Do you think worship leading as more than what happens in church? I see it as more a way of life than a vocation or leading people in song.

Worship leaders lead with their lives.

The song we sing everyday makes the gathering more meaningful. Private fuel gives rise to corporate fires. And that is everyone’s responsibility. The gathered church can’t rely on the worship leader and the worship leader can’t rely on the church. We have a responsibility to:

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come into his courts” (Psalm 96:8).

It never says to ascribe glory when you feel like it. Or to ascribe glory when it’s convenient. We’re not called to worship when the band is good. We all have a responsibility.

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Leading worship. It’s a term we throw around a lot.

We idolize the uber talented ones. It’s a key position in churches across the globe. But do you know what’s interesting? It’s not in the Bible. God never calls or commands people to lead in worship. That terminology is simply never used.

Sure, there is plenty of music in the Bible. We know we are to make a joyful noise and praise the Lord with loud, clashing cymbals. But there are no commands to lead worship. Why is this? Is this just a human construct that we have completely off base?

I don’t think so. Entirely. We just need to clarify what it means to “lead.” What does it mean to lead people in worship? What is the role of a worship leader? We hear a lot of catch phrases surrounding this:

• “Wow, you really led us to the throne room today!”
• “You ushered us into the presence of God.”
• “The presence of God is so strong on him(her).”
• “Your anointing shifted the atmosphere.”

If I’m honest, some of these statements make me queasy. Why? Because we’re placing too much stock in the worship leader person than the person of Christ.

Have we become too dependent on worship leaders and not dependent enough on Christ?

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