes an idol.