Music, Mediation and the Modern Worship Leader: Part III

See Part I and Part II

Under what umbrella does a worship leader function? Though visually there can be an element of the priest in front of the assembly, what New Testament categories can we work with? Is worship leading a spiritual gift or a form of pastoral ministry? Or something else?

The way I see it biblically, the worship event has a few elements at play.

The Action: Right position before God, right proclamation of God (Part II)

The Atmosphere: Spirit and truth

The Audience: Heaven and earth

The Atmosphere

Beyond the particular act of worship, our worship must be placed within a broader context or atmosphere of “Spirit” and “truth.” The New Testament doesn’t have a lot to say about the musical aspect of worship. Jesus said the Father was seeking true worshipers who would worship Him “in spirit and in truth.” Paul’s teaching on music and song can be summed up in two complementary passages, which I think speak to what Jesus Himself said.

1.       Spirit – Ephesians 5:18-20

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.”

Here we see the context for music in the church is that of being (continually) filled with the Spirit. Singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is one outcome of the Spirit-filled life. (It also ties in with Luke I think, who emphasizes the speech acts of tongues and prophecy as signs of Spirit filling in Acts.) True worship is an overflow of the heart which spills out of the mouth. A heart that has been baptized in the Spirit cannot help but gush praise.

As worship leaders there can be a temptation to be filled with something else – our own sense of importance, an unbalanced performance mindset, or even just our own abilities. It’s so important to lead out of a place of being immersed in the Spirit. If I’m not being continually filled with the Spirit as a worship leader, I can easily pump myself dry.

I think understanding worship as a Spirit-filled activity can also help to place the role of a worship leader under the umbrella of gifts of the Spirit. Nowhere in the New Testament is music listed as a spiritual gift, but it is and should be a Spirit-filled activity. Like the other spiritual gifts, their purpose is to build up the body so it may be healthy and complete. It’s why these songs are directed not only to God but to each other.

Any other implications for worship in terms of being Spirit-filled?

2.       Truth – Colossians 3:16

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, signing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Here is a similar passage, but worship rises out of being filled with the word of Christ and has an instructive function. One of the main purposes of worship is to teach the truth of God, most clearly revealed in Jesus Christ. The sticking power of music makes it a powerful vehicle. Everything said or sung in worship must conform to the truth of Scripture.

With the understanding that the congregation is more likely to go home singing a chorus of a song than quoting the pastor’s sermon, worship leaders must take their teaching role seriously. Lyrics matter. Theology matters. The balance and breadth of the whole counsel of God must be considered. Music has the potential to plunge people into the deep mysteries of God – or we can float along on the foam of feel good superficiality. Worship leaders would benefit from working in concert with other pastoral leaders who are actively shaping the minds of the congregation with other forms of teaching and preaching.

So just how do we categorize the role of a worship leader? Does it fit better under spiritual gifts or pastoral leadership? In many ways music can be used prophetically, and as a worship leader leads a service they have many opportunities to speak to the congregation. So I see connections with the gifts of prophecy, encouragement, even discernment.  As a spiritual gift, it would fall into Paul’s guidelines for order in a service.

Music is also used didactically, so there is an element of the teacher or pastor there. Of course, there’s also the spiritual gift of leadership, and that is what a worship leader is doing. It’s not just about leading songs, but leading people through the means of songs, Scripture, silence, prayer, and other elements of liturgy. That is why I believe it is so important that the worship leader is working with and on the same page as other pastoral leaders. It goes beyond matching music to the sermon theme, but coming alongside the vision of the leadership and using the means of music to guide people in the direction of the bigger vision.

The Audience

We are used to saying that worship is for an audience of One. And there is truth to that. In worship we seek to please and honor God, not anyone else. But biblically, we are also to sing to each other. Worship falls into the “one another” category of church life.

1.       Heaven

This is the vertical dynamic. We worship God and God alone. We sing to Him, praise Him, pray to Him. He is our focus, our sole pursuit. We draw near to Him, lay our lives down before Him, offer ourselves heart, body and soul. The focus should be on elevating God and not any one person.

Yet too often, I see what I would consider an unhealthy spotlight on the “professional” worshipers on the platform. Of course, there are practical considerations. The band has to go somewhere, with some level of visibility in order to facilitate leading. But I’m concerned that there is nothing visually to remind us all of Who is really front and center in our worship. I think we could stand to experiment a bit more with our physical set up, including lighting, placement, and visual focal points.

2.       Earth

This is the horizontal dynamic. We are to sing to each other. In worship we declare God’s praise for a human audience as well. God is not a narcissist who needs to hear constantly about how wonderful He is. Praise is a proclamation that declares God’s wonders for all to hear, for the sake of spreading His glory. In worship we teach and encourage each other in the truths of who God is and who He has recreated us to be. We build ourselves up in the Lord and give opportunity for the operation of many different spiritual gifts.

In many modern worship settings, we have lost some of this horizontal aspect. Yes, everyone may be singing along, but the interpersonal dynamic is often lost to the performance dynamic. The focus is on the “stage.” A worship leader or team sings to the congregation. But congregation members rarely sing to each other. I’d love to see how we could incorporate more of this aspect in our churches. Maybe this necessitates a smaller, more intimate setting. Maybe sometimes we turn the mains down and let us hear each other. How can we make worship more participatory and less passive?

I think there are some practical, physical things that can be done in our churches along these lines. I also think more teaching could be helpful, both to worship teams and congregations, which would help the whole church understand that though there may be some people up on a platform, we are all in this together.

Some practical suggestions:

- Lighting: Keep lighting levels consistent between platform and pews. Tone down the use of spotlights on worship leaders or musicians, unless a "special" number is being done. There is still room for an aspect of performance in the church, where one person or group is presenting something audio/visual for the benefit of the congregation. But for regular congregational worship, perhaps more of an effort should be made to de-emphasize the distinction between platform and pew. 

- Placement of musicians: Are there other ways to place musicians? Along the side? Can the worship leader lead from off-center? (I realize that this may seem silly to some. What does it matter where someone stands? Yet the symbolism of space does have an effect, even subconsciously.) 

- Visual focal point: If there is no longer a cross somewhere front and center, could something else be used centrally? Can a cross be reintroduced? Could screens be located differently? Basically, is there anything else other than the worship leader that people can focus on? (Not that there should never be anyone standing or preaching or ministering in the center. But for what is supposed to be a God-oriented activity, it would be great to have a God-oriented focal point.)

- Sound: Incorporate more acoustic music or services. There are times when louder levels can be used effectively in the sense of "encompassing" the congregation, which I think can create an atmosphere of transcendence, the sense of being "lost" in the heavenly throne room of worship. But perhaps we should also give weight to immanence, the sense of God's presence among us as we worship and sing to each other. (Realistically, many modern buildings are not designed for unplugged acoustics. Voices can get lost in all the carpeting and curtains. I love going to older church buildings where the sound of the congregation singing fills and resounds off the very walls, with little amplification. We've traded that for the ability to amplify with electronic instruments. There are benefits and drawbacks to each set-up, but man I love to sing in some of those beautifully structured churches.)

- Format: Like the liturgical "call and response," are there creative ways (or perhaps previously discarded ways) we can involve the congregation in worship? How can we be more interactive? 

So in light of all this, how much of the spotlight should a worship leader be comfortable with? Though a leader often needs to be visible/audible in order to do their job well, we need to be willing to take a good look at whether we are pointing the way to God or whether we sometimes get in the way. 

More to come:

Some thoughts about how one person’s experience of worship influences others

Revelation: the ultimate model for worship?

Prophet or Priest? The finger of John the Baptist